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.

About Microsoft PC Manager suggesting to reset Edge to use Bing Search

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Over the last couple of days, a story about Microsoft PC Manager suggesting to reset the default search engine of Microsoft Edge to Bing made the rounds.

While I’m usually critical when Microsoft is introducing new ads on Windows or trying to persuade users to use its products, I think this new attempt is blown out of proportion.

Before you start asking how much Microsoft paid me for that opinion, hear me out.

Microsoft PC Manager

PC Manager Edge reset Search Bing

Microsoft PC Manager is available in select regions only. Created by a Microsoft team in China, it is added to Chinese Windows systems from this month onward.

The tool has a couple of options. Notable are PC boost, which tries to reduce memory usage and the space that temporary files occupy. There is also an option to manage some startup items, processes, or run a deep clean operation to free up more space.

It is a basic tool, but some users may find it useful. One of the features of PC Manager is that it can show tips to the user. These tips are also basic. One of them checks the default search engine of Microsoft Edge. If it is not Bing Search, PC Manager will suggest resetting it as a tip.

While it can be seen as yet another attempt from Microsoft to get users to use Bing Search, it can be helpful as well. The case here is if a malicious software has changed the search engine in Edge.

Yes, it does not happen as often anymore as five or so years ago, but there is still a chance of that happening.

Edge users who have changed the default search engine can also ignore the suggestion easily. While I agree that putting this as a repair tip stretches the definition of repair in many cases, it is still not as problematic as resetting search providers automatically after the installation of updates or showing annoying notifications if you happen to use the “wrong” browser.

In worst case, users select the option to have the search engine in Edge reset to Bing. It takes a couple of clicks to change the search engine again.

Closing Words

Better tools exist to handle what PC Manager offers. It is a Microsoft app, on the other hand, which may appeal to users who were burned by other booster apps or optimization apps.

All in all, it is often better not to use apps like PC Manager. Most functionality is manageable elsewhere better. For startup items, use Autoruns. For storage, try BleachBit. For processes, try the Windows Task Manager or Process Explorer.

What is your take on this? Have you used Edge or Bing Search recently?

Enable Device Bound Session Credentials in Google Chrome

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google is working on removing support for third-party cookies in Google Chrome. Cookies continue to be of use, for instance to save preference or as session cookies.

In an effort to make cookies more resilient to attacks, especially stealing, Google started to integrate Device Bound Session Credentials into Chromium.

The main idea here is to bind cookies to a specific device so that attackers who steal it cannot use them.

One of the main threats of cookie stealing is that malware actors may access accounts online without authentication.

Google explains how the feature works:

By binding authentication sessions to the device, DBSC aims to disrupt the cookie theft industry since exfiltrating these cookies will no longer have any value. We think this will substantially reduce the success rate of cookie theft malware. Attackers would be forced to act locally on the device, which makes on-device detection and cleanup more effective, both for anti-virus software as well as for enterprise managed devices.

Note: the feature is still in a prototype stage in Chrome. Google said in April 2024 that it is experimenting with protecting Google accounts in Chrome Beta currently.

How to enable Device Bound Session Credentials in Chrome

Chrome Device Bound Session Credentials

Google Chrome users may enable the feature in their browser already. It is an experimental feature at this stage, which means that it needs to be enabled separately.

Device Bound Session Credentials

Enables Google session credentials binding to cryptographic keys that are practically impossible to extract from the user device. This will mostly prevent the usage of bound credentials outside of the user device. – Mac, Windows, Linux

Here is how that is done:

  1. Load chrome://flags/#enable-bound-session-credentials in the browser’s address bar.
  2. Change the status of the flag to enabled.
  3. Restart Google Chrome.

The security feature is enabled automatically at this point. You can revert the change at any time by changing the status to Default.

Adobe Acrobat

Disable Make Adobe Acrobat your default PDF app on Windows

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

If you have installed Adobe Acrobat on Windows devices, you may receive regular notifications to make it the default PDF viewer on the system. This happens only if Adobe Acrobat is not set as the default PDF application on Windows.

Microsoft Edge is the default PDF viewer by default on Windows systems.

Tip: you can disable Rewrite with Copilot in Microsoft Edge to remove that annoying popup.

The notification reads: “Make Adobe Acrobat your default PDF app. Easily view, comment on PDFs, and more when you select Adobe Acrobat as your default viewer for PDF files.”.

Make Adobe Acrobat your default PDF app

Adobe’s support website has a support page about the prompt, or better, disabling the prompt. Problem is, it explains how this is done for an older version of the notification and only when launching Adobe Acrobat.

The actual Adobe Acrobat prompt has three main controls:

  • Set as default — which starts the process of making Adobe Acrobat the default PDF viewer on the Windows system.
  • The x-icon — which closes the notification.
  • The three-dots-icon — to turn off all notifications for Adobe Acrobat or open the notifications settings of the operating system.

