It looks like Microsoft’s grand AI schemes have hit another snag, with the release of the controversial Recall feature being pushed back again. Recall is one of Microsoft’s new AI-powered offerings, intended to record your desktop activity in Windows 11 by taking screenshots at regular intervals and making them searchable.

When presented, Microsoft painted a picture of a futuristic ‘instant replay’ of sorts that could help you remember what you were doing, like helping you find a specific document you were working on or backtracking to a tab you closed a while ago.

Quickly following Recall’s announcement came a swift current of criticism about the possible security and privacy-related risks that would come with an AI constantly monitoring your PC. It sounds obvious to say, but Recall would presumably capture a great deal of personal and private information - which in turn would be a lucrative prize for the likes of hackers, scammers, and other malicious actors. Researchers and experts in cybersecurity were quick to point out Recall’s flaws, such as captured information being stored on your PC without encryption.

Yet another delay - but it's for the best

Microsoft took note of the reaction to the announcement of Recall and postponed it once already to add new privacy and security protections, like requiring log-in using Windows Hello and making Recall a strictly opt-in feature. The show was seemingly back on the road after that, with Microsoft readying Recall to be released for testing in October 2024. However, just yesterday, on Halloween no less, Microsoft announced that the release of Recall will be postponed again to continue to improve its privacy and security.

I would rather Microsoft really put as much thought and effort into this as possible, of course, but these numerous postponements make me wonder what the state of Recall’s privacy and security was initially. If it was lacking, that’s pretty worrying and makes me think that Microsoft greatly underestimates how ironclad Recall’s security measures would have to be and that it’s now trying to settle on a minimum.

I understand that even Microsoft’s resources and funds aren’t infinite, but exploitable parts of Recall could have devastating consequences for users.

So when will Recall finally arrive?

When speaking to The Verge about the delay, Microsoft said that Recall’s initial release will be delayed to December 2024. In December, it will be released to testers in the Windows Insider Program with Copilot+ PCs, hoping to achieve ‘‘a secure and trusted experience.’’

Microsoft has put out a Windows Blog post explaining the current state of Recall and how it’s working on beefing up Recall’s privacy and security architecture, including allowing users to have control over data collection and ensuring that data is stored securely on devices. I know Microsoft’s not big on making it easy to disable parts of Windows you may not like, but again, it’s pretty frustrating that this wasn’t considered from the beginning.

PCWorld speculates that while Microsoft still appears to be pretty committed to Recall, there’s still a chance that it could be scrapped altogether. If Microsoft can’t get the privacy and security aspects of Recall right, that wouldn’t be the worst idea.

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It’s Halloween and while some people are getting treats, others are getting new Windows 11 24H2-related issues – this time a glitch in Task Manager. Microsoft has confirmed as much, but luckily it’s reportedly not as much a cause for concern as other recent 24H2 issues have been.

Microsoft’s acknowledgement of the glitch was spotted by Neowin in a new notification in Windows 11 24H2’s Health Dashboard, which catalogs the issues and other things of note that Microsoft has publicized about the new feature update. Normally, Task Manager lists how many apps and background tasks are currently running on your device to help you quickly see what’s using up your computer’s resources.

Neowin explains that after installing the latest build version of 24H2, KB5044384, some users have been shown the incorrect number of apps and background processes, with Task Manager claiming they have zero apps or processes running - which is impossible.

What this means and what to watch out for next

If this sounds familiar, there are two things to note. First, we don’t currently know if there’s an easy fix for this. Second, it seems like this glitch doesn’t impact Task Manager’s functionality much further. You’ll still be able to do things like see all the programs, apps, and processes you have running, check details about them, and stop them if necessary even if the group headings say that you have zero apps and processes running.

Microsoft’s acknowledgment also states that it’s working on a fix and I expect it’ll be added to a future update soon.

As far as we know, this only affects those using Windows 11 24H2 and if you use an earlier version of Windows, like 23H2, you should be unaffected. Furthermore, this is seemingly only a visual glitch and the running of Task Manager and your PC are also unaffected.

This Task Manager bug is another item on the list of problems that we’ve learned about since Windows 11 24H2’s release - including network connectivity issues and blue screens of death. This isn’t the most extreme error, but it undermines the entire purpose of Task Manager, which is intended to provide a clear and easy-to-interpret breakdown of all your running apps and background processes. Updates like 24H2 are intended to provide improved stability and introduce new features, and as new bugs keep cropping up, that’ll be less and less likely to be the impression users get while trying to use it.

