• 'Fix problems using Windows Update' is a handy tool for solving issues
• It lets you quickly reinstall Windows 11
• It's only available in Windows 11 22H2 or newer

Windows 11 has been having a rough time of it recently, with Microsoft releasing a series of controversial and sometimes faulty updates – but to be fair, it’s also been releasing tools to help its users who encounter problems, and one of the most promising is called, with a refreshingly straightforward name, ‘Fix problems using Windows Update.’

As Neowin reports, while the tool first appeared for testing back in 2023, it’s now officially been added to Windows 11, and Microsoft has released support documentation explaining what the tool does, saying it “will reinstall the current version of Windows on your device.”

Over my many years of helping friends, family, and - most importantly of all - TechRadar readers fix their PCs, one sure-fire way of getting things running normally again is to reinstall Windows. In the past, this was usually left as a last resort due to how time consuming reinstalling the entire operating system was.

To Microsoft’s credit, reinstalling Windows 11 is now a much easier process, as you don’t need to dig out a DVD or product key, and there are options to ‘reset’ your PC while keeping your personal files (rather than having to back them up to external storage).

It looks like ‘Fix problems using Windows Update’ will be another easy way to reinstall Windows 11 with (hopefully) minimal disruption to users. Windows 11's Settings app says the tool will “Reinstall your current version of Windows (your apps, files, and settings will be preserved).”

I’ve not tried it yet (thankfully I’ve not needed to) but when it mentions preserving your apps, hopefully that means your applications remain installed, rather than what currently happens when you reset Windows 11, which removes all programs, but gives shortcuts to redownload apps from the Microsoft Store.

Not for everyone

The tool can be found by going to Settings > System > Recovery, and will also appear if an update fails to install.

This does seem to be a genuinely useful tool that is sadly increasingly necessary as more Windows 11 problems emerge. The issue Microsoft has, which Apple doesn’t face with its macOS operating system, is that there are essentially an infinite range of PCs it needs to support with a mixture of hardware from different companies, and this means that issue-free releases for Windows can be rare. Making it easier to reinstall important files and fix problems is a good step in the right direction.

However, not everyone with Windows 11 will be able to use the tool – you’ll need to have Windows 11 22H2 or newer installed with the February 2024 optional update also installed. People on older versions of Windows 11, or use Windows 10, are out of luck.

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• Windows 11’s Microsoft Store will soon update third-party apps, not just those hosted on Microsoft’s servers
• The update system will soon show third-party app updates alongside Microsoft apps, activated by clicking the 'Get updates' button
• This change makes it easier to manage all app updates in one place, saving time and reducing manual checks

Microsoft is working on improving Windows 11’s Microsoft Store by making it able to update apps that aren’t hosted on its own servers. Until now, this wasn’t the case and Windows 11 users could only update apps via the Microsoft Store that were downloaded from the company’s own servers. However, many app developers hosted their own apps, which meant that while they could be discovered and downloaded from the Microsoft Store, you could not easily update them.

Thankfully, in this update, the Microsoft Store will be able to show updates for third-party apps published and maintained by companies and developers other than Microsoft itself. The store’s update system will now feature these and they will appear in your Microsoft Store update list, which is generated when you click on ‘Get updates’ on the Downloads page in the Microsoft Store.

The new feature is currently being tested in all channels of the Windows Insider Program, with the Microsoft Store listing app updates provided by publishers and developers other than Microsoft as ‘provided and updated’ apps.

A little much-needed TLC for the Microsoft Store

This change seems pretty useful to me, making it easier to keep track of all of your app updates in one place whether they’re store-hosted or not. Now, clicking on ‘Get updates’ in the store will make updates for both types of apps appear, but only apps hosted by Microsoft will be updated automatically. Still, it’ll save you the time and trouble of having to seek out updates for different tools across different websites for each third-party app you’ve installed.

I’m always pleased to see Microsoft make Windows 11 more convenient to use and improve the oft-neglected Microsoft Store to become, as Windows Central calls it, a ‘one-stop shop’ for all the updates you might need and want. Of course, this only applies to apps you can get from the Microsoft Store in the first place, but this could encourage more third party app makers to bring their products to the Microsoft Store, confident in the knowledge that they can keep control over their app updates while still making it easy for their users to keep their software updated with new features and security fixes.

