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.

How to install Windows 11 24H2 without Windows Update

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft released the 2024 feature update for Windows 11 a few days ago. This update is rolling out to all users and the main way to install it on non-managed devices is through Windows Update.

But what if the feature update is not shown to you? When you follow Microsoft’s instructions, but it is not offered?

In any event, I recommend that you create a backup of the system before you install a major update. A tool like Paragon Backup & Recovery does the trick. It is free and I have used it for years for backups.

To summarize the official step-by-step instructions:

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Load Settings.
  3. Navigate to Windows Update.
  4. Check “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available”.
  5. Activate the “check for updates” button.

Note: I recommend that you disable the “get the latest..” option after installation of the update again. You may end up with optional updates installed regularly otherwise.

There are multiple reasons why the feature update is not returned after you hit the button:

  • Microsoft is rolling out the update, pushing it to PCs first that it considers the most likely to install it without issues.
  • If a PC is affected by a known issue, it won’t get the update.
  • Driver or application compatibility issues may also block the update via Windows Update.

Thankfully, several other options exist to install the feature update.

Option 1: the Windows 11 Installation Assistant

What is it? The Windows 11 Installation Assistant is a free Microsoft program to upgrade the operating system to a new version.

  • Download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant from the Microsoft website.
  • Run the downloaded Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe file.
  • Select “yes” when the security prompt (UAC) is displyed.
  • Accept the terms.
  • The new version of Windows is downloaded.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade the system.

Option 2: Using the latest Windows 11 ISO

What is it? A disk image holds the installation files for the operating system.

  1. Open the Microsoft Windows 11 download website.
  2. Scroll down to “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices”.
  3. Select Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices) from the menu.
  4. Activate the “Download Now” button.
  5. Select the desired language of the installation (you can change it later, if you make an error).
  6. Click on the 64-bit Download button.
  7. Use the save file dialog to save the ISO image to the local system.
  8. Right-click on the downloaded ISO image and select Mount from the context menu.
  9. Accept the request prompt to open the image on the device.
  10. Double-click on the setup.exe file to start the upgrade.

Note: the download link is valid for 24 hours. You also need to make sure that you choose to keep files and installed apps during installation.

There are other options, but not all are recommended for all users. You could download the Windows 11 ISO from another source, for example. This is only recommended if you trust the source.

Another option is provided by the open source tool Rufus. You may use it to download the latest Windows 11 ISO, mount it and run the installer. You may also burn the ISO to disc or copy it to a USB Flash drive instead.

Do you plan to install the new feature update, or have done so already? Feel free to write a comment down below.

Amazon Prime Video Ad Free

More Ads are coming to Amazon Prime Video next year

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Most streaming services have two levers when it comes to increasing profitability on the customer side.

  1. Increase the price of subscriptions.
  2. Show more ads.

Major streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video introduced ad-supported plans only recently.

These are cheaper, but the downside is that ads are shown regularly. Pricing varies from region to region, but if you take Netflix in the United States as an example, you get the following options:

  • Standard with ads: $6.99
  • Standard: $15.49
  • Premium: $22.99

Netflix increased the pricing of ad-free plans several times already and will likely continue that practice. The service did kill of a popular ad-free plan this year to put even more pressure on users.

Other major streaming services follow the same strategy. Plans with ads have not increased as much, or at all, in the meantime.

Ads introduce an interesting option now for these services. I call it the YouTube-strategy: increase ads steadily to push users into subscribing to a premium plan.

The effect is twofold: you either earn more, because more ads are viewed, or you get an increase in ad-free plan signups, because users hate ads.

Related content

Like Clockwork: Disney+ is getting another price increase

It is possible that some users choose to unsubscribe from a service as a response, but subscriptions increase in number right now, which suggests that the effect is not large enough to matter to these companies.

Amazon Prime Video: more ads in 2025

Amazon plans (paywall FT) to increase the number of ads that users see in 2025 when watching Prime Video. The service is special for several reasons.

