Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from outside the world of technology. Every Wednesday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s\u00a0 ‘Wednesday Newsbytes’ informative and interesting!<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft\u2019s blunders with new Windows 10 update are causing serious headaches<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Be careful with the latest Windows 10 update \u2013 it has some very odd bugs<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Windows 10 is running into some serious hot water thanks to the latest patch from Microsoft, according to a number of reports from users outlining a variety of problems \u2013 some of them pretty worrying in nature.<\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t exactly a surprise, mind you, seeing as Windows 11 users have been hit by some nasty bugs with the March cumulative update (released a week ago).<\/span><\/p>\n In the case of Windows 10, this is the March patch KB5023696 (for versions 20H2 onwards), and as Windows Latest (opens in new tab) points out, the update is causing some alarming problems.<\/span><\/p>\n Some readers have been in touch directly with the website complaining about performance issues, with one person experiencing their fan running at full speed post-update. This was with a Dell all-in-one PC, and the fan went back to normal after uninstalling the March update, suggesting that the patch is the culprit.<\/span><\/p>\n Further problems are in evidence across Microsoft\u2019s Answers.com (opens in new tab) support forum and the firm\u2019s Feedback Hub, as well as Reddit (opens in new tab), with folks again being hit with various performance issues (including high CPU usage), and also Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) crashes where the PC locks up and must be rebooted…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Techradar.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Windows 11 Snipping Tool Privacy Flaw ‘Apocalypse’ Results in Cropped Images Exposed Through Bug<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n A severe privacy flaw named ‘apocalypse’ has recently been discovered to affect both the Google Pixel Markup and Windows 11 Snipping tools. This bug causes the original image data to be retained in an image file even if cropped or edited.<\/span><\/p>\n Potential Consequences of a Security Flaw in the Windows 11 Snipping Tool<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n According to the story by Bleeping Computer, this poses a significant privacy concern since users could share images containing sensitive information, such as credit cards, or revealing photos with their faces removed. The original version of the image could also be discovered and partially recovered.<\/span><\/p>\n With the help of software engineer Chris Blume and vulnerability expert Will Dormann, security researchers David Buchanan and Simon Aarons confirmed the flaw affecting the Windows 11 Snipping Tool.<\/span><\/p>\n The File Sizes for the Original Image File and Cropped Image File were the Same<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n To illustrate this bug, the researchers launched an online apocalypse screenshot recovery utility that would attempt to recover edited images created on Google Pixel. To test this, BleepingComputer opened an existing PNG file in the Windows 11 Snipping Tool, cropped it, and then saved the changes to the original file, per W3.<\/span><\/p>\n The file sizes for the original image file and cropped image file were the same, and this is because the PNG file specification requires that a PNG image file always ends with an ‘IEND’ data chunk, with any data added after this being ignored…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Tech-Times<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Windows 11 bug warns Local Security Authority protection is off<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Windows 11 users report seeing widespread Windows Security warnings that Local Security Authority (LSA) Protection has been disabled even though it shows as being toggled on.<\/span><\/p>\n LSA protection is a crucial security feature for defending against the theft of sensitive information, such as login credentials, by blocking process memory dumping and untrusted code injection into the LSA process.<\/span><\/p>\n It ensures that only authorized entities can gain access to the critical info required for user authentication and system security.<\/span><\/p>\n While Windows users report that this issue is caused by the recently released KB5023706 Windows 11 22H2 cumulative update, this has been happening since at least January 15.<\/span><\/p>\n The “Local Security Authority protection is off. Your device may be vulnerable.” warnings show up even though LSA Protection is enabled in Windows Security > Device security > Core isolation details.<\/span><\/p>\n “There is a technical glitch with this feature, if you have successfully turned on this feature and you are being prompted to restart, kindly note that the feature is ON irrespective of the message as this is a technical glitch that we are aware of and we are working to resolve that issue soonest,” Microsoft Technical support representative reportedly told one of the affected users…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Bleeping Computer.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Microsoft is shaming unsupported Windows 11 PCs, but there’s a way to stop it<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n It seems Microsoft\u2019s new strategy to get people to upgrade their Windows 11 hardware is to be annoying and slap on a watermark on desktops that says \u201cSystem requirements not met\u201d as reported by Windows Latest.<\/span><\/p>\n The watermark’s not new, but it seemed to only appear on recently-made laptops and desktop PCs. Having that reminder on your desktop every time you use it, consistently telling you \u2018your hardware is not good enough\u2019 is not only bossy, but it’s also irritating to have to see it every time you turn your device on.<\/span><\/p>\n Thankfully, Microsoft says you can disable the watermarks and evade consistent shaming \u2013 which is welcome to hear, but does beg the question about why it introduced this nagging watermark in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n While Microsoft doesn\u2019t have plans to block Windows 11 updates on unsupported devices right now, the company\u2019s choice to shame installations via the watermarks is pretty odd if not a little passive-aggressive. It\u2019s a tad bit insulting to insinuate the equipment you\u2019re using isn\u2019t good enough or that you\u2019re using it illegally…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Techradar.