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Microsoft’s new Windows 11 24H2 update has caused Intel Z890 motherboards to constantly crash or reboot, requiring users to change BIOS settings for a solution. This is another entry in the growing list of issues Windows users have faced with the major update.

According to a post (in Spanish) from El Chapuzas Informatico, who have closely monitored the situation, the issue with the Z890 motherboard appears to stem from an apparent conflict between dedicated and integrated GPUs. It doesn’t seem to be limited to one specific mobo, either; this glitch is reportedly occurring with boards from multiple brands including MSI and Gigabyte. It’s unclear at this point whether the blame lies directly with Microsoft’s update, or if Intel bears some responsibility here too.

The solution to the crashes requires users to enter the motherboard BIOS and disable their system’s integrated graphics before proceeding with any necessary BIOS updates. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound as though this issue will cause any irreparable damage to users’ boards, but it’s clear that Microsoft needs to release a patch ASAP to avoid any more potential problems.

The 24H2 nightmare update continues for Microsoft

The 24H2 update is proving to be a nightmare for many Windows users so far, with issues such as random BSODs (Blue Screen of Death) for those utilizing Western Digital SSDs, even before the current Z890 problem. This is especially frustrating for users since Windows updates are often automatically pushed when restarting or powering off their system (something that is still a major point of contention for many users).

While the current issue apparently isn’t bricking boards or causing any major damage, there’s no telling what other troubles the beleaguered Windows update could cause - there are plenty of PC users who maintain specific system configurations, and given the range of odd hardware-specific bugs with 24H2, it’s possible that some users could be hit with multiple issues that are hard to troubleshoot independently.

Fortunately, in this case, motherboard manufacturers are already pushing urgent BIOS updates to alleviate the problem, meaning there are solutions available - our hope remains that Microsoft acts fast to fix all the ongoing bugs, so we can properly appreciate the improvements that Windows 11 24H2 brings.

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• Finally: Microsoft catches up to Apple with its integration of OCR in the Windows Photos app - a major leap for accessibility

Microsoft is adding Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to Windows' Photos app, enabling users to scan and copy text directly from images. This feature will be available on Windows 11 and Windows 10 when it is officially released.

On 22 October 2024, Microsoft announced upcoming updates to its Photos app, some of which are already available for preview to Windows Insiders via Windows 11’s Insider Channel. This allows Insiders to test and provide feedback on the new features before a full rollout.

For Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft also plans to introduce 'super resolution' to enhance its Photos app. These updates aim to improve the overall user experience by using AI to enhance and enlarge images by up to 8x their original size through the super resolution feature.

How does OCR work?

OCR will essentially allow users to effortlessly extract text from images. Whether you’re dealing with notes, pictures, documents, or screenshots, the app can automatically detect and copy text straight to your clipboard. This will streamline your workflow by letting you paste the extracted text into other apps, reducing the need for manual data entry.

Using the OCR feature is pretty simple: just tap the icon below an image to extract text. Microsoft designed the tool to make tasks like managing information in images easier and improve productivity. It’s particularly valuable for accessibility, as users with visual impairments or similar disabilities can have text read aloud or converted to formats compatible with screen readers.

The OCR feature can also benefit professionals, students, and researchers by enabling them to copy and paste text from images into emails or documents thus streamlining their work. Additionally, it supports over 160 languages.

Despite Windows 10 reaching its End-of-Life support on 14 October 2025, Microsoft will roll out these features to both Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs. Microsoft is obligated to provide Windows 10 updates until support officially ends, and the operating system still has a significant user base due to hardware limitations, business needs, and personal preferences. As users eventually transition to Windows 11, they will already be familiar with many of the new features.

More improvements incoming for Windows users

There are additional updates coming too, like bug fixes for the Restyle image features on Copilot+ and Image Creator designed to improve overall image quality. If users want these new features, they’ll need to update their Photos app to version 2024.11100.17007 or higher via the Microsoft Store.

These features aren’t fully available yet, but Insiders are encouraged to send feedback to Microsoft. Their feedback can help resolve any issues and refine the features before they’re fully rolled out. For example, it was due to user feedback that Microsoft announced it is also introducing single-click support in the Photos app gallery, allowing for more efficient navigation.