  • It is available as part of an Amazon Prime subscription, which offers additional benefits.
  • Amazon is showing ads to all subscribers, unless they pay extra to have these removed.

Amazon follows the same strategy that all major streaming services follow right now. Users will be exposed to additional advertisement to earn more revenue and increase the number of users who pay for an ad-free experience.

Closing Words

You do not have to be a genius to predict that the companies will continue to push ads and increase the price of plans as well in 2025.

This will stop only when the number of subscribers is going down significantly or when enough users leave a free streaming service for another.

What is your take on all of this? Are you subscribed to a streaming service right now? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Brave Shields Down

Brave: if a loaded webpage does not react to your input, try this

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When I use Brave Browser, I sometimes encounter websites that do not react at all after load. Scrolling does not work, clicking on links does nothing, and you cannot even copy text.

The site appears crashed, but the rest of the browser works fine.

Here is one reason for the issue: Brave reacts to cookie and privacy prompts automatically. This works well most of the time, but sometimes, it does not.

Sites stop responding in those cases. You can reload them, but the issue persists. There is a solution though.

  1. Click on the Shield-icon in Brave’s address bar.
  2. Toggle the Shields functionality to Off. Brave reloads the webpage.
  3. You should get a privacy prompt now.
  4. Select Reject all or whichever option you want.
  5. Re-enable Shields. The site reloads.

The webpage works normally from that moment on. It is not locked anymore and you may interact with the site again.

I do not experience the behavior often. Maybe once every 250 or so sites I open and visit.

What about you? Did you notice the odd behavior? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Firefox

Firefox 131 ships with Tab Previews, Temporary Permissions, and other usability improvements

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla released a new version of the Firefox web browser today. Firefox 131.0 is the new stable version of the browser. It is available for all supported operating systems and introduces several new features and improvements.

The details:

  • Site permissions may now be granted temporarily to sites.
  • Firefox displays previews when hovering over tabs.
  • Firefox Translate supports Swedish.
  • Links to text snippets on websites can now be shared.
  • Security fixes.

Firefox 131.0: new features

Temporary permissions

Firefox temporary permissions

Firefox is not the first web browser to support temporary permissions, but it is still a welcome feature. The main idea here is to allow sites access to certain features only for the session by default.

You can still enable permanent permissions. This can be useful if you use a website or app regularly and do not want to be bothered by permission prompts each time you open it.

Firefox permanent permission

Firefox revokes the permission automatically after one hour or when the tab is closed. A click on the site icon reveals whether permissions are temporary or permanent.

Tab Previews

Firefox Tab Previews

Tab previews have finally arrived in Firefox 131.0. Just hover over any open tab in the Firefox web browser and you will get a visual preview of the site or app.

You also see the page title and domain name in the preview. Previews work for local and public pages in Firefox.

Firefox users who do not like the feature can turn it off easily:

  1. Load about:preferences#general in the address bar.
  2. Scroll down to the Tabs section on the page that opens.
  3. Uncheck “Show an image preview when you hover on a tab”.

Firefox will only show the page title and domain name from now on.

Linking to text fragments

This feature allows you to link to specific text on a webpage. There does not seem to be a context menu option yet for this, which makes it a bit hard to create this type of links.

To link to text, append #:~:text=TEXT to the address and replace TEXT with text that you want to link to on the page.

Note: Firefox will always pick the first instance of that text on the page. You may need to be specific, if multiple instances of the text are on the page.

Example: https://chipp.in/software/qbittorrent-5-0-is-now-available-with-a-massive-list-of-changes/#:~:text=qBittorrent%205.0

This address highlights the first instance of qBittorrent 5.0 on the linked page.

Check out Mozilla’s detailed instructions for using the feature here.

You can check out the full release notes here.