How to disable the Adobe Acrobat prompt

Apart from making Acrobat the default PDF viewer, your best option is to activate the three-dots icon and select turn off all notifications for Adobe Acrobat.

Turn of all notifications for Adobe Acrobat

Note that Adobe suggests a different solution on the support page. The main difference is that Adobe’s provides a solution for the message when Adobe Acrobat is started, and not for the Windows notification.

Still, if you want to disable it as well, you may do so in the Windows Registry:

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Type regedit.exe and select Registry Editor.
  3. Confirm the UAC prompt that is shown.
  4. Go to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\AVAlert\cCheckbox.
  5. Double-click on iAppDoNotTakePDFOwnershipAtLaunchWin10.
  6. Set its value to 1.

Note: if iAppDoNotTakePDFOwnershipAtLaunchWin10 does not exist, right-click on cCheckbox and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value. Name it accordingly and set its value to 1.

Closing Words

You could also remove Adobe Acrobat, if you do not need it. On most systems, it is installed for a purpose though.

Microsoft Edge

How to disable Rewrite with Copilot in Microsoft Edge

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When you type in Microsoft Edge, chance is that you may get a Rewrite with Copilot option displayed at times. This option is part of the browser’s writing assistance feature, which is powered by AI.

In essence, it adds Copilot’s creative writing capabilities to text fields in Edge. It works by selecting text in a text field and activating the Rewrite with Copilot option that pops up.

Rewrite with Copilot in Edge

You may also press the shortcut Alt-I after selecting text in Edge to launch Copilot. Edge loads a small Copilot window to display a new version of the selected text.

Rewritten text

Note the scrollbar on the right. Depending on the height of the popup window, controls may not be displayed above the fold. You find options to change the tone, format, or length of Copilot’s creation there.

A click or tap on the replace button replaces the selected text with the newly created one.

An active Internet connection is required for the functionality, as the selected text is transmitted to Microsoft servers for processing.

Some Edge users may find this useful, others may have no use for it. Good news is that it can be turned off, if it is not something that you may want to use.

Here is how that is done.

Disable Rewrite with Copilot in Edge

Microsoft Edge disable writing assistance
  1. Select Menu > Settings, or load edge://settings/ in the address bar directly.
  2. Switch to the Languages submenu.
  3. Scroll down to Writing Assistance and toggle Use Compose (AI-writing) on the web to off.

The change takes effect immediately. A restart of Microsoft Edge is not required. You can restore the feature by setting the preference to on again.

Closing Words

Rewriting can be a useful feature. It is unclear how many Internet users already use AI to modify or even create texts. Clearly, there is the possibility that the feature is misused. In fact, AI is already used by spammers to create websites and fill these with textual content.

Edge users who do not need the rewriting option can turn it off in the preferences of the browser. The same feature is also accessible directly in Copilot. Many AI tools support rewriting text nowadays, including Google Gemini, DeepL, and Claude AI.

Microsoft introduced a range of features in Edge recently. From Search Suggestions in Edge’s titlebar to an upcoming RAM limiter feature.

Have you tried Edge recently?

Windows 11 Snipping Tool Bing

Windows 11 Snipping Tool is getting Bing search option

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The Windows Snipping Tool is a good screenshot tool that covers a lot of use cases already. While third-party screenshot tools, including PicPick or ShareX, are usually better, the Snipping Tool is sufficient for many Windows users.

Microsoft is testing a new feature integration in the Snipping Tool currently. It integrates Bing into the tool. More precisely, it adds an option to run a visual search for content displayed by the Snipping Tool.

To use it, you select Menu > Visual Search with Bing. This opens the Bing search results for the displayed content.

You can give it a try right away. Just visit Bing Images and select the “search using an image” option on the webpage.

Here, you may upload an image or select one of the sample images displayed by Visual Search.

The feature identifies objects and people. Multiple identified objects are selectable and the search results reflect the selection. It is also possible to highlight a specific part of an image to get related content and information about it.

This is the latest in a series of new features that Microsoft baked into the Snipping Tool. Recent additions include support for text recognition among other features.

Visual Search using Copilot

Windows Copilot may display information about the active image on the Windows system. You can upload any image to Copilot or allow Copilot to access Clipboard images.

You’d have to copy the image to the clipboard first, which many screenshot tools support.

The information that Copilot provides is limited, however, and it is not visual, but text-based.

Closing Words

Microsoft continues to integrate Bing, Copilot and AI into Windows and applications. The upcoming feature update for Windows 11 heralds the beginning of AI PCs, at least according to Microsoft.

Snipping Tool users who do not need the feature can safely ignore it. It can be useful to some Snipping Tools users, but a feature like it may work better on mobile devices.

