Category: Software

Printing

Windows Protected Print Mode explained

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Windows Protected Print Mode (WPP) changes printing on Windows significantly. The main idea is to improve security and make printing convenient. Modern printers work automatically under WPP so that third-party printer drivers are no longer required.

There are downsides, especially when it comes to printers that don’t support the functionality. Another downside is that printer apps by the manufacturer may be installed automatically.

Good news is that the new mode does not lock out printers that are not supported. There are still ways to use third-party drivers, but the default mode will be Protected Print Mode going forward.

Security improvements

Windows Protected Print Mode improves security significantly by eliminating third-party printer drivers. These drivers can’t even be installed anymore, which eliminates an attack vector and reduces driver related issues as well.

Microsoft says that about 9% of all Windows cases reported to the Microsoft Security Response Center are print bugs. The company’s Microsoft Offensive Research & Security Engineering team claims that about 50% of all Windows Print related vulnerabilities are mitigated by Windows Protected Print Mode.

To put these changes in some context, MORSE did an analysis of past MSRC cases for Windows Print to assess if these changes would help. What we found is that Windows Protected Print Mode mitigated over half of those vulnerabilities. Major vulnerabilities, including Stuxnet and Print Nightmare, used print bugs in their attacks.

To better understand how MPP improves security, it is necessary to look at the current state of printing on Windows.

The current security model relies on a shared approach. Both the native Windows printing stack and third-party drivers play a role here. While Windows’ print stack is maintained, the same can not be said for all third-party printer drivers. Drivers may no longer be supported or may be incompatible with modern security features of the Windows operating system.

Besides that, printer drivers run as SYSTEM on Windows, which gives them a wide range of permissions that even exceed those of a regular administrator account.

Manufacturers and publishers are responsible to address vulnerabilities. This becomes a problem when they do not.

Printing features, such as Internet Printing, may also introduce vulnerabilities, if the feature does get implemented. Microsoft estimates that printer drivers implement over 40 different Printer Document Languages, which can “result in vulnerabilities”.

Advantages

With Windows Protected Print Mode “normal spooler operations are deferred to a new Spooler” which implements the following improvements:

  • Limited/Secure Print Configuration — Certain types of attacks, such as tricking the print spooler into loading malicious code, are ineffective.
  • Module Blocking — APIs that allow the loading of modules will be modified to prevent the loading of new modules.
  • Per-User XPS Rendering — XPS rendering runs as USER and no longer as SYSTEM under WPP.
  • Lower Privileges for Common Spooler tasks — runs with restricted rights instead of as SYSTEM.
  • Binary Mitigations — Several security mitigations may be enabled thanks to the removing of third-party binaries.
  • Point and Print — no longer installs third-party drivers.
  • Better Transport Security — supports encryption and will recommend using encryption whenever possible.

Windows Protected Print Mode limitations

The mode supports so-called Mopria certified printers only. The creators of the standard describe it in the following way:

Mopria is a printer industry designed standard offering a simple and seamless way to print to millions of certified printers and multi-function printers. It eliminates the need to install any additional software or drivers allowing you to easily print, regardless of the printer’s brand.

Once the change lands in Windows, the default becomes WPP. This eliminates the need to install third-party drivers and will also limit the Print Spooler service to a restricted service. This alone will reduce

Older printers that are not certified won’t benefit from these improvements. Windows administrators may install third-party printer drivers in these cases to ensure that the printer and its functionality can be used.

Another issue is that manufacturers may define Print Support Apps (PSA). These may get installed automatically on devices to add custom features and support. Users may uninstall them, but this is a manual process.

Closing Words

Windows Protected Print Mode improves security on Windows once it lands. The first version of MPP landed in experimental builds and it may take a while before it lands in stable versions of Windows.

Old printers will continue to work, but they won’t benefit from MPP and its improvements.

Windows 10 and 11 will support the feature. Microsoft announced recently an extension of Windows 10 support.

Now You: which printers do you use?