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• Some Windows 11 testers found Recall didn’t work at all
• Microsoft has explained this is due to a bug caused by an optional update
• That optional update causes issues with the Dev build Recall is in, but there’s no fix for those affected

Some of the Windows 11 testers trying out the Recall feature (which recently went live for Windows Insiders) ran into a baffling issue where it didn’t work at all, and Microsoft has just explained the problem – but failed to provide a fix for those affected.

As we saw last week, after Recall was finally deployed in the Dev channel for Windows 11, it was immediately hit by some bugs. Indeed, some testers complained that it refused to save any snapshots at all (those being the regular screenshots Recall takes to facilitate its AI-supercharged search functionality).

According to an update on Microsoft’s blog post for the preview build in question, the glitch happens to Windows 11 users who first install patch KB5046740 – which is the preview update for November – and then go on to install build 26120.2415.

Essentially, something in the KB5046740 optional update for Windows 11 clashes with the Dev channel build, and throws a serious spanner in the works for Recall.

Microsoft’s advice is: “We recommend you not install this preview update before joining the Dev channel until we fix the issue in a future update.”

Analysis: Already in this pickle? You’re out of luck, it seems

Of course, Microsoft doesn’t tell us what to do if you’re already in this pickle, and you’ve installed the preview update before deciding to join the Dev channel in order to test Recall. So, we can only presume that you’re going to need to reinstall Windows 11 to fix this (or just put up with Recall not working – and maybe never working, going forward with Dev test builds).

Recall is, of course, a feature for Copilot+ PCs only – and just Arm-based Snapdragon devices to begin with, too – so there will be a limited pool of testers anyway. And an even smaller subset who went this route before installing the Dev build.

Even so, that’s still a bunch of users who are left in the lurch, but such are the perils of being a Windows 11 tester. Especially in the earlier testing channels, Canary and Dev, where the changes brought in are fresher and more likely to suffer from bugs.

Via The Register

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• Microsoft has stated that requirement for TPM 2.0 is ‘non-negotiable’
• This clarification came as part of a blog post for businesses
• It looks like there’s no chance of consumers being let off the hook either

Those with Windows 10 PCs who are blocked from upgrading to Windows 11 due to a lack of TPM 2.0 may have been hoping Microsoft might relent on that requirement – but the software giant has clarified that this won’t happen.

Neowin noticed that in a post addressing IT admins, Microsoft explained that TPM 2.0 is a ‘non-negotiable’ element for the future of Windows computers running Windows 1

To rewind briefly, TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module, and this hardware security measure can be present as a standalone module in your PC, or more commonly, it’s simply enabled in your motherboard firmware (meaning diving into the BIOS, and we explain what to do here).

The problem arises when you have an older chipset and there’s no TPM 2.0 capability (and indeed Windows 11 requirements rule out older CPUs too). That leaves you with a potentially tricky and expensive upgrade to perform in order to get Windows 11.

Microsoft is firm on the need for TPM 2.0 (and complementary security features like secure boot) because it implements a tighter level of security for Windows 11 PCs, something the company feels is necessary.

As the blog post tells us: “From supporting more intricate encryption algorithms to adding cryptographic functionality, TPM 2.0 is essential to counteracting present-day cyber risks.”

Microsoft adds: “By instituting TPM 2.0 as a non-negotiable standard for the future of Windows, we elevate the security benchmark.”

Analysis: No hope of Microsoft budging an inch

Of course, this is all about businesses, which are obviously in much greater need of defenses against the ‘present-day cyber risks’ flying around than your average consumer sat at home with their PC.

However, the use of language like ‘non-negotiable standard’ makes it seem extremely unlikely that any exceptions are going to be made for consumers (especially given other moves Microsoft is busy making, which we’ll come back to shortly). Even though those consumers are likely much less bothered about super-tight security than business organizations are.

You might be wondering: why would Microsoft make any exceptions, anyway, all this time after the launch of Windows 11? Well, with Windows 10 End of Life arriving next year, in October 2025, quite a lot of negative noise has (understandably) been made about hundreds of millions of PCs that don’t qualify for Windows 11’s requirements potentially ending up in landfill.

