Microsoft Windows 11 23H2 Major Update Begins Rolling Out, Bets Big on Generative AI

[PapaTaipei]

So it will scan our photos without our consent? Stalin would be proud.

 

[Legacy-ZA]

*Found it, nvm*

So it will scan our photos without our consent? Stalin would be proud.

Orwell's 1984, a must-read.

 

[Tomorrow]

Main problems with Win11 are related to the taskbar in my eyes as it was partially remade for Win11 and not all options carried over. MS should be focusing on fixing those shortcomings.

From what i hear they finally added never combine option (tho i dont use it). Supposedly it should also receive volume mixer flyout finally because there's nothing more annoying than going to full sound settings every time if you want to mute a specific program or using the old sndvol via Winkey+R

Or how about re-adding checkbox to always show all tray icons instead of having to manually enable every new one or to drag them from the hidden box to the tray (this only works if the program is running).

Other annoyances:
* Explorer has tabs but those cannot be ripped to create a new windows.
* Explorer has no option to pin favorite folders as tabs.
* When trying to open a folder in the system it is not opened as a new tab in the existing window but as a new window instead.
* Task Manager is slow every time it's opened to populate all running processes.
* Efficiency Mode (green leaf/yellow pause button in task manager) has no central command option. It is enabled for some system processes and cannot be disabled. Other processes that could benefit from it cannot enable it. On third party programs like Firefox it can only be disabled in the config files and has no UI setting.
* Taskbar has no option for small or large icons sizes. Win10 supported small natively and large via 7+ Taskbar Tweaker (Advanced settings).
* Calendar and Notification center are inseparable. One cannot be disabled without disabling the other.
* Taskbar clock no longer has analog clock animation left of the calendar.
* Same UWP apps blatantly ignore user display language and run in the native (currency etc) format. Like for example Windows Security, Microsoft Store and others. There is no option to set their language independently or force them to follow systemwide UI language.
* Start Menu recommended portion cannot be fully disabled. Only reduced to a single row.
* Edge is so integrated into the system that it cannot be removed without third party tools and even then it leaves it's crap behind in the installed programs list.
* Windows Defender cannot be properly disabled even when a third party antivirus client is running. The firewall and smartscreen portions refuse to follow group policy setting set to disable them. Oh and did i mention that forcefully disabling defender firewall breaks Windows Store app updates?
* A whole bunch of services now cant be disabled via services.msc snap-on and have to be disabled via registry.
* Settings > Apps > Startup always defaults to alphabetical sorting instead of remembering user choice (Status or Startup Impact). Task Manager remembers this choice thankfully.
* Default Apps is unnesseseraly confusing and cumbersome. Also the dialog to choose program completely disappears whenever you click anywhere outside the dialogue and has no taskbar icon associated with to bring it back. Has to be reopened manually. Also it does not display program path so good luck figuring out two programs on different paths that use the same icon.
* Transparency effects cannot be controlled. For example making taskbar more transparent.

 

[bug]

So it will scan our photos without our consent? Stalin would be proud.

That would be illegal. Your consent is somewhere in the EULA.

 

[PapaTaipei]

That would be illegal. Your consent is somewhere in the EULA.

Aka something nobody ever read.

 

[aeio]

* Explorer has tabs but those cannot be ripped to create a new windows.

Not true anymore. This feature was added weeks ago.

 

[Tomorrow]

Not true anymore. This feature was added weeks ago.

To what build? Im on latest stable public 22H2 22621.2428 and trying to move explorer tab anywhere displays a crossed out circle ie not possible.
I heard that 22621.2506 (monthly update preview) added taskbar never combine option so perhaps you're referring to that?

 

[Assimilator]

Aka something nobody ever read.

That's your problem, not Microsoft's.

 

[dyonoctis]

It's there to make money and no other reason. Microsoft didn't care if the start menu generated gibberish for the user, it was always included as a way to harvest user behavioural data.