Freedom

Firefox for Android Extensions: 5 Tips

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The road towards a full extension ecosystem in Firefox for Android was long and difficult. Mozilla Firefox for Android supported the majority of desktop extensions for a long time. This changed when Mozilla switched from Firefox’s own native extensions system to the one used by Google Chrome and Chromium.

Suddenly, users of Firefox for Android could install just a handful of extension. While the selection included popular extensions, it reduced the extensibility of the browser significantly. Development editions were not as limited, but it still was complicated to install extensions that were not selected by default.

Mozilla did add more extensions over time to Firefox for Android, but the selection remained limited.

This changed with an announcement earlier this year that Mozilla planned to unlock extensions in Firefox for Android. An update on December 14th, 2023 brought the much awaited change to the stable version of Firefox.

Firefox users may now browse more than 500 extensions for the Android version of the browser already. This is a ten-fold increase over the situation on December 13th, 2023.

While that is still miles away from the thousands of extensions for desktop Firefox, it is a great start and something that sets Firefox apart from its main competitors. Chromium-based browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Vivaldi, do not support extensions in mobile versions.

Firefox for Android Extension Tips

Here are five extensions that I use in Firefox for Android. They improve the browser in several meaningful ways. Feel free to post your extensions in the comment section below and let me know whether you agree or disagree with my selection.

A remark on YouTube. I use a third-party app to watch YouTube, and don’t need any extension therefore in Firefox for that. If you watch YouTube videos in Firefox you may find ad skipping extensions and others useful.

Extension 1: uBlock Origin

There is no doubt about this, uBlock Origin is a must have extension for Firefox for Android. It blocks advertisement and tracking, which leads to all kinds of positive effects: faster page load times, improved privacy, improved security, less distractions, improved battery load and performance.

Extension 2: Bitwarden

Bitwarden is a popular password manager. While there are others, it is open source, available for various platforms and free to use without any impairing functionality limitations. The paid version is relatively cheap at $10 per year and highly recommended to support the project.

Extension 3: Single File

Single File adds support for saving entire webpages as a single file on the Android device. It is useful to save a local copy of a webpage either for safekeeping or offline access. It is also useful if you fear that the content may change in the future.

Extension 4: Dark Reader

Dark Reader brings a dark mode to any website, even those that don’t support it. It comes with lots of customization options to make dark mode work exactly the way you want.

Extension 5: Reddit Annoyances

Reddit Annoyances deals with Reddit’s attempt to get users to use the app instead of a mobile browser. It blocks those, which makes browsing Reddit in Firefox much nicer. One reason for using Firefox is that it will block ads on Reddit, if you have installed a content blocker. Only useful if you visit Reddit, e.g., from search results.

Also useful in this regard: Old Reddit Redirect.

Now You: do you use extensions in mobile browsers?

10 useful Vivaldi features that hardly anyone has heard of

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When it comes to web browsers, Vivaldi has a special place in my heart. The browser is not my main driver, but I use it regularly. What I like most about Vivaldi is that it is feature-rich and probably the browser with the highest amount of native customization options.

Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser. It offers the same web compatibility as Google Chrome and works really well out of the box.

Users who dive deep into the browser’s settings may find features there that hardly anyone has heard of.

You find ten of those listed below. Please let me know in the comments if you knew about them and whether they are also available in other browsers.

Themes Editor

Vivaldi Themes Editor

All browsers come with a selection of themes that you can activate. Additional themes may be available in an add-ons store, but barely any browser includes a theme editor.

Vivaldi does. You may create new themes or edit existing ones. The available options range from changing colors and backgrounds to replacing icons.

Tabs at the bottom or sides

Tab Bar Position

Vivaldi supports four tab bar positions. Besides the default top placement, it also supports placing the tab bar at the bottom or to the sides.

Tab Stacks

Vivaldi Tab Stack

Vivaldi supports tab stacks. While the feature may look very similar to the tab grouping feature of other browsers, it is more powerful than that.

Tab stacks can use a compact, two-level or accordion design. Compact comes closest to the tab groups feature of other browsers. Two levels displays a second tab row that contains all tabs of the selected tab.

Accordion collapses and expands tab stacks either manually on activation or automatically, if desired.