What is your take on these features? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

qBittorrent 5.0 main interface

qBittorrent 5.0 is now available with a massive list of changes

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Do you still use torrents to download or share files? The makers of open source torrent client qBittorrent have released a major update; qBittorrent 5.0 comes with a large list of new features and changes.

The details:

  • qBittorrent 5.0 is compatible with Windows 10 and newer, macOS Big Sur or newer, and Linux.
  • Existing installations will be upgraded to the new version.
  • Some users report issues after upgrading.

Worth a read: Streaming services are moving in the wrong direction.

What is new in qBittorrent 5.0

The official release notes are long and include new features as well as fixes and other changes.

Here is a quick list of important features and changes in the new version:

  • Option to pause and resume entire BitTorrent sessions.
  • Set a shutdown timeout.
  • Mark-of-the-Web support.
  • Separate filter for tracker errors.
  • Download button if torrent was retrieved from the clipboard.
  • Deleted files may be moved to trash instead of being deleted right away.
  • Search supports regular expressions.
  • Seeding limits may be set for RSS and Watched folders in folder options.
  • Search plugins are lazy loaded.

You may check out the full list of changes here.

Problems with qBittorrent 5.0

Some users who have upgraded to the new version or tried to upgrade have reported issues on sites like Reddit.

Here is a short overview what has been reported:

  • Torrents cannot be started after upgrading to qBittorrent 5.0.
  • Search plugins may be incompatible with new version. Potential fix discussed here.
  • Getting “Error Opening File for Writing” when upgrading.
  • Theme may switch to dark mode / light mode automatically based on the OS setting.
  • Web UI is broken for some (downgrading restores functionality reportedly).

It is probably a good idea to test the new release first or wait days or even weeks before running the upgrade. In any event, it may be a good idea to create a system backup before running the upgrade.

Do you use torrent software? If so, which is your favorite and why? If not, what do you prefer to download or share files? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

The latest Windows 11 update is causing reboot issues

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft has confirmed a reboot issue that is affecting Windows 11 version 23H2. The company says that it is investigating issues that are causing multiple restarts or blue / green screens after installation of the latest update for Windows 11.

The update in question is KB5043145, which Microsoft released as an optional update for the operating system some says ago.

Affected devices reboot the system multiple times. Some may trigger automatic repair in an effort to repair the issue that is preventing the start of the Windows 11 operating system.

In other cases, users may get into the BitLocker recovery screen where they may need to enter the key to proceed.

Good to know: Microsoft plans to encrypt drives automatically with BitLocker.

Not the first time

If you follow Windows 11 news, you may remember that Microsoft confirmed a very similar issue back in July.

Back then, Microsoft confirmed that devices might boot into BitLocker recovery after installation of the — then — latest update for Windows 11.

Microsoft resolved the issue in August 2024. It is unclear if the issue is identical or related to the September 2024 issue that Microsoft confirmed this week.

Closing Words

The bulk of Windows 11 users are not affected by the new issue, as it is triggered by the optional update that Microsoft released in September 2024 for the operating system.

Microsoft has about two weeks left to address and fix the issue before the next cumulative update gets released. If Microsoft fails to to so, it will impact more users.

The next Patch Tuesday updates will be released on October 9, 2024 for Windows 11 version 23H2 and other supported systems.

The issue highlights again why most users may want to ignore the optional — beta — updates that Microsoft releases at the end of each month. These may introduce issues and bugs. If you do not want beta updates, do not install them and wait for the inclusion less than three weeks later as part of the cumulative security updates.

What is your take on optional updates? Do you install them or skip them? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Recall: Microsoft’s second attempt begins with security and privacy changes

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The initial announcement of the AI feature Recall is a great example of shooting yourself in the foot. When Microsoft announced Recall, it floated on a wave of positive and encouraging AI news and developments.

Recall was never tested in Insider builds prior to the announcement, at least to my knowledge. While the reason for that decision is unknown, it is possible that Microsoft wanted to launch the new Copilot+ PCs with a banger.