So, given that, perhaps there were still embers of hope that Microsoft could change its mind about Windows 11’s spec requirements in some way – but it’s looking very much like the company won’t budge. Also backing that up is the fact that Microsoft has, for the first time ever, given consumers an option to pay for extended support (security updates) for Windows 10 for an extra year, through to October 2026.

That appears to be Microsoft’s sole compromise in terms of consumers with Windows 10 PCs, while it busily badgers them about buying a new Windows 11 computer (preferably a Copilot+ PC, of course).

We should note that there are unofficial workarounds to get Windows 11 on a PC that doesn’t have TPM 2.0 (or falls short of other requirements), but they aren’t recommended – and Microsoft very much cautions against this route.

In fact, Microsoft just added an ugly watermark on the desktop (yes, the same as when running an unactivated copy of Windows) and an annoying pop-up for those using Windows 11 on an unsupported PC, having leveraged one of those aforementioned fudges to get the OS installed. If you needed more evidence of Microsoft’s apparently concrete stance on Windows 11’s upgrade requirements, well, there it is.

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• Microsoft will begin adding a watermark to the desktop of unsupported PCs
• PCs with Windows 11 installed that don't have TPM 2.0 are considered unsupported by Microsoft
• Updates could also be blocked

If you’re running Windows 11 on an unsupported PC, we’ve got some bad news. Microsoft looks set to make your life a misery by adding a watermark and an annoying pop-up message that’ll keep reminding you that you’re using the operating system on hardware you’re not supposed to until you stop and (ideally, for the company) buy a new PC.

Windows 11 launched with some specific hardware recommendations, especially to do with Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0), a bit of hardware included in modern motherboards that supposedly makes the operating system more secure.

However, Microsoft’s insistence that PCs needed TPM 2.0 to run Windows 11 meant that many people found that their perfectly powerful and recent PCs and laptops, which could run Windows 10 without issue, weren’t able to run Windows 11.

Unsurprisingly, this didn’t go down too well with a lot of people, and since then there have been various ways of getting Windows 11 to run on unsupported hardware.

While these workarounds proved that there were plenty of unsupported PCs out there that could run Windows 11 perfectly fine, Microsoft was clearly unhappy about it, and now it’s going to further lengths to make using Windows 11 on unsupported hardware more of a chore.

As ZDNet reports, if a PC doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11, but has the operating system installed anyway, then a watermark will be added to the desktop (in a similar way to how watermarks appear if you run Windows 10 or 11 without activating it), and a message will start appearing in the Settings app as well.

As well as those deliberate annoyances, Microsoft also warns that if you run Windows 11 on unsupported PCs you might not get essential updates – and damages to your device might not be covered by a warranty.

While you might wonder how much damage running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware will cause, the bigger concern is that you could miss out on a security update and subsequently fall victim to a virus.

Heavy-handed haranguing

Considering how keen Microsoft is to get people to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you might think that the company wouldn’t mind (or at least turn a blind eye to) people moving to Windows 11, even on unsupported hardware.

However, it seems the company is sticking to its guns, and doesn’t care if a PC can run Windows 11 – if it doesn’t support TPM 2.0, then it’s not coming in (to the ‘can officially run Windows 11’ club).

This insistence is an odd one. While it’s ostensibly about security, TPM is one of those things that few people outside of enterprise settings will notice or care about. If you’re already annoyed enough that your PC has been deemed unable to run Windows 11 to use a workaround to get the operating system running, having an ugly-looking watermark stamped on your desktop isn’t going to go down well – nor is it going to convince you to either return to Windows 10, or buy a new PC.

Those are the only two options available to you if your PC cannot run Windows 11, and while Microsoft does offer a way to go back to Windows 10, it feels like the company would much rather you just buy a new PC with Windows 11 pre-installed. That’s an expense not everyone can afford, and it can be particularly galling to be forced to do that if your device is perfectly able to run Windows 11, it just doesn’t have TPM 2.0.

However, while I have a lot of sympathy for people who are running Windows 11 on unsupported devices, the fact that Microsoft is warning that those users might miss out on updates means I can’t recommend continuing – if you miss out on a vital security update, you’ll be putting yourself and your device at risk.

Still, it leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth, especially as these workarounds have proved that there are plenty of unsupported PCs that can run Windows 11 just fine if it wasn’t for Microsoft’s insistence on TPM 2.0.