Other Tab customizations

Vivaldi Tab Options (some)

You find a wealth of tab customization options in the Settings. Here are my favorites:

  • Select the new tab position. When you open a new tab, define where it opens.
  • Select which tab gets activated when you close atab.
  • Enable double-click to close tabs.
  • Change the minimum width of the active tab.

Lazy Loading

Vivaldi uses lazy loading when restoring tabs to improve performance. Pinned tabs do get loaded automatically though. Most browsers support the feature.

Vivaldi lets you control it in the Settings. You may disable lazy loading there entirely, or prevent pinned tabs from loading automatically.

Customize what Vivaldi returns when you type in the address bar

Vivaldi address field customize

Vivaldi has options to prioritize and customize what the browser returns when you type in the address bar. All browsers display a menu when you type. This menu may include items from the browsing history, open tabs or bookmarks.

In Vivaldi, you can enable or disable all data sources individually, and prioritize them. Don’t want search suggestions or typed history results? Want to make bookmarks the highest priority or synced tabs? All of this and more is possible.

Quick Commands

Use the keyboard shortcut F2 or Ctrl-E to display the quick commands window. This window lists most commands that the browser supports. You may select them using the mouse or keyboard. A search field is available to find a command quickly.

To name a few commands: Exit the browser, switch to the next theme, check for updates, open about page and dozens more.

Command Chains

Command Chains

Command Chains allow you to execute multiple actions automatically, e.g. to toggle fullscreen and reader mode, or open multiple links at once. These can be created in the Settings and may be invoked via Quick Commands, keyboard shortcuts or mouse gestures.

Impressive Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts

Vivaldi’s keyboard shortcut editor gives you (almost) full control over all browser features. You can change keyboards using the keyboard shortcut editor and map shortcuts to new actions to use them.

Menu Customizations

Customize Menu

Vivaldi gives you full control over browser menus. You can add, edit, move or remove items from menus. This includes the Vivaldi Menu, right-click context menus, address bar menus, and basically any other menu that you encounter.

Now You: do you find any of these features useful?

I barely use native Windows apps (what about you?)

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft Windows systems come with dozens of native applications. Many of these are installed by default, others are pinned, but not installed.

A click or tap on the Start button lists the pinned apps, another on the all apps button all of them.

At least some of these apps may be third-party apps. Microsoft earns a bit of money when it includes these into Windows and users install them. Apps may vary from region to region, but it is usually an assortment of popular game or entertainment apps.

The apps that I use regularly

Notepad App Windows

I have to admit that I don’t use native apps all that much. In fact, I use 5 native apps frequently and some occasional. The occasional ones include apps that do get opened when a file type association is mapped to a native app and not another app that I use instead.

Here are the apps that I use regularly:

  • Calculator — useful to make quick calculations.
  • Notepad — it is not as powerful as Notepad++ or other apps, but the plain text editor offers all the options that I need for a quick edit.
  • File Explorer — I use the default file browser and manager on Windows, and not an alternative that is more powerful. It is fine for basic tasks.
  • Microsoft Edge — Edge is not my default browser, but I have the habit of using all major browsers. If I would not write about browsers, I probably would not use Edge all that much.

And that’s it. Not a lot.

The apps that I use sometimes, usually by accident

Microsoft Paint
  • Media Player — lots of better players out there. It may play obscure media files at times or corrupt ones that other media players don’t play, but this is such a rare occasion.
  • Microsoft Paint — usually only when I type Paint to load Paint.net and get Paint instead.
  • Microsoft Photos — usually when I try to open an image that has a format that is still associated with Microsoft Photos. To slow and cumbersome to use.
  • Microsoft Store — only for my weekly series at Betanews.
  • Microsoft OneDrive — to keep an eye on it for reviews and news.

The apps that I don’t use at all

I don’t use any of the following apps.