The fact it's still essentially useless and broken for the user after 8 years of patches and updates is proof that it's not about providing a product to help the user, but about providing user data to help Microsoft.

Case in point - I have a W11 VM that's had no regedits by me and is entirely out-of-the box, the way MS intends it, default firewall and security rules. It has PuTTY on it. The .exe is in the downloads folder. There is a pin on the taskbar to a copy of the file that I put in Program Files x86, I have launched it from all three locations dozens of times.

If I dare to type "putty" into the start menu, the two "best matches" are a Bing result which rudely opens in the Edge, ignoring the FTC and UEC legally-mandated requirement for Microsoft to respect a users choice of browser, and a suggestion to download it (again, in Edge via Bing, not Firefox via DDG) from an unofficial source! Not even the correct web result which is very obviously "https://putty.org"....

The rest of the start menu search results are filled up with "AI suggestions", including putty knifes for sale, putty pads, where to buy putty locally (with Bing ad affiliate links, no doubt). That's advertising, misuse of my location, and potential junk/erroneous data for paying advertisers that I am now "interested" in various types of modelling putty and craft/DIY products, FFS! Nowhere at all in the "start-your-program-from-this-start-button" button, is the f***ing program I have in multiple, indexed locations on my PC with multiple previous executions and history in my "recent" list. It's a goddamn disgrace!

/rant.

Windows search issue is that it's working wonderfully for some people, but seems broken on some systems. My windows got no issue with putty, it found it with the first two letters hwinfo required more typing, but was found

 

[bug]

Aka something nobody ever read.

I would think if you're truly concerned about privacy, you would at least read the EULAs you agree to.

 

[Chrispy_]

For example, the Start Menu works perfectly fine without an internet connection, and prioritises installed apps, settings and local documents before web terms.

Exactly. Offline, with no access to Microsoft "AI" or cloud services, the start menu is 100% fine.

If you used W11 on launch and haven't used it since, have another look, its really come quite far since launch with a lot of improvements that I would miss rolling back to 10.

I daily drive W11 at home and work since the preview builds in 2021, and I still manage several hundred client machines with about an 80-20 split of W10-W11 respectively, mainly through on-prem AD and group policies. What I'm saying isn't just my experience, it's feedback of ~1000 people using every possible version/edition/variant of W10 and W11 over their entire lifecycle both managed by me and on their private/unmanaged laptops and desktops. I can believe some of the issues are my firewall rules preventing some of the W10/W11 web services from phoning home, but that doesn't explain the hundreds of users asking for help with their personal devices that I've never touched before, and that run on home internet with no firewall.

 

[aeio]

To what build? Im on latest stable public 22H2 22621.2428 and trying to move explorer tab anywhere displays a crossed out circle ie not possible.
I heard that 22621.2506 (monthly update preview) added taskbar never combine option so perhaps you're referring to that?

22H2 22621.2506 indeed. Explorer was updated so you can tear off and merge tabs:

I didn't realize it was a preview update. It seems that the majority will get this feature with 23H2.

 

[CyberCT]

Bring back the option to allow ungrouping of various open files of the same program!!!!!
WHY DID YOU GET RID OF THIS MS???
It makes drafting various emails and having various spreadsheets open an absolute nuisence to deal with for work. Reduced productivity. STUPID!

 

[aeio]

Bring back the option to allow ungrouping of various open files of the same program!!!!!
WHY DID YOU GET RID OF THIS MS???
It makes drafting various emails and having various spreadsheets open an absolute nuisence to deal with for work. Reduced productivity. STUPID!

Also part of 22H2 22621.2506 and 23H2. Taskbar settings > Taskbar behaviors > Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels > Never

 

[Chrispy_]

I'm not particularly concerned with privacy (not sending my data to anyone who asks, just not concerned about Google, Microsoft and the likes) and my Win10 install still managed to fail to find Windows Updates, of all things...

