Tag Archives: Windows 11

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

One Click Default Browser Choice Coming To Windows 11

One of the latest revelations to come from the Windows 11 development team is that Microsoft is working on streamlining the process of setting a default web browser for Windows 11 users.

The new paradigm under development will allow the selection to be made with a single click!

The new change was rolled out on March 28th as part of the company’s “C Week” Windows 11 update preview. The plan is to make the new option available to all Windows 11 insiders as of the next Patch Tuesday update on April 12th.

Microsoft has been aggressive in its efforts to force Windows 11 users to stick with their Edge browser by default. A big part of how they’ve been doing that has been to make the process of switching away from Edge a cumbersome, multi-step process, That has been quite frankly, annoying.

At the end of 2021 however, the company finally decided to change that. No doubt after legions of Windows 11 Insiders complained loudly about the issue and finally we’re beginning to see those changes in action.

If you’re currently using Windows 11 and you don’t want to wait, you can manually download the KB5011563 build preview.  Once it is installed go to “Default App” and you can select your default browser with a single click like Windows 10 users can do currently.

We totally understand why Microsoft wants everybody to use their Edge browser.  Unfortunately, if that’s what they really want then the solution is to make the Edge browser good enough and compelling enough that users will want to voluntarily switch to it.  By forcing the issue, Microsoft is hurting their own case and driving people away from Edge.

It seems that the company is finally on that page, and that’s great news for everyone.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

File Explorer May Get Tabs In Windows 11

Are you a Windows Insider?  If so, be aware that the company is testing a “hidden” new feature you’re probably going to love.

It’s a small change but its impact is enormous. The feature is the Tabbed File Explorer!

The experimental feature must be explicitly enabled but once it is it works a lot like tabbed browsing does.

If you right click on a drive, you’ll see a new menu option “open in a new tab.”  Left clicking that option will open the drive in a new tab adjacent to the current File Explorer tab. That part of the new feature is working smoothly, but the company hasn’t yet worked out the particulars of reordering tabs.

It’s worth mentioning that not all hidden features wind up being officially released features. The company has said exactly nothing about it so this may or may not wind up being an integral part of the Windows 11 user experience.

We certainly hope so because it’s a spectacularly useful addition.

If you’re interested in playing around with it, here’s what you need to do:

First, join the Dev channel of the Windows Insider program and install the latest build.  Then download the Vive Tool which enables hidden developer features in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Open an “Elevated Command Prompt” and make your way to the folder where the Vive tool has been extracted.

Finally, type the following command:

  • vivetool addconfig 34370472 2

After you enter this commend, you’ll get a confirmation response from the Vive tool.  At that point, you’ll need to restart your computer to start experimenting with the tabbed File Explorer.

When you’ve finished testing the feature or if you decide it’s not to your liking, simply enter the following command (same process as described above):

  • vivetool addconfig 34370472 0

Restart your computer and the tabbed browsing feature will no longer be enabled.

It’s a fun, cool feature and you’ll almost certainly enjoy playing around with it.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

 You May See Ads For Microsoft Products With Windows 11

Microsoft may have inadvertently signaled that they are soon going to reincorporate ads into Microsoft 11, which is going to please exactly no one.

In the most recent Windows Insiders build, third party ads were displayed but only briefly. They vanished as of the next update.

The company responded to the angry inquires that the sudden appearance of ads caused with the following statement: “This was an experimental banner that was not intended to be published externally and was turned off.”

That’s all well and good, but the simple truth is that if the company is even considering turning the banner back on legions of Windows users are going to break out the torches and pitchforks.

This isn’t something that Microsoft should even be considering experimenting with because Windows isn’t the only OS in town.  Google, Apple, and maybe even Linux would happily soak up Microsoft’s market share if the company were to decide to go that route.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be unprecedented.  Microsoft has run ads across other previous iterations of Windows in various places including the Taskbar, the start menu, and the lock screen.

Every time they’ve done it, it has generated considerable backlash.

The key difference between then and now is that there are other gigantic tech companies who are well-positioned to take market share from Microsoft and they would absolutely not hesitate to take advantage of any mistakes the company might make.

Windows 11 has the potential to be a game-changing OS. If Microsoft gets the launch right, it will secure the company’s future for years to come.  Unfortunately, as this recent gaffe demonstrated they are balanced on the edge of a knife.  It is highly doubtful that their user base would tolerate ad displays in the new OS so the company needs to tread very carefully here.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Clipchamp Will Soon Replace Movie Maker For Windows 11

If you’re an early adopter playing with the Windows 11 builds as they come out and you are a “Windows Insider,” then you probably already know this.

In the latest build, users were treated to a raft of new improvements and enhancements including a new Windows 11 video editor called Clipchamp.  The build with the Clipchamp addition is 22572 and is now available in the Dev Channel.

The Windows 11 Development Team had this to say about the new feature:

“Clipchamp is equipped with all the basic tools you’d expect, like trimming and splitting, as well as more pro-style features like transitions and animated text. For real-time content capture, there are also built-in webcam and screen recorders.

But what really sets Clipchamp apart from other video editors is its timeline. We’ve kept all the best parts of timeline editing — the flexibility, the ability to fine tune details — and done away with the rest.”

The new software comes with a stock library of more than a million royalty-free videos, audio tracks, images, and a powerful text-to-speech generator with support for more than 70 different languages. The generator will be powered by the company’s Azure technology.  Anyone making use of the new tool can easily connect with users’ OneDrive accounts to import files or save videos quickly, safely, and securely.

It’s a significant change and according to the company, it may well be a permanent one.  Knowing that Microsoft invested significant resources into Clipchamp, there’s very little reason to keep Movie Maker around. However, if the company faces an open rebellion like they did when they tried to retire Paint, it may be possible to change their mind.

Users should get used to the idea that there’s a new sheriff in town when it comes to video editing in Windows called Clipchamp!

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Some AMD Ryzen CPU Users Experiencing Windows 11 Issues

Do you have a PC with an AMD Ryzen CPU?  If so, be aware that AMD has found an issue which causes “temporary pauses in system interactivity or responsiveness.”

The issue affects some Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems with the Firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) enabled.

If you’re not familiar with it, the fTPM handles cryptographic operations and is one of several minimum hardware requirements systems need to have in order to get support for Windows 11 installations.  In other words, you can’t get support for your OS unless you are hardware compliant, and you can’t be hardware compliant unless you’ve got fTPM enabled.

Apparently, users have been complaining about these issues since January but it has taken some time for AMD to research a proper explanation for why it is happening.

Apparently, the root cause can be traced back to the following.

The Company States:

“Select AMD Ryzen system configurations may intermittently perform extended fTPM-related memory transactions in SPI flash memory (“SPIROM”) located on the motherboard.”

And this can lead to what the company is describing as “a performance stutter.”

Reddit users who have been tracking the issue say that it happens 3-4 times a day, regardless of what programs are running and tends to last about 2 seconds.

Now for the good news.  The company has a temporary workaround you can make use of which is detailed on their site.

AMD had this to say about a BIOS update that will fix the issue once and for all:

“AMD expects that flashable customer sBIOS files to be available starting in early May, 2022. Exact BIOS availability timing for a specific motherboard depends on the testing and integration schedule of your manufacturer. Flashable updates for motherboards will be based on AMD AGESA 1207 (or newer).”

In the larger scheme of things, a two second stutter isn’t the end of the world, but it is annoying.  If it’s happening to you, either head to the AMD website for the workaround or hang on until late May.  A fix is coming.

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