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?

Windows 11 File Explorer is getting duplicate tab feature

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft is working on bringing a duplicate tab feature to the File Explorer of its Windows 11 operating system.

The company rolled out tabs support in Windows 11’s File Explorer in 2022. The initial implementation lacked several features. Notably, support for dragging tabs and reopening closed ones was missing.

Updates introduced some of these features. You can now drag and drop tabs around to create new File Explorer instances or merge instances.

Soon, you will also be able to duplicate an open tab.

Windows 11 File Explorer: duplicate tab

Microsoft announced the option some time ago. It is now available in Beta insider builds of Windows 11.

To use it, all you have to do is right-click on any open tab and select the new duplicate tab option. This spawns a new tab in the same File Explorer instance that displays the same path as the source tab.

Microsoft writes:

We’re rolling out the ability to duplicate a tab by right-clicking on a tab in File Explorer.

When is this landing in stable? Microsoft does not say. A likely candidate is the Windows 22 2024 Update, which is expected in September / October of 2024.

Workaround to duplicate tabs

Here is a quick workaround to duplicate tabs right now. It has flaws and it is not as quick, but it should work in many cases.

The one requirement is that the source tab should have at least one folder listing.

  1. Middle-click on the folder in the source tab. This opens the selected folder in a new tab in File Expxlorer.
  2. Use the path to navigate back to the source folder by clicking on its name.

Closing Words

Duplicating tabs is just a small feature, but some Windows 11 users will certainly find it handy. I have to admit that I do not use tabs at all. I prefer to use two File Explorer instances whenever I need access to multiple folders, e.g., for copying files.

What about you? Do you use File Explorer tabs or use a third-party file manager with tabs support?

bounce

Mozilla is testing Bounce Tracking Protection in Firefox

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla’s Firefox web browser could soon block sites and services from bounce tracking Firefox users to improve privacy.

Bounce tracking is a widely used form of tracking that redirects requests. This form of tracking happens in the background, which means that users are usually not aware of it.

Here is an example. A click on Link A should lead to Destination B. With bounce tracking, Bounce C is added, so that the request goes through Bounce C before it reaches the destination.

  • Without: Link A > Destination B
  • With: Link A > Bounce C > Destination B

There can be multiple bounces. With a bounce server involved in the loading process, users can be identified by the operators of the bounce server.

The W3C Community Group Draft report defines Bounce Tracking in the following way:

Bounce tracking refers to the use of redirects in a top-level context (including HTTP 3xx statuses, meta elements with http-equiv=refresh attributes, and script-directed navigation that doesn’t wait for user input) along with link decoration to join user identities between sites.

Bounce Tracking Protection in Firefox

Mozilla is testing the new privacy feature in Firefox Nightly currently. It runs in dry-run mode currently, which means that it is not blocking, but only reporting.

The data that is collected during the dry run helps Mozilla test and optimize the feature.

It will be enabled fully in Firefox Nightly before it lands in Firefox Stable eventually.

Not the first browser to implement the privacy feature

Mozilla is not the first web browser developer that is adding bounce tracking protection to a browser.

Brave Software introduced the feature back in October 2021 in Brave Nightly. It is now available in Brave Stable and was improved in 2022 with a feature that Brave Software called Unlinkable Bouncing.

This feature reduces the effectiveness of bounce tracking further through the use of temporary DOM storage.

Google’s Chrome browser supports bounce tracking mitigations as well, but only if third-party cookies are blocked in the browser according to this webpage.

Closing Words

Mozilla may be a little bit late to the party, but this is still a welcome privacy addition to Firefox. There is no ETA yet for the integration in Firefox Stable. Provided that tests are successful, it is likely that the feature lands in Firefox later this year.

With the new interim CEO in charge, Mozilla has launched several user-friendly features in Firefox or is working on integrating them.

Have you tried Firefox recently?

This small tool tames ads in Windows 11

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

With ads starting to appear in numerous places in Windows 11, users are trying to find ways to stop these on their devices.

Microsoft does not call these integrations ads most of the time. The company prefers terms such as promotions, experiences, or tips instead.

Recent integrations include ads for apps in the Start menu, advertisement on the Settings homepage, ads for Microsoft services like OneDrive in various sections, including when clicking on the profile icon in the Start menu or Explorer.

Users face several issues when it comes to these changes:

  • Only some of the features can be disabled on non-managed devices.
  • Settings are all over the place to make the changes.

