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Researchers identified a new UEFI bootkit, tracked as BlackX, that infected Windows machines even though they had installed all of Microsoft's patches addressing the 2023 BlackLotus bootkit. Like BlackLotus, BlackX exploits a flaw called 'Baton Drop' in the Windows boot manager to bypass Secure Boot and run malicious code before the operating system and its security defenses fully load.
Microsoft released a Windows 11 update that it says makes the OS up to 20 percent more responsive and multitasking up to 40 percent faster on PCs with 8GB of RAM, according to Windows chief Pavan Davuluri. The gains come largely from improved memory compression, letting Windows keep up to 2GB more active data in RAM rather than offloading it to slower disk storage, alongside memory-saving changes to Edge, widgets, and Microsoft 365 apps that Davuluri says cut committed-memory growth by up to 900MB.
Tiny11 developer NTDEV demonstrated booting Windows 11 version 26H2 on a system with just 128MB of RAM, far below Microsoft's stated 4GB minimum. The stripped-down build could still load the desktop, File Explorer, Start menu and Notepad, though the developer described performance as painfully slow.
A Microsoft employee recounts sneaking into the empty upper level of San Francisco's Civic Auditorium before the Windows 2000 launch event, watching staff rehearse the show. The rehearsal featured a giant mock-laptop stage prop, video montages, and an announcement revealing actor Patrick Stewart as the event's celebrity host.
Microsoft's new Insider Experimental Preview Build (26340.9843) allows users to type an app's name into Windows 11's taskbar Search and launch it directly on a connected Android phone, mirroring it on the PC via Phone Link. The same build adds the ability to call, text, or trigger phone actions like Do Not Disturb from Search, currently for Android with iPhone support promised early next year. The feature works with select phones from Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo, Xiaomi, iQOO, and Realme.
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 version 26H2, released September 29, 2026, is now rolling out to all eligible devices running 24H2, 25H2 or compatible hardware. The upgrade also remains free for up-to-date Windows 10 systems enrolled in extended support, though earlier Windows 10 versions no longer qualify.
Microsoft has fixed an issue that left the Smart App Control security feature grayed out and unable to be turned on for some Windows 11 24H2+ devices after installing the October 2026 KB5127648 update. The company says the fix is included in the KB5127936 preview update released October 28, 2026, and devices that already had Smart App Control enabled were never affected. Microsoft also published a registry-edit workaround for enterprise admins who prefer to wait for next month's cumulative update rather than install the preview patch.
Cisco Talos has detailed a self-deleting Windows infostealer dubbed VOLTA-AUTODOXER that harvests browser credentials, payment cards, email accounts, crypto wallets, Wi-Fi passwords and cloud configuration files, then compiles the data into a structured 'evidence bundle.' The malware sends this bundle to an AI model, Anthropic's Claude by default via OpenRouter, with a prompt to act as a forensic analyst and rank the victim's assets by cash-out value, saving the response as AI_Analysis.txt before exfiltrating everything and deleting itself.
Windows 11 includes a built-in shortcut, activated with Win+X, that opens what is known as the Quick Link Menu or Windows-X Menu. This menu gathers a curated set of system management and troubleshooting tools in one place, rather than requiring users to hunt through separate settings panels.
A writer with a decade-old laptop ineligible for Windows 11 tried ChromeOS Flex before installing Fedora Linux, a process that took under 15 minutes. They reported the machine ran smoothly on the GNOME desktop, handling multiple apps and browser tabs without noticeable slowdown.
A test compared Disk Cleanup, Storage Sense and Microsoft PC Manager on a 1TB C: drive with only about 4 percent free space remaining. Disk Cleanup, unchanged since Windows 98, runs a quick one-off scan for temporary files and caches, while Storage Sense works automatically in the background on a schedule. Microsoft PC Manager, a separate free download, performs a deeper scan and sorts reclaimable files into categories alongside other maintenance features.
Microsoft's Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS), introduced in a May 2020 Windows 10 update, shifts scheduling of graphics tasks from the CPU to dedicated hardware on the GPU. Nvidia added support that June starting with GTX 10-series cards, AMD didn't support it until December 2023 on its RX 7900, 7800 and 7700 series, and Intel limits support to its Arc B-series. Benchmarks from Tom's Hardware and Gamers Nexus found the feature produced negligible or even slightly negative performance changes, including a repeatable 2.4 percent drop in one game on a budget Intel CPU.