What about you? Which screenshot tool do you prefer?

Did Microsoft recant plan to introduce Windows Start menu ads?

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Back in April 2024, Microsoft changed the description of a Windows Start menu preference in an Insider build. It changed it from “show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more” to “Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, ads, and more”.

The addition of three letters — ads — seemed to confirm Microsoft’s path of turning Windows into an advertising vessel.

Current Windows versions may show ads — Microsoft likes to call them promotions, recommendations, and tips — in various places already.

  • Copilot — may return ads as part of its answers.
  • File Explorer — may show notifications to use OneDrive for backup.
  • Lock screen — may show ads when Windows Spotlight is enabled to show wallpapers.
  • Notifications — may display suggestions and tips. These may also include promotions.
  • Search — Windows 11 Search supports web results by default, which may be displayed as suggestions.
  • Settings Home — displays Microsoft 365 and/or Game Pass subscription information and options.
  • Start Menu — may show ads for apps under recommended.
  • Start Menu — account profile icon may show a warning, if not signed-in with a Microsoft account, to sync data to OneDrive.
  • Widgets — shows curated content from the Web, by default from MSN and other Microsoft services.

Did you know? There is a small tool to do away with most ads in Windows 11 (or a Reg file, if you prefer that).

With build 26212 comes the reversal

The release of build 26212 for Windows 11 changes the description again. This time, it reads: “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more”.

The word ads is gone, and so is the word shortcuts. The term new apps has been replaced with app promotions. The latter indicates that Microsoft continues to hold on to the idea of promoting Microsoft Store apps in the Start Menu.

Ads on the other hand, appear off the table for now. Since this is a development build, there is still the chance that Microsoft is making changes to the description and functionality in the future.

Microsoft never revealed how ads would look like in the Start menu. Maybe it had plans to integrate them into the new Windows 11 Start menu sidebar feature that it started testing recently.

Closing Words

The reversal is a win for the Windows community, but it is likely not the last battle that needs to be fought in regards to ads in Windows.

Should Microsoft stop pushing ads in Windows 11?

Chrome 124 0-day security update

Google fixes Chrome security issue that is exploited in the wild

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Just days after the weekly Google Chrome security update comes another security update for the web browser. This one unscheduled, as it fixes a 0-day security issue in Google Chrome that is exploited in the wild.

Google Chrome users should update the browser immediately to protect the browser and their data. Here is how that is done:

  • Open Google Chrome on a desktop system.
  • Select Menu > Help > About Google Chrome.

The browser displays the current version and runs a check for updates. It should pick up the security update and install it automatically.

Windows users may also launch a command prompt window and run winget upgrade Google.Chrome.EXE to update the browser to the latest version.

One of the following versions should be displayed by Chrome after installation of the update:

  • Chrome for Windows or Mac: 124.0.6367.201 or 124.0.6367.202
  • Chrome for Linux: 124.0.6367.201
  • Chrome Extended for Windows or Mac: 124.0.6367.201

The Chrome 0-day security issue: what we know

Google reveals little about the security issue on the official Chrome Releases website.

[N/A][339266700] High CVE-2024-4671: Use after free in Visuals. Reported by Anonymous on 2024-05-07

Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2024-4671 exists in the wild.

The security issue is rated high and it is a use after free in Visuals. It was reported to Google on May 7, 2024, which means that it could have been exploited at least since that date. It is unclear how this issue can be exploited.

Other Chromium-based web browsers are also affected by the issue. This means that browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, or Opera are all vulnerable until an update is released.

Expect updates for these browsers in the coming hours and days.

Chrome on Android does not seem to be affected by the issue, as Google has not published an update for the browser or made an announcement on the releases blog regarding the platform.

When do you update browsers?

Driver

How to disable driver updates via Windows Update

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft’s Windows operating system may use Windows Updates to install driver updates. One of the main purposes of the feature is to ensure that recent drivers are installed for all components.

While that sounds good on paper, it has led to issues in the past: from releasing older drivers to the installation of extra tools, including those with Telemetry.

Windows administrators who want full control of driver installations may disable automatic driver updates.

Downsides

Drivers won’t be updated automatically anymore on the system as a consequence. This means that it is up to the administrator to find, download, and install new device drivers.

Drivers may introduce improvements, such as better power management, new features, bug fixes, or improved performance. They may also introduce undesirable changes, such as telemetry.

Disabling automatic driver updates in Windows using the Group Policy Editor

Do not include drivers with Windows Update

Note: the Group Policy Editor is not available in the Home edition of Windows. Home edition administrators need to modify the Registry instead to make the change directly there. See the next chapter on how to do that.