While it’s great that Microsoft has introduced OCR to its Photos app, it is long overdue. Accessibility should be at the forefront of any modern app, especially given that leading tech companies like Apple integrated similar features, such as Live Text in iOS 15, quite some time ago. Features like this, along with other accessibility tools, should be standard across all platforms, not only to improve general productivity but more importantly to support users with disabilities.

Hopefully, this is a sign that Microsoft will make a greater effort to prioritize accessibility in the future, with more tools and updates designed with inclusivity in mind.

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Windows 11 users, I have some good news (for a change) about the new feature update for 2024, version 24H2. Thanks to major improvements to how the Windows Update app works, 24H2 will be installed faster than previous major updates.

Microsoft published a blog post explaining how it’s been working on changes behind the scenes that speed up how updates are installed, and the process will draw significantly less system resources as well, contributing to the speeding up of the installation process.

Thanks to 24H2’s servicing stack, a crucial software component that is responsible for installing updates in the operating system, installation is 45.6% faster and restart time is 39.7% faster than we saw with Windows 11 version 22H2 (and 23H2, as both versions have the same servicing stack) when installing cumulative updates for devices that were up to date and regularly maintained.

Systems that were running older versions of Windows 11 also saw big improvements, according to tests carried out by Microsoft. On a computer that hadn’t been updated for a year a half, Microsoft claims improvements of installation being 43.6% faster and taking 33.5% less time to restart. Good news all around.

As described by Microsoft, this was done using a couple of methods. First, Microsoft implemented parallel processing, allowing Windows PC devices to handle multiple parts of the update simultaneously. Second, it used smart caching, meaning that when Windows 11 processes part of an update, it stores (or ‘caches’) that information so it doesn’t redo the same parts of the process twice.

This helps speed things along when the same parts of the update show up repeatedly. Finally, updates will now make better use of RAM (your computer’s temporary memory storage), by checking if your PC is low on RAM and adjusting the update process accordingly to avoid slowing things down.

Faster, more efficient updates all around for Windows 11

Faster cumulative security updates aren’t the only improvement, with larger feature updates (that bring new tools and features) being made more efficient as well. This will include Edge, Microsoft’s default browser for Windows 11, saving about 200MB of space during bigger feature updates. You can read more in to the technical details of all of these processes in Microsoft’s blog post.

If Microsoft has its numbers right, you should feel that updates install significantly faster. The time it takes to download and install updates is one of the biggest complaints you hear from Windows 11 users and this will mean less down time and less frustration due to having to wait for your device to update or restart. Using fewer system resources during the update process means that you should be able to use your computer for various tasks while updates are installed, allowing you to get on with your activities.

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Apple has just released a near-final beta version of the newest iteration of macOS, Sequoia 15.1, which is available for developers and public beta testers to try. So, if you have a Mac device and you can’t wait to try out the latest macOS features, you can grab the beta - though for most people we’d recommend you wait for the general public release of Sequoia 15.1, which is expected to follow shortly and should be much more stable. This beta release comes a week after the last beta version, which suggests that testing is speeding up ahead of an imminent final version being made available to everyone.

If you’re keen to give the latest beta a try, you can sign up if you’re registered as a developer (you can find out how to enroll on the official Apple Developer site) but be warned: it does come with a subscription fee. You’ll then be able to install the Sequoia 15.1 beta via the Software Update section of your Mac’s System Settings app.

The big new feature of this beta release is the introduction of Apple Intelligence to macOS, bringing AI-powered features to your Mac. This includes additional support for Writing Tools, enhanced Siri capabilities, Smart Replies to help you respond more quickly and efficiently in Mail and Messages, and Memory Movie and Clean Up features in Photos.

This update won’t bring Image Playground, Genmoji, and more advanced Siri functionality just yet, but I expect we’ll see these very soon. Image Playground is an AI tool that will allow users to generate images and emojis, and Genmoji will similarly allow people to generate their own emojis using text prompts.

Charting the course for Apple Intelligence

One important thing to note is that Apple Intelligence will only work on newer Macs equipped with Apple’s silicon processors such as the M1 or M2 (and onwards). Older Intel-based Macs unfortunately will not be able to make use of Apple Intelligence.

