Windows 12 delayed

Windows 12 has been shelved for a while. It was expected to be released this fall.

Instead, Windows 11 24H2 will be released this fall.

Windows 12 may not even be released in 2025.

I suspect that Microsoft wants to spread out major version maybe every [say] 5 years as they could of been supporting 3 Windows versions this fall if Windows 12 did come out.

For the OS share, Windows 10 still has about 67% with Windows 11 hovering at 28%.

Do you have an old unused Google or Gmail account?

Google will be warning users that they have to log into their Google account that they haven’t accessed or it will be deleted eight months from their first notifications. Notifications will be sent to the primary address and their backup address.

The first accounts to be cut are those that were created and then never revisited by the user.

There are a few exceptions to the policy: Accounts with YouTube channels, remaining balances on a gift cards, those that have been used to purchase a digital item like a book or movie, and those that have published apps that are active on a platform like the Google Play store.

To save your account, all you need to do is log in to sign into your Google account or any Google service at least once every two years and perhaps read an email, watch a video or perform a single search, among other activities.

RIP…..

Cortana

This past week, Microsoft had announced that they are finally killing of Cortana.

It’s about time.

Windows 10 bugs from the recent Patch Tuesday

Seems the latest Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update for all supported versions have issues that do not affect Windows 11.

Among the issues are:

• The Windows taskbar stops responding.
• Windows Explorer stops responding.
• The Weather or News and Interests widget or icons flickers on the Windows taskbar.
• Applications including Microsoft Word or Excel might stop responding if they are open when the issue occurs.

Of note, my Weather or News and Interest widget stopped working over a year ago saying it can’t connect to the Internet.

[Update: 2022/12/19:] Another bug. The update could produce a Blue Screen of Death with the error code “0xc000021a” on some systems due to a mismatch between HIDPARSE system files (hidparse.sys) in two different system directories.

Musk is unstable

Aside from all the very off things Elon Musk has done in the past 6 months, now Musk is claiming that journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN were “doxxing” him under a new Twitter rule by giving out information where he and his family are located. The journalists were banned or suspended but were not given an official explanation.

Musk claims that “They were giving out assassination coordinates.”

But look closely. These are the same media services that have been critical of him. “New” policy? Was it created just to use this as a disguise to ban those who report against him.

As for the fax doxxing part, the information found was “open source” – i.e. this information can be found on the Internet or elsewhere quite easily.

Seems like Musk is inventing policies as he wants. He is blocking free speech but disguising it as something that is false.

Already the European Union is looking into the matter.

Troubles for Windows 11 v22H2

If you have Windows 11 v21H2 [the original release] and have not had the option to upgrade, you may want to wait. And if you have had the option but didn’t, then don’t.

Seems there are quite a few issues with v22H2 [a.k.a. October 2022 release]. There are issues with RDP [remote desktop access], copying/transferring large files, Intel audio related drivers and printer driver issues [seems to be universal drivers].

It is bad enough that Microsoft pulled the official ISO release and then released another [dated September 29].

Windows 11 v22H2 has been released

a.k.a. Windows 11 2022 Update

It will initially be offered to the newer and the most compatible devices and then others after.

You can also go here and download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant to verify and optionally install.

Note: External links are for informational purposes only and the author can not guarantee the content for external links. Use at your own risk.

Bug issue KB5012170 for all versions of Windows

As per Neowin, KB5012170: Security update for Secure Boot DBX may dump you into the Bitlocker recovery mode. KB5012170 applies to every currently supported of Windows.

Microsoft is looking at it for a fix.

How to create a Windows 11 local account

If you or if you know someone who is getting a new computer with Windows 11 and prefer a local account over a Microsoft account to manage it, you can still do it.

By default, Microsoft hides the option to use a local account when setting up. You won’t even see it during the setup.

To enable a local account when starting Windows 11 for the first time:

1. Disconnect any network cable.

2. Start the Windows 11 setup [i.e. turn on the computer].

3. At the point where it says “Let’s Connect”, press Shift-F10.

4. This will open a command prompt. Enter the following:

oobe\bypassnro

5. This command will reboot the computer and start the process again. However, at the “Let’s Connect” screen it will have the option not to connect.

6. It will then verify that’s what you want.

7. After that, it will ask for a password on two separate screens.

8. Finally it will ask you three recovery questions in case you forget it.

[Modern laptops may also ask about adding your fingerprint as an option to unlock.]

No guarantees it will work on future versions of Windows 11. Microsoft like to make people suffer when it comes to features.

Issues with Ryzen Windows systems

If you are using AMD Ryzen CPUs, you may have noticed stuttering even with the most basic tasks. This is a bug in the system related to TPM.
If you are using Windows 10, and as long as you aren’t using any encryption that uses TPM like BitLocker and Windows Hello, then disabling it in the BIOS should fix the issues but you may not be able to upgrade to Windows 11 as TPM is required in Windows 11.
If you have Windows 11, it gets trickier. Windows 11 requires TPM. If you disable TPM, your system won’t be supported for Windows 11 updates and it may further break things.
In addition, you can’t disable TPM unless you are sure that you have nothing that is using TPM for encryption such as BitLocker and Windows Hello.
While some TPM modules are soldered onto motherboards [in particularly laptops], you may be able to disable the onboard TPM module and replace it with a module that you can plug in.
AMD has offered no solution and this isn’t a Windows issue.