Author: Martin Brinkmann

When I was young, I studied German, History and English at Essen University in Germany. I worked in computer support for several years at the time to help other computer users when they ran into issues. Writing started out as a passion project, as I wanted to help more users and not just the ones that I handled in support. This lead to the founding of Ghacks Technology News in 2005. First, as a side-project, but shortly thereafter as a full-time project as the site's popularity exploded. I sold Ghacks to Softonic some years ago, but stayed on as Editor. You can still read my articles on the site. I do publish on Betanews as well. In recent years, I started to write and publish technology books, including my latest book "Windows 11 From Beginner to Advanced", which is available on Amazon. I'm also a freelance writer for the German publisher Gamestar. Chipp.in is my newest project. I want to use it to talk about my book projects, sell my books directly, and write about technology, as this is what interests me.
Windows 11 is removing an option to bypass Microsoft account and internet during setup

Windows 11, version 25H2 will (likely) install quickly

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft has released two types of feature updates in the past. Those that require just a small enablement patch for the upgrade and those that require a lengthy installation as they make fundamental changes to the underlying system.

The current feature update, Windows 11, version 24H2, belongs to the latter category. Users who have bypassed Windows 11 requirements now that these can be difficult to install, as the installation via Windows Update is blocked in this case.

Good news is that the coming feature update, Windows 11, version 25H2, will likely fall into the first category. Means, it is installed via a small enablement package.

News comes from Windows enthusiast Xeno, who discovered that the new feature update is based on the same base as version 24H2. This is a strong indicator that Windows 11, version 25H2 will install nicely and quickly on the majority of devices.

Note that this is only the case for upgrades from Windows 11, version 24H2. If you upgrade an older version of Windows, say version 23H2, then you will have to go through the lengthy installation process.

Microsoft has not announced Windows 11, version 25H2 officially, but it is certain that it will be released later this year (likely a bit earlier than last year’s feature update due to the smaller nature of it).

Anyway, that is good news for Windows users who have bypassed system requirements. While methods continue to be available to bypass the requirement checks, it is easier to not be bothered by them at all.

It is highly unlikely that Microsoft is going to release Windows 12, or whatever the next version of Windows will be called, this year. It would be the perfect time to get more Windows 10 customers to buy new PCs with the new version of Windows, but hey, what do I know.

Now You: do you have any expectations for Windows 11, version 25H2?

LG TVs may soon use AI to determine your emotions and beliefs, and display better ads

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

What would you say if your smart TV uses artificial intelligence to analyze your emotions and beliefs, put you into certain groups, to display targeted ads to you?

Ads may be based on your viewing habits, what you watch, when you watch, what you search for and so on.

What sounds like something straight out of Minority Report is actually going to be integrated into certain LG TVs. The report comes from Stream TV Insider.

According to the report, LG is teaming up with Zenapse, a “focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and emotional intelligence to enhance marketing and customer experience (CX) optimization”.

The goal of the cooperation is to deliver ads that are more targeted by segmenting the audience with the help of AI and data. LG is integrating Zenapse’s technology into its Large Emotion Model (LEM) into its ad stack.

LEMs are created to understand “emotional and psychological drivers”. In this context, their purpose is to determine what viewers like and what resonates with them.

It is important to note that the technology analyzes the emotions of viewers indirectly, by analyzing the content that gets watched and consumption patterns.

So, if a viewer watches romantic comedies a lot, they might be more receptive to ads that play with emotions linked to romantic comedies.

But the platform goes beyond that. Ars Technica notes that viewers are categorized into very specific types, such as “social connectors”, “emotionally engaged planners”, or “goal-driven achievers”.

Companies that pay LG to display ads to viewers may tap into the data to show ads to highly specific groups of users only.

LG has not provided much details besides that. Can you turn the feature off? That is unclear. What you can do, however, is skip the connecting of the TV to the Internet. Without Internet, the TV won’t be able to do much.

Other options include using solutions such as AdGuard or DNS-based filters to weed out most of the advertisement before it lands on the TV.

What is your take on this? Are your TVs connected to the Internet? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

AI

Why you may not want to say “thank you” or “please” to AI

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

What is the proper etiquette when chatting with AIs? Do you say “thank you”, “please” or “see you next time”, or do you prefer the direct approach and avoid any form of politeness when communicating with AI tools?