  • Games — don’t play them at all, no time for that.
  • Mail, Calendar, Outlook (new) and People — Use Thunderbird as my email program.
  • Maps, News, Weather — Prefer to access these in a browser to avoid ads.
  • Microsoft OneNote — no use at all for this note taking app.
  • Microsoft To-Do — no use for this app
  • Snipping Tool — it is a good screen capture tool, but PicPick and several others are better.
  • Sticky Notes — no need to place notes on the desktop.
  • Xbox (anything) and Game Bar — some may find these useful, I have no use for these apps.

How to remove apps on Windows

AppBuster

You can remove most apps on Windows in the following way:

  1. Open Start > Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
  2. Click on the three-dots menu next to the app that you want to remove and select uninstall from the menu.
  3. Select uninstall again when the remove prompt is displayed.

Some apps may not be installed. This is going to change soon for users in the European Union and European Economic Area. Users from these regions will be able to remove Edge and Bing Search natively, just like other apps.

Those outside need to use third-party tools for the job. My recommended tool is O&O AppBuster, but there are other tools and PowerShell options available as well.

Now You: which apps do you use and don’t use on Windows?

How to use Modes and Routines on Samsung devices

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Remember IFTTT (If This Then That?. The service allowed you to create rules to automate certain tasks. From basic tasks, such as getting the weather forecast every day at 8:00 AM to parking your autonomic mower if the weather forecast foresees frost or heavy rain.

Samsung’s Modes and Routines feature for its Galaxy series of devices promises something similar. You may use it to create automated tasks on your devices.

Modes describes certain situations, e.g., where you are or what you are doing. The feature includes preset modes, for example sleep, driving or exercise, and the option to create custom modes.

Routines are rules that you may combine with modes or other features of the device. You can create routines to enable sleep mode every day at 10 PM and change certain configurations on the device at the same time.

Routines and Modes can be configured individually or in combination.

Setting up Modes and Routines

Samsung Modes and Routines Android

You find Modes and Routines in the Settings on the device. Note that it is not available on all Samsung devices, phones and tablets, at the time of writing. Samsung’s support page lists all recent Samsung Galaxy S devices, The Note10 and Note20, Z Fold, Z Flip and the A52 as supported.

One easy way to access the feature is to display the quick settings on the device and activate the settings icon that is displayed there. This opens the Settings and Modes and Routines should be displayed there.

Modes explained

Samsung Modes

All modes use the same basic template. You may select a preset or create custom modes. Each mode has a name, icon and color associated with it. You specify its duration and when it turns on. This may happen manually on user request or automatically.

Automatic options include when a specific app is opened, at a specific place, a time period, when a Bluetooth device connects or disconnects, or other custom parameters. The feature supports a whole range of custom options, including Android Auto, Wi-Fi, when games are played, calls are made or media is played.

Once you have set up these parameters, you may set the desired actions. This includes enabling staying focused to avoid distractions and plenty of other options. You may enable dark or power saving mode, change the volume, and change dozens of other settings or features of the device.

You may configure multiple actions that are enabled automatically when the mode is turned on.

When a mode is active, it may also change the appearance of the lock screen and the home screen.

Routines explained

Samsung Routines

Routines are the second big cornerstone. They may also be used for automation on the device. Routines always come in the format “if” and “then”. If describes triggers that execute the “then” actions.

If a mode is active, do this. If Wi-Fi Network strength drops beyond a certain point, switch to another network. If your location is X, do that. If Android Auto is connected, enable Do Not Disturb mode.

Closing Words

Modes and routines are powerful options to automate certain tasks and actions on Samsung devices. It may take a while to fully understand what you can do with the feature, as there is so much to explore and check out.

It takes just a minute or so to set up a new automated routine on the device, but there is no limit regarding complexity. You may create easy automations, like enabling sleep mode every day at 10 PM and enabling power saving mode, eye comfort shield and dim the wallpaper at the same time.

You may also create actions that involve location rather than time. Maybe enable Do Not Disturb whenever you are at work, school or at the cinema. Lots of options to configure, which is the feature’s greatest strength but may also make others shy away from it.

Now You: do you use automation on your devices?

Microsoft Edge 120 Telemetry records your third-party searches now

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft Edge 120 is the latest version of Microsoft’s web browser. Released this week, it is mostly a security update that addresses issues in Chromium and Edge itself.

