boot13A fix for full screen YouTube videos, stability and performance tweaks, and a Chromium engine update comprise the latest Opera update, version 38.0.2220.41. See the full change log for additional details.
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Windows 10 anniversary update coming August 2nd
Microsoft is planning a big update for Windows 10 on its release anniversary. The update is planned for August 2, 2016, but that date may shift as we get closer.
The anniversary update will include the new Windows Ink, Edge browser extensions, and numerous performance and stability improvements. In other words, all the changes we’ve already seen as part of the Windows Insider program.
The update will be free to install on any computer already running Windows 10. After July 29, upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8.1 will no longer be free, and is expected to cost $119 USD.
More Windows 10 Preview Builds
Microsoft is pushing out new Windows 10 Preview Builds with somewhat alarming rapidity recently. Alarming, because it seems my test PC is always either downloading one of the massive updates, or installing one.
My test PC is now running Build 14379, and I haven’t noticed any changes of interest, good or bad. Let’s look at the release notes to see what’s different in the new builds.
Build 14371
A new Activation Troubleshooter helps to resolve problems encountered by users after changing hardware such as hard drives and motherboards.
This build also includes improvements to accessibility, and easier to understand Edge download displays. Some tweaks were made to a few display settings, and more display settings will now be maintained between builds.
Build 14372
According to the release notes, Build 14372 has “a handful of fixes to [improve] overall performance and reliability.”
Build 14376
Performance and reliability fixes for Windows Store, various display fixes, a fix for a specific Edge/Explorer crash, and a fix for an authentication error related to Terminal Services.
Build 14379
More display fixes and crash fixes.
Pre-installed crapware still a problem
A recent report from Duo Security shows that pre-assembled, ready-to-run computers purchased from major vendors almost always include pre-installed software that often makes those computers much less secure. That’s in addition to being unnecessary, unstable, resource-hungry, and often serving primarily as advertising conduits.
If you purchase a pre-assembled computer, you should uninstall all unnecessary software as soon as possible after powering it up. Before even connecting it to a network. It can be difficult to identify exactly which software should be removed, but a good starting point is to remove anything that shows the manufacturer’s name as the Publisher. PC World has a helpful guide.
And now the good news, at least for some of us: Microsoft now provides a tool that allows a user with a valid license to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch at any time. Minus all the crapware that the manufacturer originally installed.
Microsoft now less sneaky about Windows 10 upgrades
Now that their free Windows 10 upgrade offer is almost over, Microsoft thought this would be a good time to reduce some of the more devious tricks they’ve employed to fool users into upgrading from Windows 7 and 8.1 to Windows 10.
One incredibly annoying behaviour of at least one of the previous upgrade dialogs was that closing the dialog by clicking the ‘X’ button at the top right corner was actually interpreted by Microsoft as approval to proceed with the upgrade.
But it’s too little, too late for some users, many of whom encountered serious problems after their computers were upgraded to Windows 10 without their approval.
Techdirt has an amusing look at this issue.
Update 2016Jul04: Apparently Microsoft is making one final big push to get people to upgrade. The Verge reports on new, screen-filling upgrade prompts that are starting to appear on Windows 7 and 8.1 computers.
Major vulnerabilities in Symantec security products
Earlier this week, a Google researcher published a report on vulnerabilities affecting all Symantec security products, including Norton Security, Norton 360, legacy Norton products, Symantec Endpoint Protection, Symantec Email Security, Symantec Protection Engine, and Symantec Protection for SharePoint Servers. All platforms are affected.
From the original report:
These vulnerabilities are as bad as it gets. They don’t require any user interaction, they affect the default configuration, and the software runs at the highest privilege levels possible. In certain cases on Windows, vulnerable code is even loaded into the kernel, resulting in remote kernel memory corruption.
Symantec quickly released security advisories and updates to address the vulnerabilities, including SYM16-010 and SYM16-011.
Anyone who uses Symantec or Norton security products should install the available updates as soon as possible.
Chrome 51.0.2704.106
A new version of Chrome appears to fix a single bug. Since the bug is unrelated to security, this is one update you can safely ignore. Of course Chrome will most likely update itself anyway. The full change log has only four entries, three of which seem to exist only to record changes in version numbers. Makes a nice change from the browser-annihilating change logs we’ve come to expect, anyway.
WordPress 4.5.3: critical security update
WordPress sites that are configured for automatic updates should be running version 4.5.3 by now. However, it’s still a good idea to make sure, because the auto-update system isn’t perfectly reliable.
WordPress 4.5.3 addresses several critical security vulnerabilities found in previous versions. It also fixes at least seventeen other bugs.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds 14352, 14361, 14366, and 14367
I was starting to wonder why my Windows 10 test computer wasn’t getting new preview builds. It was seemingly stuck on build 14342, as new build announcements paraded past in my RSS feed reader.
As much as possible, I’ve attempted to evaluate Windows 10 as a regular user, so I held off trying to fix this, assuming it would fix itself. A couple of days ago, I finally relented, and started to investigate.
Looking at All Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update, I was confronted with this message: “We couldn’t connect to the update service. We’ll try again later, or you can check now. If it still doesn’t work, make sure you’re connected to the Internet.” I clicked the Check for Updates button and initially it seemed to be working. It showed a new available build, and actually installed a minor update, but then when it started to download the new build, the message reappeared.
I found plenty of reports on the web of other people having similar difficulties, but mostly for earlier builds. None of the suggested solutions had any effect, including disabling the option Updates from more than one place, and running the Windows Update troubleshooter. The troubleshooter found nothing untoward.
I use a special DNS service for privacy reasons, so on a hunch, I switched to my ISP’s DNS and again checked for updates. Preview Build 14366 started downloading, and eventually installed.
Is Microsoft somehow preventing Windows 10 preview builds from being downloaded when certain DNS services are being used? I find that difficult to believe, but it’s certainly possible.
What’s new in builds 14352, 14361, and 14366?
Build 14352
Release announcement (May 26, 2016).
- Cortana improvements
- Windows Ink improvements
- Feedback Hub now shows Microsoft’s responses
- A load of bug fixes
Build 14361
Release announcement (June 8, 2016).
- LastPass extension for Microsoft Edge
- Windows Ink improvements
- Settings – visual improvements
- Start screen – visual improvements
- the usual pile of bug fixes, many related to Edge
Build 14366
Release announcement (June 14, 2016).
- Windows Store app – resource usage improvements
- a bunch more bug fixes, including several for user interface glitches
Build 14367
Release announcement (June 16, 2016).
- New tool to clean-install the latest Windows 10 release
- the usual pile of bug fixes
Chrome 51.0.2704.103
There’s not much to talk about in the latest version of Chrome, but it does include fixes for at least three security vulnerabilities. The announcement for Chrome 51.0.2704.103 doesn’t contain much useful information, and the full change log only lists a few bug fixes.