OFGB (Oh Frick Go Back) — disable ads on Windows 11

The open source tool OFGB is a relatively new program for Windows 11 to disable ads and experiences.

The program has an easy to use interface. It displays the available options, most checked and applied automatically when it is run.

Here is the list of available preferences:

  • Disable File Explorer Ads
  • Disable Lock Screen Tips and Ads
  • Disable Settings Ads
  • Disable General Tips and Ads
  • Disable “Welcome Experience” Ads
  • Disable Personalized Ads
  • Disable “Tailored Experiences”
  • Disable Start Menu Ads.

Note: it may be necessary to run the application with elevated rights, especially if you sign in with a regular account and not an administrator account.

Second note: the program requires the .NET 8.0 Desktop Runtime, which you can download here.

Closing words

The program is for users who prefer graphical user interfaces over Registry files. It is trivial to create a Registry file that makes the same changes. If you are interested, let me know and I will create it.

The program’s UI is bare bones. It has no apply or reset option, which the developer should consider adding to improve its user friendliness.

All in all though, it offers a quick option to disable ads on Windows 11 devices.

Now it is necessary to keep up with the changes that Microsoft introduces to release updates that reflect these changes. You can check out Winaero Tweaker as well, which offers similar tweaks and many more.

What is your take on ads in operating systems? Do you use tools or programs to disable them?

How to disable the HP Insights Analytics Service on Windows

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

HP Insights Analytics Service is a service that runs on many HP devices by default. It may run, even if you install Windows 10 or 11 from scratch. It is usually an effective way of reducing bloat that manufacturers of PCs like to add to their devices.

A quick check of the Windows Task Manager returns several HP processes. Among them is HP Insights Analytics Service. The service’s actual name is HP Touchpoint Analytics Service.

It is set to run automatically on Windows start and is set up to collect and submit Telemetry data to HP.

HP says that it is using the data to improve its products and services. It may also use the data to troubleshoot issues that users experience, and to give personalized recommendations.

It is recommended to keep this enabled if you are communicating or may communicate with HP support.

Find out if HP Insights Analytics Service is running

HP Insights Analytics Service
  • Press the keys Ctrl-Shift-Esc simultaneously to open the Windows Task Manager.
  • The service is listed as one of the processes.
  • You may also switch to Details on Windows 11 devices to check if TouchpointAnalyticsClientService.exe is running.

The directory of the process is C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\hpanalyticscomp.inf_amd64_b76d40fc96db3872\x64

How to disable the service on Windows

Disable HP Insights Analytics Service

You can disable the process on your Windows device in the Services Manager. Here is how that is done:

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Type Services.msc.
  3. Run the Services result.
  4. Scroll down to the letter H in the management window.
  5. Double-click on HP Insights Analytics.
  6. Activate the stop button to stop the process from running.
  7. Switch the startup type to disabled.
  8. Restart the PC.

Note: the stop option kills the process on the running machine. You can verify this in the Task Manager of the operating system.

Closing Words

There is a chance that the service is going to get enabled again. This may happen after updates or when other HP software runs.

Do you check Services or Processes regularly to make sure that no unwanted programs run on your devices?

Edge PWA Search Suggestions

Microsoft testing Search Suggestions in Edge’s titlebar

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft is testing a new search suggestions feature in Microsoft Edge Canary currently. These are shown in Progressive Web Apps (PWA) windows based on activity.

Sites and services like YouTube, Google Maps, the Financial Times, or Alibaba are available as PWAs. The main idea is to give websites a few features of dedicated apps.

This includes pinning them to the taskbar or start menu, or launching them in a window without browser UI.

How to install PWAs in Edge

Installing a PWA in Edge is simple. The browser displays an icon in the address bar when a PWA is available.

Just click on the icon to display the install prompt. Edge explains the advantages of using the site as a PWA.

Activate install to add it to the system. Here you get options to pin it to various places and auto-start it on device login.

PWA Search Suggestions

Edge PWA Search Suggestions

Microsoft added a new feature to PWAs in Edge. The feature, which is available in the Canary version only, displays search suggestions in the title.

The screenshot of the YouTube PWA visualizes this. A search for Nintendo and the opening of some videos resulted in Edge suggesting to search for Nintendo Switch.

Another video resulted in IndieWorld being suggested by Edge. A click on the suggestion displays Bing search results in the sidebar in Edge.

