GoKawiil
Tech News
Microsoft says its October KB5127648 security update for Windows 11, version 24H2 and later, can leave the Smart App Control option grayed out so it can't be switched on if it was previously off. Devices that already had Smart App Control enabled are unaffected. No permanent fix exists yet, but Microsoft has published registry edits and Group Policy settings administrators can use to restore the toggle.
Microsoft says recent Windows 11 updates have improved memory management and cut background resource use, making the OS up to 20% more responsive, with the biggest gains on machines with 8GB of RAM or less. Changes include freeing over 200MB of memory by deferring Widgets loading, letting the OS retain up to 2GB more active data before swapping to disk, faster Windows Hello sign-in, quicker Bluetooth pairing, a less disruptive Windows Update process, and a taskbar that can now be repositioned. A new, faster Windows Search is currently testing with Insiders ahead of a broader rollout later this year.
Microsoft has begun rolling out Windows 11 updates to all users after Insider testing, claiming up to 20 percent improved responsiveness through better memory management. The update lets the OS keep up to 2GB more active data in memory before offloading to storage, with Microsoft saying PCs with 8GB of RAM will notice the biggest gains. On low-memory machines, widgets will now load only when opened, freeing over 200MB of memory, while Bluetooth pairing, Windows Hello logins, and a redesigned Photos app are also getting speed and reliability improvements.
NVIDIA's RTX Spark platform pairs a Blackwell GPU with large unified RAM, targeting AI developers who want to run large local models like a 125B-parameter Qwen3.8-Flash-Next variant. NVIDIA says the chips deliver RTX 50-series gaming features including DLSS 5, with performance comparable to an RTX 5070 at 1440p, and a new DLSS Frame Generation mode that pushed Cyberpunk 2077 to 280fps. Being Arm-based, RTX Spark relies on Microsoft's Prism emulator for x86 compatibility, with NVIDIA naming supported titles like Gears of War: E-Day, NBA 2K27 and World of Warcraft: Forever, and says it is working with anti-cheat vendors on multiplayer support.
Microsoft has released a redesigned Photos app for Windows 11 that merges photos and videos from a user's PC, OneDrive, and iCloud into one gallery, requiring OneDrive Camera Backup and iCloud for Windows to be set up. The update also rebuilds the editor with four new tool categories—Crop, Enhance, Repair, and Stylize—and speeds up app launch, scrolling, and image viewing, while adding support for HDR preservation, HEIC/WebP editing, and SVG files. The update is rolling out now to Windows Insiders, with a broader release planned later this year.
Microsoft says months of fixes to Windows 11 have made the OS up to 20 percent more responsive, with improvements to Start, File Explorer, Search, Edge and memory management. The company says PCs with 8GB of RAM or less can now keep up to 2GB more active data in memory, and Widgets now load on demand to free over 200MB of memory. Microsoft also cited less disruptive Windows Update behavior, faster Windows Hello sign-in, quicker Bluetooth/AirPods pairing, and a new taskbar repositioning option.
Microsoft has fixed a known issue that caused black screens, delayed desktop loading, and Windows Explorer crashes following updates released since August, mainly on Azure Virtual Desktop hosts using FSLogix. The fix shipped in this month's Patch Tuesday cumulative updates dated October 13, 2026, with Microsoft urging affected users to install the latest update.
Microsoft released its October Patch Tuesday update, addressing roughly 1,410 security vulnerabilities including two zero-day flaws across supported Windows versions. The release is also the first official update for Windows 11 26H2 and the final supported update for Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro editions. It also includes fixes for File Explorer and Bluetooth issues, plus the ability to remap the Copilot key.
Microsoft released cumulative updates KB5127648 and KB5127646 fixing a bug that broke Always On VPN connections on Windows 11 24H2 and later systems after installing September 2026 security updates. The issue affected devices using automatic protocol selection between IKEv2 and SSTP, causing connections to hang or fail with a port-in-use error when an initial attempt didn't succeed.
Microsoft says that after installing the KB5124010 preview update or later, Remote Desktop connections can fail with error 0xC000000D on Windows 11 24H2, 25H2, 26H1 and 26H2 devices. The failures occur when the Administrator protection security feature is enabled, which affects enterprise-managed Remote Desktop host machines in particular. Microsoft has offered a temporary workaround—disabling Administrator protection via Intune or Group Policy—while it develops a permanent fix.
Microsoft's latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build (28020.1619) in the Canary Channel introduces a freeform rotation tool for MS Paint, alongside updates to Cross-Device Resume, Narrator customization, and Windows Hello fingerprint sensor support. The build expands Cross-Device Resume to more Android phone brands and adds support for continuing Copilot app file sessions on PC.
Microsoft confirmed that Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro editions stopped receiving monthly security and preview updates as of October 13, 2026, with the October update being the final one issued. Enterprise and Education editions of 24H2 remain supported until October 2027, and Microsoft is urging affected users to move to the newer Windows 11 26H2 release.