What Microsoft doesn’t reveal in the release notes is that Edge 120 comes with a new Telemetry module. While it lists it under new policies, it does not provide information about it on the page.

Problem is: this new Telemetry component is enabled by default on Windows devices. It records third-party searches that users make when using Edge. Third-party searches are searches done using any search engine except Microsoft Bing.

Edge collects search data

The new policy, called Edge3PSerpTelemetryEnabled, is enabled by Microsoft. Microsoft describes it in the following way:

Edge3P Telemetry in Microsoft Edge captures the searches user does on third party search providers without identifying the person or the device and captures only if the user has consented to this collection of data. User can turn off the collection at any time in the browser settings.

In other words: Edge collects third-party search data on Windows. Microsoft notes that it only captures data if the user has given consent. However, Microsoft notes as well that the feature is enabled if the policy is enabled or not configured.

It is unclear what type of consent users have to give before the search data is collected.

How to stop Edge from sending search data to Microsoft

Microsoft Edge users have up to three options to deal with the collection of search data in Edge:

  • Disable the Telemetry collecting in Edge itself.
  • Configure a specific Edge policy using the Group Policy Editor.
  • Make the same change in the Windows Registry.

Disable Telemetry in Edge

Here is how that is done:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.
  2. Load edge://settings/privacy in the browser’s address bar.
  3. Scroll down until you come to the Search and service improvement section.
  4. Toggle “Help improve Microsoft products by sending the results from searches on the web”.

While you are at it, check other settings on the page, e.g. under personalization & advertising, optional diagnostic data or security.

Group Policy and Registry

Disable Edge Telemetry Windows

You need to download and install the Microsoft Edge administrative template before you can configure policies using the Group Policy Editor. You find the latest policy template download and instructions here.

Note also that the Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows Home editions.

  1. Open the Group Policy Editor. You may do so with a tap on Start, typing gpedit.msc and pressing Enter on the keyboard.
  2. Go to Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge.
  3. Find “Edge 3P SERP Telemetry Enabled”.
  4. Double-click on the policy.
  5. Change its state to Disabled.
  6. Close the Group Policy Editor.
  7. Restart the Windows device.
Edge disable search telemetry

Here is how you make the change using the Registry:

  1. Open Start, type regedit.exe and press Enter.
  2. Confirm the UAC prompt.
  3. Go to
  4. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended.
  5. If a key does not exist, right-click on the previous one and select New > Key. Name it accordingly.
  6. Right-click on Recommended and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
  7. Name it Edge3PSerpTelemetryEnabled.
  8. Double-click on the new value and set it to 0 (if it is not 0 already).
  9. Restart the PC.

Thanks Günter for the tip!

Battery at zero

If your phone’s battery discharges quickly, try this fix

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

My wife’s Google Pixel 7a phone suddenly discharged way too quickly. It would go from 100% to 30% in a matter of hours, even without any major use of the device.

This was quite puzzling. First, because this was a relative new occurrence. Second, because settings and use of the phone were in stark contrast to the rapid discharging. You could almost see the power percentage going down.

It got that bad that she had to charge her phone multiple times per day to keep it at a workable level. No matter what she did, it seemingly lost a lot of power in a matter of hours.

Here is the fix

I tried various tweaks to stabilize power usage. This included reducing brightness, enabling dark mode or power saving functionality. None of this worked.

My last resort was a drastic option. I decided to fully discharge the device to see if this would fix the issue. The battery calibration might not work correctly and resetting it required discharging the battery fully.

I downloaded 3D Mark for the device and started to run it. Battery went down quickly at first, but imagine my surprise when it started to stay on very low levels for a long time.

When it reached 1%, it took hours before it finally powered down. This was an indicator that the calibration was off and that it was not a problem with the battery itself or use of the device.

I plugged the device in and let it charge. I ran some tests afterwards and discovered that the calibration was working properly again. The device wouldn’t discharge battery rapidly anymore, which was excellent news.

Closing Words

Battery calibration issues can be resolved by discharging the battery entirely. This may resolve any related issues. Note that the device was not losing power faster than before, but that the battery load indicator was working incorrectly.