Edge Search Suggestions results

The suggestions appear to be based on the content that you are viewing in the PWA. The usefulness seems limited, even though you cannot run searches directly from the PWA’s window.

There is a chance that the search suggestions feature won’t make it into Edge Stable.

How to disable Edge PWA Search Suggestions

Microsoft added an option to disable these search suggestions. Not everyone may find them useful. Here is how you disable the feature:

  1. Launch the PWA.
  2. Open the three dots menu at the top (next to the window controls) and select App settings.
  3. Toggle Search Suggestions so that its value is Off.

Microsoft describes the feature in the following way:

Search suggestions. Get suggestions from content that may interest you. Seamlessly search for relevant keywords in the side panel without interrupting your viewing.

Note: you need to repeat the steps for each installed PWA.

Closing Words

First revealed by Leopeva on Twitter, search suggestions in PWA windows seem to better integrate Bing Search functionality into these windows. Functionality is limited, but it may be something that some PWA users might want.

If you do not, and the chance is high, you can disable the feature and stop worrying about it altogether.

What about you? Do you use PWAs on your devices? What is your take on the search suggestions feature?

Android buttons navigation bar

Android: how to switch between buttons and swipe gesture navigation

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Depending on the Android phone that you use, you may either use a navigation bar at the bottom of the screen or swipe gestures to navigate.

Google Pixel devices, for instance, use swipe gestures by default. Most, if not all, Android devices let you switch between the two options. If you prefer one over the other, you may make the change in the settings.

Good to know: the navigation bar takes up permanent space on the screen. This is the main reason why manufacturers such as Google or Apple have switched to gesture-based navigations.

Not all Android users may know that they can switch between the two options. This guide helps those users.

How to switch the navigation bar option on Android

Note: the path to the preference may differ slightly depending on the Android device. Try searching for the option if you cannot find it on your device.

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Open the Settings on the Android device.
  2. Switch to Display.
  3. Find Navigation bar on the page that opens.
  4. Switch between Buttons and Swipe gestures on the page to change the method. Tip: you may change the order of buttons under “more options”.

The change takes effect immediately. You can repeat the steps to switch back to the previous method.

Closing Words

I dislike swiping to navigate with a passion. My wife had this on here Google Pixel device and it never really worked reliable enough. While the navigation bar takes away space for other content, I have to say that I prefer it. My wife is also a lot happier now after I changed the option to buttons again in the preferences.

But maybe it is the other way for you. Maybe you prefer swiping because of the extra bit of space on the screen you get.

Which method of navigation do you prefer on your mobile devices? Buttons or swipe gestures? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Firefox 125.0.3

Firefox 125.0.3 fixes five non-security bugs

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla plans to release Firefox 125.0.3 later today. The point update fixes five non-security issues in the browser.

Here are the bugs:

  • Firefox tried to load https://0.0.0.1 in a blank tab when trying to launch another instance of the browser.
  • Fixed incorrect font selection for Japanese locale users in some situations.
  • Fixed a unicode character text dragging issue on Linux systems.
  • Fixed an issue that caused inconsistent focus handling of <select> elements.
  • Fixed a correctness error when using arguments.length.

Firefox users affected by one of the issues may want to update the browser as soon as possible. Everyone else should not feel in a hurry to update to the new version.

The next major Firefox release, Firefox 126, will hit the servers on May 14, 2024.

Firefox 125 release history

Firefox 125.0.3 is the second point update for Firefox 125 already. Technically it is the third, but Mozilla decided to release Firefox 125.0.1 instead of Firefox 125 to address a “high-severity quality issue” in Firefox 125 shortly before release.

Firefox 125.0.1 introduced a number of improvements. Highlights were:

  • Support for AV1 codec for Encrypted Media Extensions, which enables higher-quality video streams using the technology.
  • Text highlighting in the Firefox PDF viewer.
  • Proactive blocking of “more” untrustworthy downloads.
  • Address saving and auto-filling for users in the United States and Canada.

Firefox 125.0.2 pulled the proactive blocking feature again from the browser as it was causing “unexpected problems”. Mozilla plans to reintroduce it in the Firefox web browser in a future version.

How to check for updates

Most Firefox installations are configured to update to new versions automatically. Users who want to install updates early may select Menu > Help > About Firefox on desktop devices to do so. Note that this works only after the official release by Mozilla.

Have you tried Firefox lately? Feel free to leave a comment below.