Microsoft did not anticipate the criticism that it received after the announcement. These complaints were valid and could have been avoided if Microsoft would have received feedback from beta testers outside the company.

Privacy and security were at the center of the issue. Recall was enabled by default, which meant that users had to disable it, if they did not want to use it. It recorded the screen every 5 seconds and saved the data in a database that was not protected during runtime.

Microsoft pulled Recall shortly thereafter and promised to do better. Today. Microsoft revealed the improved version of Recall on its Windows Experience website.

Has it improved? Lets find out.

Recall Security

Microsoft makes four statements in regards to security:

  • Recall is opt-in — The option is shown during the setup experience and users need to enable the feature to use it.
  • Recall data is encrypted — Snapshots and information is stored in an encrypted database. Keys are protected using TPM and are linked to the user’s Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security identity.
  • A core service is further isolated — Microsoft says that the service responsible for accessing snapshots and data runs in a secure VBS Enclave. Only data that the user requests is getting outside, according to Microsoft.
  • Recall uses Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security – This is done to authorize Recall operations.

Particularly interesting is the fact that users may uninstall Recall. Microsoft introduced the option under Optional Features some time ago, then pulled it again saying that it was a bug. Now it turns out that Recall can be uninstalled fully, if the user so desires.

Microsoft addresses main criticisms with the change. Making Recall opt-in will reduce usage, but it ensures that unsuspecting users do not have screenshots of their activity taken every five seconds by the feature.

Recall Privacy

Next to security, Microsoft says that it has also improved privacy controls. Apart from making Recall opt-in, Microsoft highlights the following options to users who choose to enable the AI-feature.

  • In-private browsing data is never captured or saved. This is true for supported browsers. Microsoft lists Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Opera and other Chromium-based browsers.
  • Specific apps or websites viewed in browsers may be filtered. Works only in Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Opera.
  • Users control how much disk space Recall uses and how long content is retained.
  • Sensitive content filtering is enabled by default. This helps protect passwords, credit card numbers and the like to a degree.
  • Options to delete a time range, or all content from an app or website, or “anything and everything found in Recall search”.
  • An icon visualizes when snapshots are saved. Allows to pause snapshots.

Closing Words

Some of the features existed in the first version already. Microsoft has addressed the major points of criticism. While it is too early to tell how this will all work out, as Recall has not been released yet, it is giving users who are interested in the feature more control and better security.

Those who have no interest in the feature can either ignore it, by making sure not to opt-in during setup, or to remove it from the system entirely, if they prefer that.

You can check out the full blog post, which includes many security details, here.

What is your take on the changes? Do they go far enough, or is still something amiss? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

If you want to share Disney+, you need to pay for extra member slots now

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Disney announced the rollout of extra member slots option in many regions today. The company follows Netflix’s example, which cracked down on password sharing and introduced extra member slots some time ago.

Good to know: Extra member slots allow subscribers to gift a membership to a non-household viewer.

The details:

  • Subscribers may add one extra member slot to their account.
  • This costs $6.99 (Standard) or $9.99 (Premium) per month in the US.
  • Price varies from region to region.

Disney is also starting to crack down on password sharing. Like Netflix, Disney is starting to block access to its service, if it notices access from a different location.

Viewers may see “This TV doesn’t seem to be part of the Household for this account”. Subscribers do have the option to select “I’m away from home” or “Update household”.

The first option may be used while away from home for a limited period, the second if a subscriber moved permanently to a new location.

Either option requires a one-time passcode that is sent to the email address associated with the account holder.

Also of interest: How to cope with a changing streaming landscape that is pushing ads and higher prices.

It is interesting to note that an extra slot for Disney+ Premium is more expensive than an extra slot for Netflix Premium. Netflix charges $7.99 in the US for that, Disney $9.99 per month.

It is interesting to note that an extra Basic member costs $6.99 in the US, which is just $1 less than the plan itself.

The core difference between Basic and Premium is that Basic comes with ads and lack of Dolby Atmos audio support. Downloads are also not permitted.

