Windows 10 version 21H1 has reached end of servicing. Yesterday's patches were last available for this OS version. Windows Update will automatically initiate a feature update for devices running Home and Pro (non-domain joined) editions of Windows 10, version 21H1 that are reaching end of servicing.

The latest version of Windows 10 (and the last one) is 22H2, "Windows 10 2022 Update". To get it installed manually, open Settings (Win + I), select Update & Security > Windows Update and click the "Check for updates" button. Eligible devices will also see the offer to install Windows 11, version 22H2.

Microsoft has released Windows 11 build 25267 to Windows Insiders in the Dev channel. It includes new styling options for Search on the taskbar, and several important fixes. The file copy performance bug has been resolved, as well as media casting crashes, and more. This is the last build for the Dev channel before the upcoming holidays. Insider builds will resume in January 2023.

The official announcement is here.

Windows 11 will get new features twice in the first half of 2023

Starting with version 22H2, Microsoft updates Windows 11 with frequent portions of new features internally called "Moments". For example, the "Moment 1" update has included tabs in File Explorer, Suggested Actions, and more. Its successor, the Moment 2 update features, are in testing among Insiders and are slated for the release in February or March 2023. Finally, in the spring of 2023 there will be another set of features called "Moment 3" and it will appear sometime in May. It is referred as next Windows "Continuous Innovations" . But at this time, there is no information what exactly it will include.

https://winaero.com/windows-11-will-get-new-features-twice-in-the-first-half-of-2023/

Windows 11 Build 25267 comes with a new Windows Firewall dialog that appears when a program tries to serve as a network service on your computer. The new dialog has a new design to match Windows 11, respects light/dark mode and also dims the rest of the screen slightly like the UAC prompt. The former one was first introduced in Vista and survived over these years without significant changes.

Microsoft Edge update will disable Internet Explorer on February 14, 2023. Originally planned as a Windows Update patch, it will now be an update for the browser that will permanently stop IE from working. Microsoft says that anyone using IE should migrate to Edge right now, including customers.

Tomorrow, January 10, 2023, Microsoft will end extended support for Windows 8.1. The OS itself won't stop working immediately, but apps and drivers will stop getting updates. So new devices and several websites may stop working if you remain on Windows 8.1. Microsoft will not be offering an Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 8.1.
Also, the release of paid security updates for Windows 7 through the ESU program is also ending tomorrow.

https://winaero.com/support-for-windows-8-1-is-ending-tomorrow/

Without a fanfare, Microsoft added Secure Boot support to Windows 7 in September 2022. The company supports the OS for companies that pay for ESU, so this could be per their request.

Microsoft initially stated that paid cumulative updates for Windows 7 would only fix discovered security vulnerabilities, so there should not be any new features in them. However, near the end of the life cycle, this has been silently changed. The September 2022 update added support for Secure Boot to Windows 7.

It is not known why this happened a few months before the final end of support. In the change logs from Microsoft, the addition of the Secure Boot support is also not mentioned.

Microsoft is once again updating the built-in File Explorer app in Windows 11. The app will get a new Home page and the left pane, along with new views and closer Microsoft 365 integration.

There are references to a modern Home page and a new sidebar. These elements will utilize XAML and WinUI and follow Fluent Design. There are also references to new File Explorer features. There are new panes, such as "Activities", "Conversations", "Shared Status", and "Insights" panels. Perhaps they are related to Microsoft 365.

The recently discovered Gallery folder is also receiving a portion of updates, with tiles that are placeholders for images and groups of images.

Microsoft has released January 2023 cumulative updates for Windows 11 and Windows 10. The changes:

✅Win11/10: Addresses issues that affect the Local Session Manager (LSM). These issues might allow users who do not have admin rights to perform actions that only an admin can.
✅Win11/10:Addresses a known issue that affects apps that use Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) SQL Server Driver (sqlsrv32.dll) to connect to databases. The connection might fail. You might also receive an error in the app, or you might receive an error from the SQL Server.
✅Win11 21H2/10: Addresses an issue that might affect startup on some Windows devices. They might receive an error (0xc000021a) and have a blue screen.

Microsoft has released Android 13-based Windows Subsystem for Android to Insiders running Windows 11 in all insider channels. Earlier, it was available to WSA Insiders, which is a dedicated app preview channel, separate from the Windows Insider program. Now it is available in the Store. It comes with multiple improvements, including faster boot, better mouse click handling, improved clipboard and app resizing, and more.

🌍 The Store link: https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/windows-subsystem-for-android%E2%84%A2-with-amazon-appstore/9P3395VX91NR

You may remember that Microsoft ported Windows 11's new Media Player app to Windows 10. Earlier, you could install it manually by downloading a preview package. Today, that modern Windows Media Player app become available for Windows 10. The update comes automatically via the Store app and buries Groove Music. It is a gradual roll-out, so you may not see it right away.

There are several reports on the web that Windows Defender removes Start menu shortcuts and taskbar pinned apps after installing the updated signatures.

>looks like that all shortcuts which are located in ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs will be deleted instantly.

Microsoft has confirmed the bug and reverted the defective change (shipped by defs version 1.381.2140.0). However, it may take hours before it reaches the affected machines. If you are affected, install the most recent signatures manually.

Microsoft's latest report on this: This issue is resolved in security intelligence update build 1.381.2164.0. Installing security intelligence update build 1.381.2164.0 or later should prevent the issue, but it will not restore previously deleted shortcuts. You will need to recreate or restore these shortcuts through other methods.

Microsoft is working on a huge update for the built-in File Explorer app. It will include a new left pane, a new start page with extra details for recently used files. Finally, it will have several new panels, such as "Activities", "Conversations", "Shared Status", and "Insights". You can now enable them on Dev channel build 25276 and above.

The "Activities" section will display information about the latest changes made to the selected file. The "Related Conversations" section will let you know which emails or messages the file was part of. It is interesting to see how the "Related Files" section displays other files linked to the current one. E.g. it can show other files that were shared for the same project, or attached to the same email.

The implementation is raw and buggy. Reset the feature using the undo command once you tried it, otherwise you will hit into File Explorer crashes.

Here's how to enable the new File Explorer

1) Download vivetool https://github.com/thebookisclosed/ViVe/releases
2) Extract it to c:\vivetool and open Terminal as Admin
3) Run this command in Terminal: c:\vivetool\vivetool /enable /id:38613007
4) Restart Windows 11
5) Use this undo command to disable the feature once you tried it: c:\vivetool\vivetool /disable /id:38613007

If the above procedure fails for you, you should try enabling the new features inside a Windows Sandbox instance.

Windows 11 Build 22621.1192 is now available in Release Preview channel. With this update, Windows 11 will require less reboots when upgrading. Besides, .NET Preview updates will now appear as optional updates in the Settings app. Finally, KB5022360 includes a good pack of fixes that improve reliability of the operating system and apps, including Explorer, search, RDP, Edge, and many others.