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• Microsoft made some unwise claims about Snapdragon-toting Copilot+ PCs
• X fact-checkers made short work of the assertion that they’re the ‘fastest’ PCs
• They also disagreed with the ‘intelligent’ claim, though that’s not as clear-cut

'Be careful what you post on social media' might be a lesson Microsoft is just now learning: a swift nugget of PR that was published on X (formerly Twitter) may, in hindsight, be viewed with some regret.

Windows Latest noticed the post, which was posted by the official Windows account on X, claiming simply that Snapdragon-powered (Arm) Copilot+ laptops are the “fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs” out there.

As you can see, X readers have ‘added context’ – essentially a community-based sort of loose fact-check that pops up here and there, pointing out alternative views, or information that a post has missed out – and did so in a rather withering fashion.

The X community asserts that: “These are not the fastest Windows PCs. They run on Snapdragon processors which have significantly less computing power than top-of-the-line Intel or AMD chipsets."

“[They] lack functionality for gamers, the major aspects of the AI are not implemented.”

So, should we fact-check the fact-checkers in this instance? Why not…

Analysis: We can’t argue for the most part

There are two main claims here from Microsoft, so let’s deal with them in turn, with the first being that Snapdragon-packing Copilot+ PCs are the “fastest” computers. This one is easy – no, they are not, as the X community rightly observes. This is a rather absurd claim, given that there are mighty desktop PCs out there running Windows that are massively more powerful than a svelte Arm-based laptop.

Even if we assume Microsoft really meant laptops – so not including desktop PCs, and the company should have specified that, we might add – they are still not the most performant devices out there.

How does the Snapdragon X Elite stack up to, say, the Core i9-14900HX for gaming laptops, performance-wise? Not very well, and that’s before we even consider overheads for emulating x86 apps on Arm. (Most software is coded for the x86 platform, and so needs to run via Microsoft’s Prism emulation layer on Windows on Arm, dropping back performance a bit).

The X context-check also notes that Arm-based CPUs “lack functionality for gamers” and this is also true – games can be rather troublesome in the compatibility stakes compared to a traditional x86 AMD or Intel-powered laptop. We’ve seen reports about how this is a particularly shaky area for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips.

On to Microsoft’s second claim that these Copilot+ PCs are the “most intelligent” Windows machines ever seen: it’s here that we’ll concede Microsoft might have a point.

By "most intelligent", Microsoft is clearly referring to the extra AI functionality that comes with Copilot+ PCs, such as exclusive powers to enhance video chats, provide system-wide live captions, and AI-driven photo editing extras. The big halo feature is Recall, the supercharged AI search that’s been mired in controversy, and was sent back to the drawing board earlier this year – but is finally out (in testing) now.

However, while technically these extra features do make Copilot+ PCs more intelligent – we’ll give Microsoft that – they aren’t just for Arm devices, as x86-powered Copilot+ laptops get them too. Although granted, Recall will be exclusive to Snapdragon notebooks to begin with – but it’ll come to AMD and Intel Copilot+ PCs eventually.

So, this isn’t really a strong suit of Arm-based Copilot+ PCs specifically, but all of these new AI-focused devices, both Arm and x86 machines included. And, as the X fact-check also points out, those AI powers are pretty limited right now. Remember, Recall is still in limited testing (and some folks may not trust it anyway).

The upshot of this is that Copilot+ PCs are not really that much more ‘intelligent’ than normal Windows 11 computers – not yet, anyway – but still, what Microsoft claims in that second aspect of its post is technically true.

Overall, though, the post feels like an unfortunate piece of PR puffery, though that’s certainly not a crime that only Microsoft is guilty of in the tech world.

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• Microsoft is developing a new "File Search" app, possibly to improve Windows Search, aiming for more accurate results and better usability
• The app will support searches across both local files and cloud storage, also allowing more specific queries
• Screenshots reveal that File Search is still in development, with potential concerns over its functionality and Microsoft’s app ecosystem integration

Microsoft is reportedly working on a new app for the rather unpopular Windows Search tool, in the hopes of making it feel more useful to Windows users. Windows Search is currently seen as fairly unreliable and hard to use, causing many users to abandon it altogether.