Extra members have other limitations:

  • One stream only at a time.
  • One profile only.
  • Access to the same features and content as the account holder.

Closing Words

Sharing Disney+ passwords will come to an end largely in the coming weeks and months. Just like Netflix, Disney is pushing extra viewers off the service. Apart from stopping to watch Disney+, there are only two feasible (legal) options left:

  • Buy an extra member slot, which nearly costs as much as a regular subscription.
  • Subscribe to Disney+ directly.

It remains to be seen if Disney will see a drop and then an increase in subscribers after its password crackdown hammers down on subscribers in full force.

Are you subscribed to any streaming service? If so, to which and why? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Cookies

Google services dominated web tracking last year

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When it comes to user tracking on the Internet, Google continues to have a firm hold on the top positions. Kaspersky released its annual web tracking report for the past year.

The data comes from a Do Not Track plugin that Kaspersky uses in its software products. It is designed to prevent different forms of tracking, but is disabled by default.

The key findings:

  • Google dominates tracking on the Internet.
  • Other companies that track users are Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo.

Note: The data comes from products from a single company. It may not reflect the monitoring landscape as accurately as possible because of that.

Google’s dominance becomes clear when you look at regional tracking. Here in Europe, Google Display & Video 360, and Google Analytics are the dominating trackers with an exposure of 17.27% and 11.93%. Third-placed Amazon sits at 9.13% and fourth placed Criteo at 6.80.

Then it is Google again with YouTube Analytics (5.65%), Microsoft with Bing (5.33%) and Google again with Adsense (5.23%).

In North America, it is again Google Display & Video 360 (16.84%) that dominates. Amazon is second this time (9.08%), but then it is Google again with Analytics (8.42%). Google is also placed fifth and sixth in North America.

The situation is similar in other regions. In Latin America, Google holds the first three spots and the fifth. In the Middle East, Google holds the first four spots. In Africa, it is the top three and the sixth.

It is interesting to note that some Google services lost eyes on users compared to the year before in many regions. Growth was limited to East Asia and Commonwealth of independent states. Google’s monitoring declined in all other regions, but it still dominates by a large margin.

Google Adsense and YouTube Analytics are the two exceptions. They managed to increase significantly in nearly every region.

You can check out the entire report on the Secure List website.

How do you protect yourself from tracking? Do you run content blockers? Other options? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Arc Browser maker considering subscription-based features

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Arc Browser is a relatively recent web browser that is based on Chromium. About a year ago, the CEO of the Browser Company, Josh Miller, answered a question in a video that has been on the mind of many: how will the company make money with Arc Browser.

Part of the answer included revenue opportunities that the company would not pursue. This included selling user data. Among the listed possibilities that Arc was pursuing was specific Enterprise editions and also a feature called Boosts.

Boosts are small modifications to certain features on websites. There are boosts to increase the interface of AI chat clients, to blur information in chats, or to localize game times on sports websites.

This may remind veteran Internet users of userScripts, which use a combination of JavaScript and CSS for changing functionality on websites.

Some Arc features may require a subscription

New information about future monetization came to light in an interview with Josh Miller at The Verge.

Here are the main takeaways:

  • Current functionality will remain free. Nothing is going to be taken away to justify paying for the product.
  • Subscriptions are one option, but nothing has been decided on yet.
  • Other options are “usage-based” or “some sort of token system” according to Miller.

The idea seems to be to introduce new features that are either exclusive to paying users or less limited than a free version.

Closing Words

I tried Arc Browser several times. While I like some features, It is clearly lacking features in other departments that I want in a browser. I do dislike the forced account registration on start.

It seems at least that the company won’t remove features from the browser to put them behind a subscription or other form of payment.

It remains to be seen what the future will hold for Arc. It will get interesting if the monetization plans to not lead to the required results from investors.

Have you tried Arc Browser? Feel free to write a comment down below.