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was recently asked about the electricity costs that these pleasantries would generate. According to him, processing these cost “tens of millions of dollars”.

If everyone would stop being nice to AI, at least in this regard, AI companies electricity bills would go down noticeably. While that has no immediate benefit to the user, it is at the very least beneficial to the environment.

Altman ended the answer with a joke, stating that the money was well spend as “you never know”, referring to the possibility of an AI uprising and the potential saving of people who have been nice to AI in the past.

You might say that AI causing havoc to bring doom to the human race might not be persuaded to let humans live based on their use of “please” or “thank you”, and you are probably correct here.

Where does this leave the statement? When you avoid please or thank you, you will help AI companies save power, which is beneficial to them, but also the environment, at least potentially.

TidyOS: little Windows System Tweaker for debloating

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Tweaking apps offer a user-friendly option to customize the Windows operating system. Most focus on the removal of apps, disabling certain features, or improving privacy.

While it is possible to apply any tweak manually, it is probably safe to say that the majority of Windows users prefers apps for the job.

TidyOS is an open source tweaker for Windows by Belim, the creator of too-many-apps to count (including ThisIsNot11). It is a well-designed application that is compatible with Windows 11.

Just run the 300 kilobytes app to get started. Windows may throw in a SmartScreen warning, but this is not something to be worried about.

The interface is streamlined. You find the three main groups customizing, debloating, and scripting there. Here is what they do:

  • Customizing is the bread and butter group. It includes dozens of tweaks to disable ads, improve privacy, or disable features that you may not need.
  • Debloating may be used to remove apps from the system, including many built-in apps that you may not require.
  • Scripting gives you advanced options, which are powered by scripts. You can use it to remove AI, create a System Restore point, or remove old Windows versions to free up space.

While the provided tweaks are not as extensive as that of WinAero Tweaker, they do cover major tweaks to deal with annoyance and remove apps or features that are unwanted by part of the userbase.

On the plus side, it is a tad easier to work with thanks to its streamlined interface. Most tweaks are self-explanatory, but you can toggle “feature insights” in the interface to switch to longer descriptions for each tweak that provide additional details.

The changes under customizing take effect immediately, e.g., when you select to remove Copilot or Search from the taskbar, that is done right away.

This is different under debloating and scripting. Here you need to become active, e.g., hit the “remove selected” button under debloating to remove the selected apps from the system.

TidyOS does not require elevation on start, but it may request elevation when you select an action that requires it.

Verdict

TidyOS is a well-designed tweaker for Windows 11 that is not as powerful as some of the others, but you may find easier to use because of that. All in all, it is a good app for users who do not require the massive level of tweaks that other tweakers offer.

Now You: do you use a tweaker for Windows? If so, which is your favorite and why? Feel free to leave a comment down below to join the discussion.

Tor Browser 14.5 brings Connection Assist feature to Android

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The developers of the anonymizer Tor Browser have released a new version for all supported operating system. The big feature in this release is the introduction of Connection Assist on Android.

The feature, which has been available in Tor Browser for desktop operating systems for quite some time, aims to help users establish a connection to the Tor network if regular connection attempts do not work.

So, if connecting to Tor fails in the browser, for example when you try to connect from a country that blocks this, then Connection Assist kicks in. It uses so-called bridges to establish a connection. Bridges use different techniques to circumvent censorship.

Android users could use bridges previously, but it was not that comfortable to configure and use.

The new feature integrates the functionality seamlessly into the Android client, making it a much better experience for users who require these.

All users should benefit from “more stable and less error-prone connections” as well, according to the release announcement.

Tor Browser 14.5 includes support three new languages as well. These are Belarusian, Bulgarian, and Portuguese (Portugal) and available in the desktop and Android clients.

Tip: Languages can be set under Settings > General > Language and Appearance > Language on desktop or Settings > General > Language on Android.

Here are other noteworthy changes:

  • Tor logs on desktop have been “enhanced to aid readability”. Also, no longer necessary to close and reopen to refresh logs.
  • Quitting Tor Browser on Android does now a “thorough job of ending background processes and clearing recent tasks”.
  • Improvements to the Connection Assist logic in general.