Anyway, if you notice similar behavior, you may want to give this a try.

You may extend Windows 10 support beyond 2025; for a price

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Windows 10, the operating system that barely anyone loved when it first came out, is supported until October 2025 by Microsoft. The operating system is still widely used with a commanding lead over Windows 11.

Statcounter, for example, lists Windows 10’s usage share at about 68% and Windows 11’s at just 26% as of November 2023. Windows 10’s usage share will drop until October 2025, but it seems unlikely that Windows 11 will overtake it by then.

A percentage of Windows 10 devices is compatible with Windows 11. These can be upgraded to Windows 11 and a good portion will likely be upgraded in the coming 2 year period.

Millions of Windows 10 devices are not compatible with Windows 11 on the other hand. Microsoft changed the operating system’s hardware requirements. Main restrictions affect the processor and also the TPM security component.

A Windows 10 support extension is coming

Microsoft confirmed yesterday that it will offer Extended Security Updates for Windows 10. These extend the life of the operating system beyond the official date.

Notable is the inclusion of individual consumers. When Microsoft launched ESU for Windows 7, it restricted the offer to Enterprise and business customers.

This changes under Windows 10. Everyone, basically, may extend support of Windows 10 beyond October 2025. This option comes at a price though. Microsoft did not reveal it at this point.

A look back at ESU for Windows 7 may provide estimates. Microsoft increased the cost of support each year.

Businesses could get support extensions for Windows 7 Pro for $50, $100 and $200 per device. Enterprise customers paid half of that. To extend support by three years, businesses paid Microsoft $350.

Microsoft might use the same system for Windows 10 and consumer devices. The company has no vetted interest in keeping users on Windows 10 and likely won’t make the offer too cheap.

Some might say that Microsoft’s main motivation behind the move is to avoid the risk of losing millions of users to alternatives.

As a reminder, here are the available options that Windows 10 users have if they want to keep the device:

  • Keep on using Windows 10 without updates.
  • Keep on using Windows 10 with Extended Security Updates.
  • Keep on using Windows 10 with third-party security updates by 0Patch.
  • Keep on using Windows 10 and use ESU updates or other updates restricted to certain editions or subscriptions unofficially.
  • Upgrade to Windows 11 (enforce upgrade if hardware is incompatible).
  • Migrate to Linux.

The right option?

Most options make sense. You may not want to run Windows 10 without security updates support, but all other options work for a period or even indefinitely.

The selection between an ESU and a 0Patch subscription is not as straightforward as it looks on first glance. 0Patch subscriptions cost about $25 per year, whereas Microsoft is likely going to charge a multiple of that.

Microsoft patches are official on the other hand and they include patches for security issues that are not critical. 0Patch focuses on high-risk security updates for the most part.

The upgrade to Windows 11 is a free option. It works for most devices, even those that are incompatible. Running Windows 11 on incompatible devices is not all that different from compatible ones. A few features may not work, but the main inconvenience is that feature updates require another compatibility check.

You could install a feature update every second year, as Microsoft supports all major Windows 11 versions for 24 months. Still, you need to bypass the compatibility checks again when updating.

Microsoft fuelled uncertainties by stating that it can’t guarantee any update or support if a device is incompatible. At least the update part of the statement is unsubstantiated up to this point.

Linux is another option, but it has the highest hurdle of them all. There is no direct migration path from Windows to Linux. This means that users need to back up data, install Linux and import that data to Linux after installation. Other issues include that some programs are not available for Linux, but there are usually alternatives.

Gaming has improved on Linux in the past couple of years, but there are still games that you can’t run on the platform.

Closing Words

ESU for Windows 10 adds another option for home users, which is good. No one is forced to subscribe, but users may do so to extend support.

Now You: do you run Windows 10? What will you do in 2025?

How to restore “Show Desktop” in Windows

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Windows users who want to look at the desktop may use the “show desktop” button to do so. Many users may not be aware that such a button exists on the taskbar.