The new app will apparently allow you to search for files both on your PC as well as stored in a cloud storage service like Microsoft’s own OneDrive. You’ll also be able to carry out more specific searches by using details like file names, keywords, and people, which will show up in the taskbar. This sounds like you might be able to search directly from the taskbar, which I think would be particularly popular with users as you wouldn’t have to open a separate dialog box to search.

Evidence that such an app was in the process of being developed was spotted by user EpicB on X, raising people’s hopes that Windows Search might finally turn out to be a helpful feature.

EpicB doesn’t explain where they caught glimpses of the new companion app in the operating system (OS) or in which version of it, but they do provide some screenshots of a window that appears to introduce the new app to users and shows what it currently looks like. In one screenshot, you can see a query for files to do with ‘Renewable Energy’ and some files listed as results. In other screenshots, there’s an FAQ section and a ‘Preferences’ page with some options regarding notifications, which are greyed out.

The app itself is named ‘File Search’ in these screenshots, but as this is still in development, the name could change. XDA writes that File Search won’t just be able to search using things like file names, but also by keywords in the document itself or by the names of people who work on a certain file.

Maybe one of many Companion apps in the pipeline

File Search looks set to be another ‘Companion’ app that Microsoft has been introducing to Windows 11, which are designed to be small, helpful additions. XDA also reports that a Microsoft 365 taskbar Companion was announced at Ignite 2024, which it thinks indicates that we’re probably going to see more of these apps be added to Windows 11.

From the screenshots provided, it doesn’t look like EpicB was able to try the app for themselves, and Microsoft is still in the process of testing and refining it, so we’ll have to wait and see the finalized version. It’s also unclear if (and how) the Companion app is related to Windows Search itself.

I’m rooting for Microsoft in this instance and I hope the File Search Companion app is a success. This would make Windows 11 more efficient and easier to use, and function how you would hope a search app would work. The tech company still has some ways to go when it comes to winning many users’ favor and developments like this would be steps in the right direction.

I do worry that Microsoft could still mess this up, however. Either by rushing it out in an unfinished state, with some features not working as intended, or by using the app to strongarm people into using its other apps and services, such as opening links in its Edge browser, even if you use another web browser as your default, or limiting the cloud search feature to only work with its OneDrive service, and not rivals such as iCloud and Google Drive.

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• The Help page for Surface devices has a new banner for Windows 11 upgrades
• Report notes Microsoft’s tweaked ‘hundreds’ of support docs in this way
• Expect this promotional activity to kick into a higher gear still in 2025

Microsoft appears to be on another drive to remind Windows 10 users that their operating system will be out of support next year, and that they should be thinking on what to do about that already.

We’ve seen a few such initiatives of late – since Windows 10 had less than a year left on the clock, back in October – and Windows Latest pointed out a further spurt of activity on this front.

The tech site noticed that on one of Microsoft’s help pages, in this case for troubleshooting the installation of updates for Windows 10 on a Surface device, there’s a new banner at the very top of the page that states: “Support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025.”

That’s followed by a short message advising users: “After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11.”

To ‘recommend’ is putting it mildly – if you don’t have security updates to patch up vulnerabilities as they appear, you’re really exposing yourself to some major risks when online.

There’s also a ‘Learn More’ button underneath the banner which links through to Microsoft’s hub for advice about out-of-support operating systems (or platforms soon to join this club, namely Windows 10).

Windows Latest further observes that Microsoft has recently tweaked “hundreds of support documents” that pertain to Windows 10 to add this banner, or similar efforts.

Analysis: Time to take action

The idea is obvious enough, then. As 2025 rolls into view, Microsoft is updating pretty much every help article and support page it has for Windows 10, reminding those still on the older OS that it’s time to think about migrating to Windows 11.

Of course, there are more options available than simply upgrading to Windows 11 – which may not be possible for some folks with older PCs that don’t meet the hardware requirements for Microsoft’s newest operating system – and we cover those in our article about preparing for Windows 10 End of Life.

They include moving to a different operating system entirely – such as a Linux distro (maybe one that resembles Windows somewhat) – or paying for an extra year of support (a choice Microsoft has only introduced for consumers with Windows 10).

As 2025 progresses, we can expect more of these banners to appear across Microsoft’s various web pages, no doubt – and Windows 10 users will doubtless get some pretty big nag screens hitting them, too, especially as October 2025 comes close.

