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Security researchers report that ClickFix-style attacks, which trick users into copying and running malicious commands via fake CAPTCHA pop-ups, are proliferating across both Windows and Mac systems. Researcher Kevin Beaumont notes victims are flooding Reddit for help, and attackers are now compromising legitimate websites to embed these prompts, making the scam harder to spot.
Microsoft has verified that its September 2026 security updates are causing Remote Desktop Services failures across Windows Server 2012 and later, plus Windows 10 and 11. Affected systems show RDP connections dropping after a few minutes, sign-in errors, servers stuck loading the Remote Desktop Configuration screen, and related tools like MMC and File Explorer becoming unresponsive.
Microsoft has acknowledged that the KB5124008 and KB5124012 security updates released on September 8, 2026 can cause USB Audio Class 1.0 devices to stop working on Windows 11 24H2 and later systems. Affected users report Code 10 errors in Device Manager, silent audio output, and frozen volume controls, with some speakers only failing when multichannel modes like 3D or 8-channel audio are used. No official fix exists yet, though switching to 2-channel mode has helped some users regain sound.
Dell has launched the Pro 5 (WB526), a compact 2K QHD webcam aimed at office workers, featuring a Sony sensor, 78-degree field of view, autofocus, and a physical lens shutter. The device supports Windows Hello, includes an anti-theft cable lock, and offers AI-driven features like auto-framing and face tracking, alongside a built-in microphone. It's priced at $119.99, currently discounted to $114.99.
A volunteer has created a public GitHub mirror and continuation of the freedesktop.org SPICE Windows guest agent project after Red Hat stopped maintaining it. The fork keeps building and packaging the Windows service that enables clipboard sharing, resolution matching, and file transfer for VMs, with fixes like a multi-GPU mouse tracking patch for passthrough setups.
Comparing a 256GB SSD to a 1TB hard drive isn't a simple capacity contest, since SSDs retrieve data electronically from flash memory while HDDs rely on spinning platters and moving read/write heads, making SSDs significantly faster for booting and running programs. Whether 256GB is enough depends heavily on usage: it suits light users who rely on cloud storage, while heavy local file storage, creative work or gaming may require 512GB, 1TB or more.
A tech guide outlines practical settings changes Windows 11 users can make to extend laptop battery life, noting that x86-based machines remain more power-hungry than ARM alternatives and that Windows 11 itself carries performance overhead. The top recommendation is lowering screen brightness via the Win + A shortcut, alongside other adjustments that trade some performance for longer runtime.
Microsoft is telling enterprises to migrate away from Slmgr.vbs, the VBScript-based tool used to manage Windows product activation, because VBScript itself is being phased out of Windows. The company recommends switching to PowerShell equivalents before VBScript is removed entirely in a future Windows release.
Google has launched a dedicated Gemini desktop application for Windows, following its earlier macOS rollout, giving users a native app rather than relying solely on the browser. Users can summon Gemini with a keyboard shortcut, share their screen or local files for context-aware help, and connect the assistant to Gmail, Drive, Docs and Calendar.
Microsoft is testing a new Windows 11 recovery feature called Cloud Rebuild in Insider Beta Preview Build 26220.9343. It reinstalls Windows directly from Windows Update even when the existing installation is corrupted or won't boot, eliminating the need for a USB recovery drive. The tool is accessed through the Windows Recovery Environment, which can now also reuse saved Wi-Fi credentials to connect during recovery.
Windows Insider Beta Build 26220.9343 introduces Cloud Rebuild, a new recovery option that downloads a factory version of Windows 11 directly from Microsoft's servers instead of requiring a USB drive or custom image. The feature lives inside the Windows Recovery Environment under 'Reset this PC' and works over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, even restoring devices when the installed OS is too corrupted to boot normally.
TurboCrypt, a git and file encryption tool originally built for Unix, is moving its encrypted file and directory name encoding from Base91 to a newly defined Base84 alphabet. The change was driven by the addition of Windows support, since several characters used in the Unix-safe Base91 alphabet are forbidden on Windows filesystems and shell tools. The new 84-character set excludes nine Windows-forbidden symbols and trailing dots, ensuring names work reliably across Linux, macOS and Windows.