This will be the first time Apple Intelligence is being made available to large amounts of people, so I’m eager to see what it’s like in practice. Microsoft’s Copilot is currently on a somewhat wobbly path and has yet to show how it can improve the Windows 11 user experience. I’m sure Apple hopes that Apple Intelligence will fare better, and like its other products, it’ll win users over if it looks sleek and works smoothly, even if it’s not the first AI tool to market.

If you do try the Sequoia 15.1 beta, however, remember that a beta version could still have some bugs and glitches, and you should report those to Apple. This also means you should avoid installing it on a device that you rely on for day-to-day work, in case something goes wrong.

If you also have an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, or iPhone 16 Pro Max, you can try Apple Intelligence on that as well thanks to the iOS 18.1 beta, which has also been released. Apple presented Apple Intelligence as being a continuous part of their ecosystem that I imagine will be able to learn more about you and perhaps assist you better if you use it on both your Mac and Apple handheld devices.

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Microsoft might have debuted its major Windows 11 24H2 update only recently, but it’s already becoming infamous due to its habit of appearing in headlines for causing user issues. This time, there have been reports of a bug that causes devices to crash and show the blue screen of death (BSoD). This comes after previous reports of problems that were serious enough that Microsoft ended up blocking 24H2 from being installed on affected devices.

Today, we can add another glitch to the list - a system crash that apparently occurs on PCs with the Voicemeeter app installed. Voicemeeter is a popular app that helps people manage their PC’s audio, and according to Neowin, Microsoft has published a note in Windows 11 24H2’s official documentation describing the problem. Unfortunately, it seems like the driver software (which enables the app to “talk” to your system) is incompatible with Windows 11’s memory manager.

This incompatibility results in many users’ systems becoming unresponsive, leading to the dreaded blue screen with the MEMORY_MANAGEMENT error code - a rather nasty bug, as it could mean people’s unsaved work is lost if the PC suddenly reboots.

To prevent this from happening, Microsoft has put a hold on rolling out update 24H2 to PCs that are running Voicemeeter. If you want to continue using the app in Windows 11, you won’t even be able to see the option to update to 24H2 in Windows Update when you check for new updates.

What Windows 11 Voicemeeter users can expect next

It does seem like Microsoft is aware of the problem and, as reported by Neowin, it advises users not to force their devices to update to 24H2 using methods like the Installation Assistant or the Media Creation tool. I’m fairly sure this means that Microsoft is working on an update that delivers a fix that will allow users to update to 24H2 and continue using Voicemeeter trouble-free.

If you can give up Voicemeeter, then apparently you can remove the app altogether, and the 24H2 update will become available again for you to download after around 24 hours. So far, it seems like this compatibility issue only impacts PCs running 24H2, and earlier versions of Windows 10 and 11 aren’t affected.

This is yet another potential issue to consider if you’re looking to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2, and you can read some of the other problems users have been bumping into after trying to update here.

A BSoD isn’t fatal, but it can be incredibly frustrating and annoying. Along with all of the other errors and problems, 24H2 is shaping up to be pretty disruptive to some people. It also brings back bad memories of Windows 10 suffering from numerous update problems a few years ago.

This draws attention away from any actual quality and functionality improvements that Microsoft has included in 24H2. Still, it’s worth staying updated on issues that arise so you can know how to deal with them. It shows how difficult it can be when trying to roll out major updates across a wide range of software and hardware – and how Microsoft is still struggling to overcome those difficulties, even after decades of experience.

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Not everyone is a fan of Windows 11’s interface – especially the lack of ability to customize in some respects – but if you really want to go to town with personalizing and revamping the desktop of Microsoft’s OS, a new mod offers this chance.

Neowin spotted the release of the Seelen UI utility which promises a “fully customizable desktop environment” for both Windows 11 and Windows 10, and indeed the options provided to tinker with are quite sweeping.

Seelen’s bigger interface modifying features include a Tiling Windows Manager, which the developer explains means “windows automatically arrange themselves to support multitasking” to help streamline your workflows.

Then there’s a much neater system tray, and a floating taskbar – as seen in a ‘Next Valley Prototype Design’ leak, which may have been a brief glimpse of next-gen Windows – which can also be repositioned vertically (an ability some Windows 11 users have been begging for since the launch of the OS).