Tor Browser 14.5 includes several known issues which you find listed on the official issues tracker. Make sure you pay the page a visit before upgrading or installing the new version of the web browser.

You can check out the full release notes here.

About “The ActiveX content in this file is blocked” messages in Microsoft Office

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft is changing how Microsoft 365 and Office 2024 handle documents with ActiveX content. Currently, Office displays a prompt that informs users that ActiveX content found in the document is disabled and that they may enable it.

Going forward, Office simply shows “The ActiveX content in this file is blocked” instead, with no option to enable it from the prompt directly. The notification includes a link that opens this support page.

Here are the highlights:

  • ActiveX controls are disabled by default going forward.
  • Users may not interact with existing elements or create new ones by default.
  • This change applies to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio.
  • Users may still enable ActiveX controls.

Microsoft recommends that Office users answer the three questions before they consider enabling ActiveX controls again:

  • Were you expecting to receive a file with ActiveX?
  • Are you being encouraged to change your ActiveX settings by someone you do not know?
  • Are you being encouraged to change your ActiveX settings by a pop-up message?

How to enable ActiveX Controls in Office again

Here are the required steps to enable the controls again. Please note that the change applies to all affected Office applications and all documents that you open in them. In other words, you cannot just enable ActiveX controls for a single document.

The workaround in this case would be to enable the controls and disable them again once you are done with the document in question.

To enable ActiveX Controls:

  • Select File in Office and then Options.
  • Switch to Trust Center.
  • Select the Trust Center Settings button.
  • Activate the ActiveX Settings option on the page.
  • Make sure “Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions” is set on the page.
  • Select OK.
  • Select OK again.

Tip: if you never access documents with ActiveX Controls, set the preference to “Disable all controls without notification” instead.

Firefox Link Previews

Firefox’s Link Preview feature is quite good – here is why

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla has officially launched a preview of the upcoming Link Preview feature of its open source Firefox web browser. Unlike traditional link preview extensions, Firefox’s implementation offers a modern take by incorporating AI for summarizing key points.

The AI runs locally on the device, which is excellent for privacy. The tradeoff is that computing will usually take longer, especially on older or slower systems.

Enabling Link Previews in Firefox

The feature is available as a preview currently in Firefox Beta and Nightly. You need to enable it before it becomes available.

  • Load about:config in the Firefox address bar.
  • Confirm the security prompt to continue.
  • Search for browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled.
  • Toggle the state to True to enable it.
  • Restart Firefox.

Tip: the preference browser.ml.linkPreview.outputSentences defines the number of A_generated keypoints. The default is three. The preference browser.ml.linkPreview.allowedLanguages defines the supported languages, which is English at the time.

Using Link Previews in Firefox

Hold down the Shift and Alt keys on the keyboard before hovering over a link. Firefox displays an overlay that lists key information, including a preview thumbnail, full title, reading time, and a meta description.

Below that is a list of keypoints, generated by AI, that summarize key elements of the linked webpage.

Note: Generation of the keypoints takes longer on first use of the feature. It was relatively speedy on my fairly potent HP laptop, but took quite some time on an older system. This is a one-time process.

Keypoint generation is not instant, but it took a few seconds usually after the initial setup. The processing is relatively quick, even on longer articles, e.g., those on Wikipedia.

The quality of the keypoints is quite good. You should realize that this is not a summary of the article, but three key arguments or points made in the article. It is often good enough for a quick overview of the content, which is the main purpose of the preview feature.

To sum it up:

  • AI runs locally, which is great for privacy, but adds to the processing time.
  • Keypoints give good overviews usually.

Closing Words

Link Previews is a useful feature that bakes privacy-friendly AI into Firefox. While it remains to be seen how popular the feature will be once it launches, it is definitely a welcome addition in the browser.

An option to change the keyboard shortcut from Shift-Alt would be welcome, as it may improve usability.

Now You: do you use link previews? What is your take on the feature that Mozilla added to Firefox?

Thunderbird for iOS: first alpha coming this year

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The Thunderbird open source email project is making huge strides. After readying the first mobile version of Thunderbird for Android, the team has set its sight on the second big mobile operation system Apple iOS.

