windows

Microsoft Paint and Photos Embed Server-Issued GUIDs as Invisible Watermarks in Locally-Generated Images

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Microsoft Paint and Photos embed a server-issued GUID as an invisible watermark into AI-generated images created locally on Windows devices. These GUIDs, returned by Microsoft's remote prompt moderation service, are embedded pixel-wise via a specialized watermarking DLL and are also included in the image's C2PA metadata for provenance, linking prompt moderation to the final image content. This system ensures AI-generated images carry a unique, machine-readable identifier even when generated locally, combining remote moderation with local watermarking and signed metadata.

https://xusheng.dev/posts/reversing/mspaint_invisible_watermark/main/

“As a Windows User, It’s a Very Surreal Way to Install a Program.”

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Mac applications are often installed by opening a .dmg disk image file, which mounts as a virtual drive containing the app icon alongside a link to the Applications folder. Many developers customize this Finder window using layout, icon arrangement, arrows, and backgrounds to instruct users to drag the app into Applications, creating a unique but sometimes confusing installation experience compared to Windows. This design approach has become a creative playground with diverse visual styles and instructions, showcasing a distinctive aspect of macOS’s software installation workflow.

https://unsung.aresluna.org/as-a-windows-user-its-a-very-surreal-way-to-install-a-program/

Windows 11 Is Quietly Installing OneDrive Photos, and It Wants to Scan Your Photos for Faces if You Allow It

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Windows 11 is now automatically installing a new app called OneDrive Photos, which functions as an additional photo viewer and editor integrated with OneDrive. The app scans local storage for images and can group faces using facial recognition if the user permits, raising privacy concerns since it is installed without explicit user consent and can only be removed by uninstalling OneDrive entirely. While the app offers features like AI-powered search and photo management similar to Microsoft Photos, its silent installation and integration with OneDrive have sparked criticism.

https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/07/29/windows-11-is-quietly-installing-onedrive-photos-another-image-viewer-that-nobody-asked-for/

GDID Windows – Cut the Tracker That Follows You Even Through a VPN

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Windows assigns a unique 64-bit identifier called GDID to each user account, which Microsoft stores on its servers and continuously links to that user—even when using a VPN. Attempts to delete or disable the GDID locally fail because the system re-downloads it from Microsoft, and disabling telemetry services does not stop its reporting. A solution involves disabling related Windows services and blocking specific Microsoft endpoints via the hosts file, which prevents the GDID from being reported while keeping the Microsoft account functional, but does not erase previously collected identifiers or ensure full anonymity.

https://korben.info/en/gdid-windows-cut-tracker-vpn.html

You Can’t Fully Disable Microsoft’s GDID Windows 11 Tracker, but These Settings Limit What It Captures

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Microsoft has acknowledged that Windows 11 includes a Global Device Identifier (GDID), a persistent, device-level tracker tied to a user’s Microsoft Account with no option to disable it outright. The GDID played a key role in an FBI case by allowing authorities to trace a hacker’s device across VPNs and countries, but its presence raises privacy concerns since it automatically links online activities to a single Windows installation without explicit user consent. While reinstalling Windows generates a new GDID, signing back into the same Microsoft Account allows Microsoft to correlate activity across installations, limiting user control over this identifier.

https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/07/10/you-cant-fully-disable-microsofts-gdid-windows-11-tracker-but-these-settings-limit-what-it-captures/

How to Set Up Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account in 2026

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In 2026, to set up Windows 11 without using a Microsoft account, users can bypass the mandatory sign-in by pressing Shift + F10 at the account setup screen to open Command Prompt, then entering “start ms-cxh:localonly”. This command closes the Microsoft account prompt and allows the creation of a local user account, enabling setup to continue without a Microsoft account.

https://www.jamesleighton.com/how-to-set-up-windows-11-without-a-microsoft-account-in-2026/

How UI Degrades Over Time

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The article critiques the progressive decline in user interface clarity from Windows 95 to modern Windows 11 versions, highlighting how earlier interfaces offered high contrast and intuitive shapes that made features like the Run dialog instantly readable. In contrast, the latest designs suffer from poor contrast, unclear elements, redundant labels, and lack of visual cues, rendering the interface confusing and less functional for users. The author emphasizes that while older interfaces prioritized usability and adherence to system conventions, newer ones appear more like puzzles or art objects that fail to facilitate user tasks effectively.

https://grumpy.website/1723

Understanding Windows Monthly Updates

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Windows monthly updates include regular security releases on the second Tuesday of each month, designed to maintain device security and health through cumulative fixes. Optional non-security preview updates, typically released later in the month, allow IT teams and users to test upcoming features and fixes before they are broadly deployed in the next security update. Microsoft also issues out-of-band updates for urgent fixes and delivers new Windows 11 features gradually through various update channels, encouraging organizations to install updates promptly to ensure device protection and productivity.