  1. Open the Start Menu.
  2. Type gpedit.msc and press the Enter-key to launch the Group Policy Editor.
    • Windows 10: Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Tools > Windows Components > Windows Updates.
    • Windows 11: Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Tools > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage updates offered from Windows Updates.
  3. Double-click on Do not include drivers with Windows Updates.
  4. Change the status of the policy to Enabled.
  5. Restart the system.

Windows won’t download and install drivers anymore via Windows Update after the restart.

Block automatic Windows driver updates via the Registry

Block driver updates via Windows Update

The method below adds the same restriction to the Windows system. It works on any edition, including Home.

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Type regedit.exe and press the Enter-key to launch the Registry Editor.
  3. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
    • Note: if a key does not exist, e.g. WindowsUpdate, right-click on the previous value, and select New > Key. Name it accordingly and proceed.
  4. Right-click on WindowsUpdate and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
  5. Name it ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate.
  6. Double-click on the new value and set it to 1.
  7. Close the Registry Editor.
  8. Restart the system.

Closing Words

It is up to the individual user to keep automatic driver updates enabled via Windows Update or disable them. Usually, it is better to download and install drivers manually, but that requires regular checks or the use of third-party driver checkers.

Inexperienced users may want to keep the default setting, even though that may mean getting unwanted extras during driver updates.

What about you? Do you install drivers manually or let Windows do the lifting?

Amazon Prime Video Ad Free

Expect more Prime Video ads soon, including ads when you press pause

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Amazon is reportedly integrating three new ad formats into Prime Video that advertisers may run. Among them video pause ads, something that Google has also been experimenting with on YouTube.

Prime Video used to be advertisement free. This changed in early 2024 when Amazon launched ads for all Prime customers on its platform. Customers who do not want to experience ads while watching videos can pay Amazon extra, about $3 per month, to get rid of most ads.

Amazon’s integration of ads on Prime Video differed from that of its competitors. Netflix, Disney+, and most streaming services that integrated ads on their platforms have done so using extra plans.

Netflix customers, for example, can subscribe for $6.99 in the United States to access content with advertisement. The companies did not add ads to existing plans, however.

Amazon’s new ad formats

Amazon pushed ads to all existing subscribers. Soon, those who did not cancel their subscriptions or pay extra, may experience additional ad formats on the platform.

All three are displayed either when the viewer pauses playback or during commercial breaks.

The first displays advertisement when a user pauses video playback. Translucent graphics are displayed on the screen that display text and images, and also contain options to add items to the Amazon cart or to learn more.

Amazon calls the second new ad format trivia ads. These display information about a brand to the viewer, again with options to shop products or learn more about a product. Variety reports that this format may also be linked to rewards, which customers may get when they complete purchases.

The final ad format offers a carousel type of display. Advertisers may show multiple items to the viewer. These can be explored on Amazon’s site and also purchased.

Closing Words

Streaming video started out as an alternative to cable tv. In recent time, it is turning more into the products that it set out to replace. Ads and regular price jumps are just two changes that affect millions of subscribers around the world.

You may want to check out how you, as a customer, could react to this changing landscape.

What about you? Do you subscribe to streaming services?

Mozilla is adding better profile management to Firefox

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla is working on improving the profile management capabilities of its Firefox web browser. While Firefox has supported profiles for a long time, managing and switching between profiles has not been exactly user friendly.

Currently, Firefox users have two main options to manage profiles. The first is accessible by loading about:profiles in the Firefox address bar.

This opens a page that lists all available profiles, contains options to create a new profile, launch a profile in a new browser instance, or switch the default profile of Firefox.

You may alternatively start Firefox with the parameter -p or -profilemanager to launch the profile manager on startup.

Profiles: profiles are entirely separate in Firefox. This means that no personal data is shared between them. This includes bookmarks, passwords, installed extensions, preferences, and customziations.

The new Firefox profile manager

The new profile manager that Mozilla is working on integrates into the Firefox main menu. A click on the menu icon displays the name of the default profile near the top.

A click on the icon displays all available profiles and management options. The menu lists the following options currently:

  • Rename the current profile.
  • Delete the current profile.
  • Launch one of the other profiles.
  • Create a new Firefox profile.
  • Manage all Firefox profiles.

The new profile manager is a work in progress. Mozilla plans to launch it in 2024 and some of it is available in Firefox Nightly already.

For that, it is necessary to do the following:

  1. Load about:config in the Firefox address bar.
  2. Proceed if you see a warning screen.
  3. Search for browser.profiles.enabled.
  4. Toggle the value of the preference to true with a click on the button on its right.
  5. Restart the Firefox web browser.

Closing Words

Better profile management is a welcome addition to Firefox. Long-time users of Firefox know about profiles, but this has not been highlighted to new users in a long time. Most Firefox users are probably unaware of the browser’s profile support.

Adding support to the main menu could change that for the better. You can keep taps on the development on Bugzilla.

What about you? Do you work with different user profiles?