A media player is bolted on, too, and an app launcher (based on Rofi) is another part of the Windows desktop makeover provided here.

Note that Microsoft Edge is required for Seelen UI to work, so if you’ve junked the browser (it can be done), you’ll need to reinstall – and also if you’re on Windows 10, the installer will put the WebView runtime on your PC. (It’s preinstalled with Windows 11, so this isn’t necessary for the newer OS).

Analysis: Serene Seelen – with caveats

The overall look that Seleen graces Windows 11 with is rather Mac-like, modern and nicely streamlined and calming (for us). We approve in general, although we’re not sure about the Windows Manager – and how this might be better than Snap Layouts (unless we’re missing something here, and we haven’t tried the app to find out, we should note).

For those who are keen on really changing the look of Windows 11 without too much fuss, it seems like an interesting piece of software – but we should underline that there are caveats here.

Do remember that any third-party software for Windows needs to be treated with caution – you install the tool at your own risk, naturally. Not that we’re suggesting there’s anything nefarious going on behind the scenes, but it pays to be careful what you download. If you’re going to grab the app, as the developer recommends, get it from the Microsoft Store.

At any rate, if you’re taking the plunge, it may be worth waiting a while for further development of Seleen as the mod isn’t yet finished. Yes, this is a release version, but some features are a work in progress – there will apparently be a Start menu replacement eventually (rather than just a simple app launcher).

For the time being, then, this might be a project to watch, and also monitor the wider feedback from users who do install Seleen. And if you are at all tempted, as Neowin observes, trying out software is something you can do more safely in a virtual machine.

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We’ve recently seen the release of a major Windows 11 feature update, version 24H2, and now developer NTDEV, responsible for the development of projects like “Tiny11” and “Tiny10” (smaller slimmed down versions of Windows 11 and 10) has released an impressively lightweight, compact version of 24H2. NDTEV has been highlighted by publications for its efforts to make versions of Windows that use minimal resources on your device - both in terms of storage and system memory, which allows the operating system to run on older or underpowered machines.

Following 24H2’s release, Microsoft has announced details about Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 (also known as Windows 11 LTSC 24H2), a special version of the operating system (OS) designed for long-term use by businesses and organizations that don’t receive updates as frequently as other kinds of users. NDTEV’s newest update has modified this version of Windows to shrink it down to Tiny11 form.

NDTEV provided screenshots of their feat on X, claiming that you could make the Tiny11 version based on Windows 11 LTSC 24H2 fit on a DVD disc (if you remember those!). For context, a DVD can store about 4.7 GB of data, and NTDEV’s Tiny11 version only takes up 3.54 GB — leaving some extra space on the disc.

The team explains that they were able to achieve this using a method called LZX delta compression. Compression is a common computing process that makes files smaller while preserving essential information, and LZX is a method that relies on advanced compression techniques built into Windows 11’s NTFS file system.

Food for thought about hardware requirements

Versions of Windows like Tiny11 have become a favorite among some users because aside from shrinking it down to a size that can fit on a DVD, it also needs very little system memory (RAM) to run, leaving the rest of the device’s memory free for other tasks, which can lead to big performance boosts, even with underpowered devices. Previously, Neowin had reported about NDTEV demonstrating that they can run Tiny11 with just 176MB of RAM, a magnitude less than the amount of RAM required for the officially versions of Windows 11 (which is 4 GB).

In another impressive move, NDTEV made a “text-only” version of Windows 11 that used just 100MB of RAM by stripping away the OS’s graphical interface (the visuals you see that makes it easier to use, such as the Start menu and even the iconic windows that gave the operating system its name).

If you’re a little more confident when it comes to tinkering with your devices, you could try installing Tiny11 on your PC, but even if you’d rather stick with full-fat Windows 11, you can still appreciate NDTEV’s accomplishments. They continue to demonstrate the very real potential to run a modern OS with minimal hardware requirements, and Tiny11’s modest hardware requirements allow older and less powerful machines to run modern operating systems like Windows 10 and 11, which they might otherwise struggle with.

As hardware performance demands continue to grow, projects like these show both the initiative and creativity of developers like NDTEV, as well as how efficient software design can extend the lifespan of devices. In a world where we are having to begin reckoning with the environmental cost of our consumer demands, it’s a hopeful glimpse of how we can navigate it while continuing to innovate our technologies.

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