Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview for PCs and phones, starts to finalize Anniversary Update code

Microsoft today released a new Windows 10 preview for PCs and phones. This is one of the last builds ahead of the free Windows 10 Anniversary Update, currently scheduled for release on August 2.

Windows 10 is a service. As we wrote in our deep dive on how Microsoft is still building Windows 10, this means Windows Insiders are getting new builds even though the operating system launched in July 2015.

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This is largely a bug-fixing build, though Microsoft software engineer Dona Sarkar promises that “a few things are different with this build,” including the removal of the desktop watermark. She explains the current state of affairs:

This is because we’re beginning to check in final code in preparation for releasing the Windows 10 Anniversary Update to customers on August 2nd. But we’re not finished yet and will have more builds to release to Windows Insiders between now and then. Remember you guys play a big role in helping us decide which are the final *final* bits that we ship globally.

The desktop build includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

• The link to “Get more extensions from the Store” under the Extensions pane in Microsoft Edge now takes you directly to the Store to download available extensions.
• Changed the keyboard shortcut to invoke Cortana in listening mode to Win + Shift + C based on feedback from Insiders experiencing a large number of unintended activations of Cortana while in listening mode.
• Speaking “Hey Cortana,” when enabled in Cortana Settings, continues to invoke Cortana in listening mode as it always has.
• Going forward from this build, updates to the Quick Action area of Action Center will be preserved across upgrades.
• Fixed an issue where disconnecting the Surface Book from an external monitor set as primary might result in the Surface Book screen showing in portrait rather than landscape until having detached and reattached the screen.
• Fixed an issue where the Settings app was showing media controls in the taskbar preview window.
• Fixed an issue where dragging the file comparison or manage library dialogs between two monitors with different DPIs would result in the dialog content no longer displaying correctly.
• Fixed an issue where the checkmark used to indicate a selected state in app bar toggle buttons wasn’t visible in high contrast, for example in the Photos menu under “…”.
• Fixed an issue where connecting to a PC using Remote Desktop when a maximized window is immediately behind the Remote Desktop dialog would result in the subsequent the Credential UI window being displayed behind the maximized window.
• Fixed an issue where, with certain monitor configurations, Explorer.exe would hang after a tooltip is displayed.
• Fixed an issue resulting in certain Bluetooth mice, such as the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse, sometimes accelerating erratically when moving the cursor across the screen.
• Fixed an issue where on certain webpages in Microsoft Edge when Narrator was in Scan mode and going line by line through a list of hyperlinks, Narrator wouldn’t announce the fact that these were hyperlinks.
• Fixed an issue with certain websites potentially causing a memory leak and becoming unresponsive in Microsoft Edge when the LastPass extension had been enabled.

Today’s update bumps the Windows 10 build number from 14379 for PCs (made available to testers on June 30) to build 14383.

This build has two known issues:

• If you are seeing a notification pop-up once a day that started on 7/1 saying that your Windows evaluation copy expires on 7/15/2016, don’t worry — this is a superfluous dialog and your OS won’t expire. The dialog will also go away soon.
• A recent fix went into place for the Hyper-V firmware that will that affect the ability to boot Windows Server 2016 Tech Preview 5 VMs with Secure Boot enabled. A fix for TP5 builds has been developed however, due to release schedules, the Insider Preview build changes will be released before the TP5 fix is released. During that time, if you try to boot a new TP5 VM with Secure Boot enabled, it will fail. The workaround is to disable Secure Boot during this period.

If you’re OK with the above known issues and want to get build 14379 now, head to PC Settings, select “Update and recovery,” then “Preview builds,” and then click the “Check Now” button.

The Windows 10 Mobile build also includes a bunch of fixes, but Microsoft has yet to openly discuss its plans for the future of the platform.

Update: Microsoft today also released Windows 10 Anniversary SDK Preview Build 14383. You can download it from the Windows Insider website.

Update on July 9: Just two days later, and Microsoft has released yet another build: 14385. Just improvements and fixes.

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