September 2022

Microsoft Corporation 400,96 +1,84 +0,46% is having rough week since the Windows 11 22H2 update release last week. Earlier this week was news the update was being blocked on some Intel based systems running older versions of Intel Corporation 34,20 -0,84 -2,40% Smart Sound Technology (SST) audio drivers. This incompatibility could cause users to get a dreaded BSOD. Shortly after the update was released NVIDIA Corporation 796,77 -27,46 -3,33% GeForce GPU users complained of performance issues. Adding to the list now of systems being blocked from the Windows 11 22H2 update are those with printers using Universal Print Class or Microsoft…

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Wish You Could Go Back to Windows XP?

Microsoft Corporation 400,96 +1,84 +0,46% Microsoft Windows XP was released in August 2001. It was a major change for PC users as it was built under the Windows NT kernel and felt more like an operating system than an overlay. This was the first version of Windows users could automatically boot into without the need to start Windows from the DOS command line (or via the AUTOEXEC.BAT file) when the PC finished booting. It offered a nice clean interface too, which was more than could be said for Windows 10 ‘Metro’ mode. If you really don’t like the look and…

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Brave Browser will Block Cookie Consent Banners

The Brave Browser, a privacy focused browser based off of the Chromium Browser will start blocking those pesky Cookie Consent Banners in an upcoming future release. Those annoying pop-up banners (and yes our sites have them too) are an unfortunate but required side effect of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulations. Not only are these banners annoying but they could be invading your privacy too. In some cases, however, these banners can serve as trackers themselves, as they engage in a privacy-breaching data exchange before the user even has a chance to opt out. Brave will now proactively detect…

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Google Delays turning off Chrome Manifest V2 until June 2023

Google Inc. 159,92 +1,97 +1,25% Google has pushed back their plans to disabling Manifest V2 based add-ons at least five-months. Previously Google planed to disable Manifest V2 based add-ons in January 2023. I am guessing some add-on developers (especially the Ad Blocking ones) are having trouble getting their add-ons to work user would prefer based on the new Manifest V3 guidelines. An update from the Chrome team says that they will proceed in careful, experimental steps, ensuring a smooth end-user experience during the phase-out of Manifest V2 in June 2023. During that time, Google will support extension developers with guidance…

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This September Microsoft Corporation 400,96 +1,84 +0,46% Microsoft released the first major annual update for Windows 11 with the 22H2 build. Coming in October, will be a release of ‘additional set of experiences’. These ‘experiences’ include: The tabbed File Explorer interface An updated Photos application “Suggested Actions” in the Windows Shell An overflow menu for the Taskbar An improved Nearby Share The tabbed File Explorer interface is essentially File Explorer’s version of Sets, the tabbed window interface that Microsoft tested out several years ago. In testing, the tabbed interface proved handy for moving and copying files, and we’d expect the same…

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Microsoft Blocking Windows 11 22H2 Update on some Intel Systems

We are now a week after from the release of Microsoft Corporation 400,96 +1,84 +0,46% Microsoft Windows 11 22H2 update and now we are becoming aware of another ‘known issue’ with this update. First there were sever performance issues for those using NVIDIA NVIDIA Corporation 796,77 -27,46 -3,33% GeForce GPU’s which NVIDIA has acknowledged with a Beta Release of the GeForce Experience software suite on Monday. Now comes news Microsoft is blocking the Windows 11 22H2 update on machines with Intel Corporation 34,20 -0,84 -2,40% Intel Smart Sound Technology (SST) audio drivers. There is an issue with Windows 11 22H2…

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NVIDIA issues fix for Windows 11 22H2 Performance Issues

NVIDIA has addressed the performance issues many GeForce GPU users have been experiencing as a result of last week’s Windows 11 22H2 update. The downside is this fix/update for their GeForce Experience software suite is currently in Beta and therefore users will need to manually install this update. For those who don’t want to install the Beta version they will need to wait until Nvidia the release version is pushed out later this week. “Some users may observer lower performance in games or applications after updating to Microsoft Windows 11 2022 Update,” the company says in a support article published over the…

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Meta bypassing beefy Apple security to spy on millions

Three Facebook, Inc. 196,64 +0,99 +0,51% Facebook and Apple Inc. 165,00 -2,04 -1,22% Apple iOS users have filed class action lawsuits against Meta (parent company of Facebook) accusing of them of bypassing Apple’s updated privacy rules from 2021. These rule changes caused so many people to have opted out that the Electronic Frontier Foundation reported that Meta lost $10 billion in revenue over the next year. To ‘work-around’ this Meta updated the coding of their Facebook and Instagram apps so that links users clicked on were opened in an app browser instead of the user’s default browser. This action was…

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Windows 11 22H2 Enhanced Phishing Protection

A new security feature (though this is not enabled by default) has been introduced in the newly released Windows 11 22H2 update. Enhanced Phishing Protection is more targeted towards enterprise users as phishing attacks are the most common way hackers/attackers breach corporate networks. In some cases, simply typing your password in a phishing login form, and not submitting them, is enough for them to be stolen by threat actors. To combat this behavior, Microsoft introduced a new feature called ‘Enhanced Phishing Protection’ that warns users when they enter their Windows password on a website or enter it into an insecure application. When enabled, Microsoft…

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Weekly Roundup: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

It is Sunday, September 25th and time for a new weekly feature where we look back at the tech news this past week and highlight one each of the: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This week as a bit of a slow week even with Microsoft’s Windows 11 22H2 update. The Good There has been much talk these days about slowing down climate change and reducing C02 emissions by getting people to ditch their ICE vehicles in favor of battery Electric Vehicles (EVs). However, the effects of climate change (extreme heat/cold) are taking its toll on the US…

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