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• Recall has a number of bugs in initial testing (unsurprisingly)
• One glitch means it isn’t saving snapshots
• The cure for that is to reboot the PC (and it’s the fix for another bug, too)

Windows 11’s controversial Recall feature is finally in play – well, in testing anyway – and some folks are encountering glitches, one of which has an age-old solution provided by Microsoft. Yes – turn it off, then turn it back on again.

As a quick reminder, when Recall was first revealed it caused a major storm on the privacy and security fronts, being an AI-driven powerful search feature (for Copilot+ PCs) that takes regular screenshots (called snapshots) of the activity on your PC (leveraging those grabs for its natural language search powers). It was then pulled, and delayed several times, before eventually being put back on the table by Microsoft last week.

One of the main problems some initial testers of Recall are now experiencing is a failure to save snapshots at all, as Tom Warren of The Verge complains about on Bluesky, as flagged by TweakTown.

CNBC further observed that right now, Recall can go for “several minutes” between taking the screenshots it uses to power its AI search, which can leave gaps in its timeline of snapshots, potentially weakening those search powers.

Microsoft has acknowledged the issue with snapshots being delayed, or not appearing at all, and advises a restart of the PC to cure the latter glitch.

In the known issues for the preview build carrying Recall (in the Dev channel for Windows Insiders), Microsoft advises: “Some users experience a delay before snapshots first appear in the timeline while using their device. If snapshots do not appear after 5 minutes, reboot your device. If saving snapshots is enabled, but you see snapshots are no longer being saved, reboot your device.”

Turn it off. Turn it on again.

Analysis: Expected problems

Recall has only just been deployed into testing, and with such a complex feature, we can expect teething problems. You might argue that Microsoft has been further working on Recall since the functionality was pulled from release in June, when it was originally supposed to arrive (in preview for Copilot+ PCs) – so shouldn’t it be pretty well polished by now?

It’s not as simple as that, though, as obviously a good deal of changes have been implemented in that time – shoring up various security and privacy elements – and so all that fresh work needs to be put through its paces. And only limited (internal) testing has been conducted up until now, which only goes so far.

Other notable issues according to Microsoft include Recall not working with some accessibility apps, and the feature telling you to ‘Make sure Recall is saving snapshots’ when snapshots are, in fact, turned on. That latter problem is again resolved by rebooting your PC, apparently. So, we’re back to that old chestnut – turn it off, then on again.

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• Windows 11 24H2 has run into yet more bugs
• They affect Ubisoft games and cause them to freeze up in a nasty way
• There’s also a bug with an encryption app hitting Dell’s laptops

Windows 11 24H2 seems to run into more and more problems as the update continues to roll out, and here’s another bunch of fresh issues which upgraders have encountered.

For starters, one of the most recent bugs to rear its head represents a spot of trouble for PC gamers (again), as flagged up on Microsoft’s release health status dashboard.

This one relates to problems with Ubisoft games whereby some titles can become “unresponsive while starting, loading or during active gameplay” with this resulting in a black screen crash in some cases.

The games affected are as follows:

• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• Assassin’s Creed Origins
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

We’re told that Ubisoft has released a patch for Star Wars Outlaws that means the game will no longer freeze up, but players might still encounter technical hitches in terms of unspecified ‘performance issues,’ so we can guess that means some bouts of sluggish frame rates, perhaps.

On top of that, there’s another gremlin causing havoc in 24H2 for some USB devices, mainly USB standalone scanners, as Microsoft again explains in its dashboard.

Windows Latest also spotted that Dolby Digital sound won’t work in Windows 11 24H2, with a fresh install, that is, as the Dolby Audio decoders aren’t preinstalled in the OS as of 24H2. So, in this case, you’ll need to manually install them.

Finally, the tech site also noticed that there’s a bug with Dell PCs with a certain app that means they won’t hibernate or shut down, a pretty major clanger it has to be said.

This happens when Windows 11 24H2 is installed on a Dell machine with an older version of the Dell Encryption app, as confirmed by the laptop maker itself.

In a support document, Dell tells us: “Dell Encryption v11.9 and earlier are not compatible with 24H2 and should not be installed to those computers.”