The details:

  • The repository of Thunderbird for iOS is not publicly available on GitHub.
  • The developers aim for an alpha release of the mobile client in late 2025.

Philipp Kewisch, mobile engineer at MLZA Technologies, the organization behind Thunderbird, revealed the good news officially in a message.

The project is just at the beginning and the developers are not openly looking for code contributors at this stage.

Kewisch explains the next steps that are going to happen:

What is next? We’re simultaneously working on some of the iOS essentials and architecture prep. These are all the basics of what types of objects and interfaces do we need, how do they play together, what does the database look like, etc. We’ll start sharing some preliminary details on this soon and give you the opportunity to share your feedback.

This means that it will take a while before iOS users can get their hands on a public prototype of the email app for their mobile operating system.

The greater picture is interesting though. One of Thunderbird’s main weaknesses up until now was lack of support for mobile apps. Mobile users had to use a different email client or access web-based email instead to access emails on mobile.

The release of the Android client and the future release of the iOS client closes that gap.

To make this a true contender for Gmail or Outlook, Thunderbird’s team is also working on a web email service.

Classics Promo: get your old games fix at a discount over at Gog

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Gog is an excellent resource for classic computer games. The platform runs a sale currently that offers discounts on more than 1,000 – mostly – old computer games. While that may deter gamers that want high-end graphics, it is a treasure trove for gamers who want to replay or play some of the greatest classics in computer gaming.

As an added advantage, games on Gog are not as expensive as modern titles. Even without discounts, you barely pay more than $10 for a game. During sales, prices drop to a few Dollar for many of the games.

Want some examples?

  • Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition, arguably the best title of the Dragon Age series, is available for less than $6 for the next eleven days.
  • Ultimate VII The Complete Edition is available for $1.37. The other Ultimate games, are available in two packs (Ultimate I, II, and II, and Ultimate IV, V, and V) for $1.37 each as well. There are also discounts for Ultimate Underworld, and Ultimate IX.
  • Thief II The Metal Age, one of the greatest stealth games of all time, costs $1.07.
  • X-Com 2, one of the best turn-based strategies, is available for $2.74
  • Jagged Alliance 2, another classic turn-based game, costs $2.18

Just browse the list and you will find huge discounts for games of all genres. The games are compatible with modern Windows PCs. While controls or visuals may not be on par with modern games, you can still have days of fun with some of the games easily.

These games should also work well on older PCs, as they are not that demanding than modern games.

While this reads like an advertisement, it is not. I like Gog a lot and buy games there regularly to replay old classics or play classics that I missed out on when they were released initially.

Now You: do you play computer games at all? If so, which games to you like and do you prefer modern or classic games?

Windows updates

Microsoft releases out-of-band Windows updates, but you likely don’t need them

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft has released out-of-band updates for Windows shortly after it released the cumulative security updates for Windows earlier this week.

These new updates are available for Windows 11, version 23H2 and 22H2, as well as several Enterprise and server versions of Windows.

Good to know: out-of-band updates are usually released to fix pressing issues. Most need to be downloaded and installed manually, as the issue may not affect all installations.

The updates affect a logon auditing issue in Windows. Since logon auditing is usually not configured on home systems or unmanaged systems, it is an issue that affects Enterprise devices mostly.

Here is Microsoft’s description of the issue:

It addresses a known issue where Audit Logon/Logoff events in the local policy of the Active Directory Group Policy might not show as enabled on the device even if they are enabled and working as expected. This can be observed in the Local Group Policy Editor or Local Security Policy, where local audit policies show the “Audit logon events” policy with Security Setting of “No auditing”.

To sum it up: this is a reporting issue only that does not impact functionality.

The patch can be installed on affected systems to resolve the issue. The vast majority of home users does not need the patch.

Here are the links to the support articles:

  • Windows 10, version 23H2 and 22H2: KB5058919
  • Windows Server 2022: KB5058920
  • Windows 10, version 20H2, and Windows Server, version 20H2: KB505892
  • Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server, version 1909: KB5058922

Click on the link to the Microsoft Update Catalog website on the linked support websites to download the patch. It needs to be installed manually after download. This is usually done by double-clicking on the downloaded patch file and following the instructions that appear on screen.