The main reason for that is that it is transparent. Hover the mouse cursor over the rightmost spot on the taskbar. You should get a tooltip that hints at the feature.

Show Desktop icon on Windows 11 taskbar

A click hides all open program windows and shows the Windows desktop in all of its glory. Another click restores all program windows to their previous state.

It is a handy option to quickly access icons on the desktop. While Show Desktop has lost some of its appeal, as many users are now pinning icons to the taskbar directly, it is still widely used.

Windows users who display widgets on the desktop, e.g., using Rainmeter, may also find it useful to glance quickly at whatever widgets are displayed at the time.

Begone Show Desktop says Microsoft

Microsoft announced a change in the most recent Windows 11 preview build for the Dev channel that affects the feature. The change turns off the icon on the taskbar by default. In its place comes Windows Copilot, which Microsoft moves from the center position to Show Desktop’s place on the taskbar.

In other words: when you click the area now, you activate Windows Copilot and not Show Desktop. The Windows Copilot icon is displayed there, however, which may reduce the number of accidental clicks.

Microsoft explains the change in the following way:

We are making a change where the Copilot icon is shown on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar to make the entry point to Copilot more clear and easily accessible by being closer to where the Copilot pane opens.

Good news for Windows 11 users who use Show Desktop is that they may restore the classic functionality. This is done by opening Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and re-enable Show Desktop.

There you also find an option to hide Windows Copilot, in case you don’t use it.

Another option is at your fingertips

There is another option, however. Instead of using the icon to show or hide the desktop, Windows users may also use a keyboard shortcut to do so.

Just press Windows-D on the keyboard once to show the desktop, and another time to restore the program windows to their original position. It is easy to invoke the shortcut with one hand, so that the other can stay on the mouse or elsewhere.

Closing words

Windows Copilot is still listed as a preview feature. It shows, especially in regards to the Windows-specific functionality that Microsoft promised the AI would support. You may turn off Windows Copilot, in case you don’t find it useful.

Now You: do you use Show Desktop?

How to prevent fullscreen video ads on Amazon Fire TV

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Amazon Fire TV devices may show fullscreen video ads now when started. These advertise Amazon Prime Video content. Good news is that users may turn these off on their devices.

The trailers play before users have had any interaction with the device, apart from turning it on. Amazon introduced the change on all current Fire TV devices, including Fire TV Cube and Stick devices.

Fire TV customers are not informed about the change by Amazon. The company provided Android Authority with a statement though in which it highlighted the awesomeness of the feature.

In short, Amazon sees it as a new way for customers to “discover something great to watch”. And it is super easy to go back to Home according to Amazon. All it takes is to press the Back or Home button on the Fire TV remote to do so.

Fire TV users may turn off this new experience.

Turn off fullscreen Ads on Fire TV devices

Amazon Fire TV Video Autoplay

Amazon integrated functionality to turn off video autoplay in the player’s main settings. Here is how that is done:

  • Select the Settings button on the Homescreen of the device.
  • Activate Preferences to open all device preferences.
  • Locate and select Featured Content.
  • Disable Allow Video Autoplay by toggling it to Off.
  • While you are at it, disable Allow Audio Autoplay by toggling it to Off as well.

You won’t get fullscreen video trailers anymore when you turn on the TV and switch to the Fire TV device.

Note that turning this off will also impact preview videos while browsing Home only. The Amazon Prime Video app, and other apps for that matter, may still autoplay video and audio content.

Options to turn off these may be available, but this depends on the individual apps.

Closing Words

Amazon plays fullscreen video trailers for its content on Fire TV devices. Some may say that Amazon has every right to do so, others may disagree, especially if they don’t consume any Prime Video content on the device.

It is thankfully easy to turn off autoplay of audio and video content in Home. Amazon’s Prime Video app has its own set of preferences. There you find options to mute videos while browsing channels, which is better than having to tap on Mute on the remote each time you start browsing videos on the site.

Again, this is all about personal preferences. There are probably lots of users out there that love the preview feature. If you ask me, it is one of the most annoying things when it comes to streaming services.

Now You: do you use streaming service? What is your take on autoplaying content?