Note that this app is something you’ll see in a business setting, so the odds are that this isn’t one you’ll have to worry about – but it’s still something to be aware of, given the impact here, if you have a Dell notebook for working from home, for example.

Analysis: Hell for Dell, and Ubisoft too

So, for those who do have such a Dell laptop, you need to be careful here, as failing to shut down the PC is a pretty critical bug. What’s more worrying here is that as Windows Latest observes, Microsoft hasn’t yet placed a hold on the 24H2 update for PCs running Dell Encryption v11.9 or earlier – normally, these systems should be blocked from the upgrade due to this incompatibility problem.

At least this was the case at the time of writing, and the current advice is to make sure you have Dell Encryption v11.10 (or better) installed before you grab the 24H2 update. Your Dell PC may have already updated that app, with any luck, but we wouldn’t take that for granted.

The good news is that the bug more likely to affect our readers – with the Ubisoft games – does have an upgrade block in place. So, if you have the mentioned games installed, the 24H2 update won’t be offered to you. Also, don’t try to fudge your way around that compatibility block by manually installing 24H2 (by using, say, the media creation tool), as that will end in tears (or your PC games crashing, rather).

As mentioned at the outset, there are a growing number of problems with the 24H2 update, so we can’t imagine the rollout will be opening up to a lot more PCs anytime soon. Microsoft has a lot of fixing to do here, work that’s already happening to be fair.

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• Yet more adverts have been spotted in Windows 11
• Ads for Black Ops 6 and Microsoft 365 appear via the notifications panel
• You can turn off these 'suggestions' though

If you don’t like adverts in Windows 11 – the efforts that Microsoft calls ‘suggestions’ or ‘recommendations’ – then steel yourself, because it seems the software giant is stepping up its promotional drive in the OS, in a somewhat left-field way.

Windows Latest calls our attention to these fresh ad-related activities in Windows 11 which amount to nudges to purchase a game, and also Microsoft 365.

Both of these adverts come via the notification panel, labeled as ‘suggestions,’ and the game in question is Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Vault Edition – which Microsoft wants you to buy from, you guessed it, the Microsoft Store. In fact, a ‘Buy Now’ button in the notification will take you straight to the store page for that version of Black Ops 6. The other choice is simply to click to ‘Dismiss’ the nag panel.

Windows Latest also shows us another notification prompt in the exact same vein as the Black Ops 6 affair, except this time it’s advertising the Microsoft Defender app.

Note that this is different than the Defender tool built into Windows 11 (or 10) as an integrated antivirus. This is the standalone Defender app that offers the ability to monitor your security and protection across platforms – Windows 11 and Android – with bits of extra functionality therein.

If you want the Microsoft Defender app, though, you’ll find out the catch if you click on the choice in the notification to ‘Stay Safer,’ which takes you to a page for said app – where you’ll find out that you need to subscribe to Microsoft 365 to use it.

Reaching for the off switch

So, that second ad is Microsoft’s way of trying to drum up some extra subscriptions for Microsoft 365, though we have to say, it’s a pretty flimsy lure. Ditto for the prospect of all that many PC gamers buying Black Ops 6 through the Microsoft Store.

What we should note about these adverts – or suggestions, if you’re inclined to agree with Microsoft’s, shall we say, kinder wording – is that you don’t have to receive them.

All you need to do to get rid of these prompts is to uncheck the box to ‘Get tips and suggestions when using Windows’ in the Settings app, under System > Notifications. You can also get rid of post-update nag panels, and those prompts about finishing setting up your PC that appear periodically, by unticking those boxes, too.

There are, however, embedded bits of ads, or advert-like behavior, elsewhere in Windows 11 that you can’t switch off. Eventually, we’d like to see a system-wide switch to turn off any recommendations for users who’d prefer not to have a single prompt anywhere, but let’s face it, we’re pretty much dreaming here. (Although it does look like Microsoft might be becoming a bit more transparent around its suggestions, though).

Sadly, more advertising seems like a growing trend this year, not just in Windows 11, but also in Windows 10 – where Microsoft’s latest move is to try and push those users on the older OS to switch to Windows 11 via a hardware upgrade to a Copilot+ PC. Again, that’s quite a stretch, especially in these early days, as the AI capabilities of those Copilot+ laptops are still to be fully fleshed out (Recall is finally in testing, mind – for some folks).

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