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Windows 11 rumored \u2018upgrade\u2019 sure sounds like unwanted ads to us<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Microsoft really wants to recommend you websites<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Just as Microsoft fixes one of the biggest problems with Windows 11, another possible one emerges. A rumored \u2018upgrade\u2019 to Windows 11 looks set to reintroduce a feature that many were glad to see removed from test builds in January of this year \u2014 recommended websites.<\/span><\/p>\n Self-proclaimed Windows Insider @PhantomOfEarth (opens in new tab) claims to have discovered the existence of new Start Menu recommendations in the latest test build of the operating system. They describe these pointers can take the form of \u201ctips, shortcuts, new apps and more\u201d and while we all appreciate Windows 11 hacks, there are concerns that \u2018more\u2019 could progress into full-blown ads, in a prime position on your Start bar.<\/span><\/p>\n Phantom of Earth\u2019s research suggests that at the very least, Microsoft will be recommending sites to us. After exploring the operating system using Vivetool (an open-source Windows configuration tool) to find unreleased features, they searched the settings app for the word \u201cwebsite\u201d and it linked back to the Start bar recommendation settings, even though it didn\u2019t explicitly feature the word website. Not a promising sign…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Tom’s Guide.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Is ChatGPT Closer to a Human Librarian Than It Is to Google?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The prominent model of information access and retrieval before search engines became the norm \u2013 librarians and subject or search experts providing relevant information \u2013 was interactive, personalized, transparent and authoritative. Search engines are the primary way most people access information today, but entering a few keywords and getting a list of results ranked by some unknown function is not ideal.<\/span><\/p>\n A new generation of artificial intelligence-based information access systems, which includes Microsoft\u2019s Bing\/ChatGPT, Google\/Bard and Meta\/LLaMA, is upending the traditional search engine mode of search input and output. These systems are able to take full sentences and even paragraphs as input and generate personalized natural language responses.<\/span><\/p>\n At first glance, this might seem like the best of both worlds: personable and custom answers combined with the breadth and depth of knowledge on the internet. But as a researcher who studies the search and recommendation systems, I believe the picture is mixed at best…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Gizmodo.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Bing\u2019s AI chatbot can now generate unhinged images along with unhinged text<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “Advanced” version of OpenAI’s DALL-E will roll out to Bing preview users.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft is giving its work-in-progress Bing AI chatbot the ability to generate images, the company announced today. Bing preview users can generate images by typing “create an image” (or something similar) followed by the prompt. As with other AI-powered image generators, the more detailed a prompt you provide, the more specific and consistent the output is.<\/span><\/p>\n Not all Bing preview users will be able to generate images right away, as Microsoft is rolling the feature out in phases (it’s not working for me as of this writing). Initially, it will only work in the chatbot’s “Creative” mode. The bot has three “personalities,” and “Creative” is the most prone to giving wrong answers and inaccurate information.<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft said it was using “an advanced version” of the DALL-E generator without providing additional details. The Bing chatbot was using OpenAI’s GPT-4 model several weeks before it was formally announced to the public, so Microsoft could also be using a more powerful pre-release version of the DALL-E model. The image generator Microsoft made available to the public in October uses DALL-E 2.<\/span><\/p>\n Mindful of early problems with the text that the Bing chatbot could generate, Microsoft is putting additional content-generation safeguards in place in addition to OpenAI’s own built-in restrictions for DALL-E.<\/span><\/p>\n “When our system detects that a potentially harmful image could be generated by a prompt, it blocks the prompt and warns the user,” writes Microsoft…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Ars Technica.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for reading this week’s Wednesday Newbytes. We hope you found these articles informative, interesting, fun, and helpful. Darcy & TC.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It’s springtime and time to get your computer ready for spring & summer. With our Spring\u00a0Cleanup service, we’ll make\u00a0that EASY for you. We’ll check your PC, clean it up, optimize it and get it ready for spring & summer.<\/span><\/p>\n Here’s what we’ll do for you:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n You’ll get all of the above for just $30.<\/span><\/p>\n After you purchase our Spring Cleanup Special you’ll be presented with a special opportunity to save $25 on a Cloudeight Senior Pass!<\/span><\/p>\n We’re offering this special for a limited time only!<\/span><\/p>\n Get more information and\/or get your spring cleanup here!<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n *Note: Our Spring Cleanup Service does not include repairs. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Wednesday Newsbytes: Microsoft Windows 10 Update Blunders; Windows 11 Snipping Tool Security Flaw; Microsoft Shames Users of Unsupported Windows 11 PCs; Rumored Windows 11 Update to Bring More Ads? Bing’s Chatbot can Now Create Images.. and much more! Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4421,4431,1,1426,1670,1674,4372,4353,4221,2366],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25355"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25355"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25356,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25355\/revisions\/25356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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