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/windows-itpro-blog/understanding-windows-monthly-updates-servicing-explained/4532290

You Paid Me, a Long-Time Linux User, to Use Windows 11 Exclusively for a Month: Here’s How It Went

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After using Windows 11 exclusively for a month as a longtime Linux user, Thom Holwerda found the experience riddled with usability issues such as poor hardware support during installation, inconsistent UI design across applications, complicated application management, and intrusive telemetry prompting. While Windows 11 offers some refinements like a modern Settings app and useful features such as a clipboard manager and emoji picker, persistent problems with sleep functionality, fan control, and forced online accounts overshadowed these positives. Ultimately, Holwerda concluded that Windows 11 lacked the user respect, consistency, and privacy that Linux provides, leading him to return to the Linux environment after the trial.

https://www.osnews.com/story/145459/you-paid-me-a-long-time-linux-user-to-use-windows-11-exclusively-for-a-month-heres-how-it-went/

Microsoft Says New Outlook Is Now Closer to Outlook Classic, Adds .PST Advanced Support and Other Features

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Microsoft has updated New Outlook to bring it closer to the classic version by adding advanced support for .PST files, including improved import and search capabilities, though it still requires Outlook Classic to be installed for now. Additional features nearing release include improved calendar update controls and a fix for sent emails not appearing in delegated mailboxes. Microsoft plans to remove the dependency on Outlook Classic later this year and will end .PST feature development once bulk import capabilities are fully implemented.

https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/07/01/microsoft-says-new-outlook-is-now-closer-to-outlook-classic-adds-pst-advanced-support-and-other-features/

Microsoft Brings Coreutils to Windows

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At its Build conference, Microsoft announced a preview release of coreutils for Windows, a set of UNIX-style command-line utilities ported from the Rust-based uutils project that run natively on Windows. These tools aim to provide consistent command behavior across Linux, macOS, WSL, and Windows to ease scripting and automation across platforms, though some POSIX-specific commands and Windows conflicts are excluded or limited. The utilities are installable via WinGet and support standard flags and pipelines familiar to developers working in UNIX-like environments.

https://www.osnews.com/story/145206/microsoft-brings-coreutils-to-windows/

A Security Researcher Says Microsoft Secretly Built a Backdoor Into BitLocker, Releases an Exploit to Prove It

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Security researcher “Nightmare-Eclipse” has released an exploit called YellowKey, revealing a vulnerability that allegedly allows bypassing Microsoft's BitLocker full-volume encryption via USB and Windows Recovery Environment. The researcher claims this flaw may be an intentional backdoor built into BitLocker on Windows 11 and newer, as it involves components only found in official Microsoft recovery images, granting attackers unrestricted access to encrypted data without passwords. Third parties have confirmed the exploit's functionality, while mitigations include using alternative encryption solutions like VeraCrypt.

https://www.techspot.com/news/112410-security-researcher-microsoft-secretly-built-backdoor-bitlocker-releases.html

Classic 7 — Your PC, Resimplified.

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Classic 7 is a Windows 10 (IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021) modification designed to replicate the look and feel of Windows 7 exactly, including features like Aero Glass, support for .themepack files, gadgets, and Windows Media Center. While it restores many beloved Windows 7 elements, some features such as 3D window animations and Flip 3D are not included due to technical limitations. The project is a fan-made initiative and is available for download for users who want a classic Windows experience on newer systems.

https://classic7.lol/

Wine 11 Rewrites How Linux Runs Windows Games at the Kernel Level, and the Speed Gains Are Massive

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Wine 11 introduces a major rewrite in how Linux handles Windows game synchronization by implementing the new NTSYNC kernel driver, which replaces inefficient user-space workarounds like esync and fsync with kernel-level synchronization, resulting in massive performance improvements. Additionally, Wine 11 completes the WoW64 architecture for seamless 32-bit and even 16-bit application support on 64-bit systems, enhances Wayland compatibility, and includes numerous fixes and improvements that together represent the most significant advancement in Linux gaming via Wine since the emergence of Proton.

https://www.xda-developers.com/wine-11-rewrites-linux-runs-windows-games-speed-gains/

Microsoft’s “Fix” for Windows 11: Flowers After the Beating

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Microsoft's recent announcement of a 7-point plan to “fix” Windows 11 is criticized as an insufficient response to years of user dissatisfaction caused by forced AI integrations, pervasive ads, mandatory Microsoft accounts, invasive data collection, and forced OneDrive syncing that harmed user control and privacy. While Microsoft promises to remove some visible annoyances like unmovable Copilot buttons and ads, it does not address deeper issues such as telemetry that cannot be fully disabled, forced cloud account usage, and aggressive data harvesting, leaving many of the more intrusive and privacy-hostile practices intact.

https://www.sambent.com/microsofts-plan-to-fix-windows-11-is-gaslighting/

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