Classic Microsoft

 

[Tomorrow]

22H2 22621.2506 indeed. Explorer was updated so you can tear off and merge tabs:

I didn't realize it was a preview update. It seems that the majority will get this feature with 23H2.

I see. Thanks for confirming that. My other points still stand and hopefully MS fixes at least some of those.

 

[Chrispy_]

Windows search issue is that it's working wonderfully for some people, but seems broken on some systems. My windows got no issue with putty, it found it with the first two letters hwinfo required more typing, but was found
View attachment 319796
View attachment 319797

Yeah, it's inconsistent. IME it's more often working on home systems with no firewall and no group policy, but it's not consistent enough to blame firewall rules or GP templates for causing the issues.

 

[bug]

Classic Microsoft

You want classic? When they first introduced translation to Word, it actually translated the "soft" part in Microsoft in the other language. That was so funny. Now that I think about it, it probably also translated the "micro" part, only that sounds the same in pretty much any language.

 

[CyberCT]

Also part of 22H2 22621.2506 and 23H2. Taskbar settings > Taskbar behaviors > Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels > Never

My IT department must have me using an older version of Windows 11. There are no options like the above in that menu, unfortunately.

But good to know they brought it back. Hopefully IT will upgrade to that version soon.

 

[Deleted member 185088]

I noticed that they fixed the taskbar, never combine is finally back. Now how to get full menus, would be interesting to ask the AI.

 

[Tomorrow]

I noticed that they fixed the taskbar, never combine is finally back. Now how to get full menus, would be interesting to ask the AI.

If you mean right click context menu then from what i remember holding down SHIFT and then rightclicking should show the full menu. There are of course numerous other options to default to full menu.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

So much FUD in this thread... Just install Linux already if you're going to tinfoil this much.

For example, the Start Menu works perfectly fine without an internet connection, and prioritises installed apps, settings and local documents before web terms.

If you used W11 on launch and haven't used it since, have another look, its really come quite far since launch with a lot of improvements that I would miss rolling back to 10.

I already did, because not wanting to be force fed MS's BS isnt "FUD", it is just common sense and self respect.

Windows 11 is a dumpster fire of an OS. If you havent used it lately, roll with a proper OS like linux mint, or openSUSE, or mac OS, and you'll understand why 11 is regarded as the spammy toxic waste it is.

 

[Camm]

I already did, because not wanting to be force fed MS's BS isnt "FUD", it is just common sense and self respect.

Windows 11 is a dumpster fire of an OS. If you havent used it lately, roll with a proper OS like linux mint, or openSUSE, or mac OS, and you'll understand why 11 is regarded as the spammy toxic waste it is.

Lol, my default is openSUSE Aeon at home because I like to tinker, but trying to suggest that Linux Desktop isn't a dumpster fire is just wrong. Meanwhile I have an entire enterprise purring along on Windows 11 just fine.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Lol, my default is openSUSE Aeon at home because I like to tinker, but trying to suggest that Linux Desktop isn't a dumpster fire is just wrong. Meanwhile I have an entire enterprise purring along on Windows 11 just fine.

Linux desktop works perfectly fine for 99% of people. And my openSUSE doesnt break printers, or webcams, or other basic functions when MS farts out a new update. And it doesnt scan my photos and phone home everything I do. And it has a consistent UI. And it doesnt try to randomly encrypt my hard drive or force me into MS online services. Or show me ads in my start menu. I could go on.

 

[Camm]

Linux desktop works perfectly fine for 99% of people. And my openSUSE doesnt break printers, or webcams, or other basic functions when MS farts out a new update. And it doesnt scan my photos and phone home everything I do. And it has a consistent UI. And it doesnt try to randomly encrypt my hard drive or force me into MS online services. Or show me ads in my start menu. I could go on.

I should mention, I run an entire Enterprise with only small delays of 1 day for security, and 28 days for feature packs on Windows so stop with the windows update FUD. Meanwhile the fuckfest that is Nvidia drivers on Linux means occasionally my machine can't get desktop after an update.