running Archives

Winsage

January 16, 2026

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7653 (Beta Channel)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7653 (KB5074157) has been released to the Beta Channel. Changes and Improvements: - The "Accounts > Other Users" dialog has been redesigned using the WinUI framework and now supports dark mode. - Copilot prompt suggestions in Click to Do will load instantly, but this change is not available for Insiders in the EEA or China. - Users can now set .webp images as their desktop background. Fixes: - Taskbar autohide issue resolved. - Start menu memory leak fixed and issues with incorrect opening side for Arabic and Hebrew users addressed. - Bluetooth battery level display issue resolved. - Fixed unexpected app behavior in Xbox full-screen experience. - Login screen password icon issue fixed. - Resolved crash in Settings when interacting with audio devices. - Fixed keyboard character repeat delay settings discrepancy. - Addressed clipped text issues in msinfo32 and installation errors with .appinstaller files. - Notepad font display issue corrected. - Fixed explorer.exe hang issue upon logging in. Known Issues: - Some applications may exhibit unexpected behavior in Xbox full-screen experience. - Investigating visibility issues of apps in the system tray for some Insiders. - Addressing display issues on secondary monitors showing black screens. - Working on a fix for Microsoft 365 Copilot prompt box functionality when the app is not running. Reminders: - Updates are based on Windows 11, version 25H2. - Features are rolled out gradually using Controlled Feature Rollout technology. - Features in development may not be released to the public and can evolve or be removed.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Running Factorio from over 1,000 floppy disks is a masochistically manual process that surely sets a new record for game load times

YouTuber DocJade is running the game Factorio on 1,000 3.5-inch floppy disks instead of a conventional hard drive. He developed a custom file system called Fluster using the RUST programming language, which divides each floppy disk into 512-byte blocks, allowing for a total of 2,880 blocks per disk and approximately 90 GB of storage. Fluster is open-sourced and available on DocJade's GitHub. Factorio's design allows it to load most content before the title screen, making it suitable for this unconventional method.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Hytale Early Access Review So Far

Hytale, developed by former Minecraft modders, is a survival crafting game that serves as a spiritual successor to Minecraft. It retains familiar block-breaking and building mechanics but streamlines gameplay by allowing players to craft basic tools from easily collectible materials. Movement is enhanced with the ability to jump higher and utilize parkour mechanics. The game runs smoothly on high-performance systems, maintaining framerates above 60 even at maximum draw distance. Hytale features an engaging combat system with various weapon types and a diverse range of enemies. Building mechanics offer a broader selection of components, though some classic techniques may become obsolete. The Early Access version currently lacks clear direction, with the main hub area under construction and exploration revealing barriers in dungeons. Overall, Hytale presents thoughtful enhancements and a refreshing take on the survival crafting genre.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Riot Games Launches League of Legends 2026 Season 1 PC Café Event With Free Rewards, Skins and Esports Prizes

Riot Games has launched its first PC café promotion of 2026, coinciding with the Season 1 update for League of Legends. The promotion, running until January 21, offers in-game rewards, trial cosmetics, and sweepstakes for players at participating PC cafés. Players can earn tiered rewards based on playtime, with those logging 20 hours receiving up to 15 Hextech Chest and Key sets. Participants are also entered into prize drawings for tickets to major esports events. A separate reward track is available for ranked victories, offering randomized rewards. Additionally, players will have temporary access to 15 champion skins from the Demacia region until January 30.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Valheim player keeps building Dollar Generals despite friend begging them to stop: ‘I do not want to play Valheim with Greg anymore’

Greg, known as "The Sorcerer" in Valheim, has been constructing Dollar Generals in unexpected locations, which has sparked amusement and frustration among fellow players. His friend Woman Mage expressed disbelief at the absurdity of the situation, while another player, Paladin Posting, discovered multiple Dollar Generals and reacted with exasperation. Greg also built a giant emoji sign and a Waffle House in a swamp, which he humorously noted was resilient like its real-world counterpart. Paladin Posting's incredulity grew with the Waffle House, which featured a solitary skeleton as staff, leading to complaints about the service. Greg's creative antics continue to entertain and disrupt the typical gameplay experience.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Hopes for an eventual Anthem private server resurrection ignited as former executive producer says code for running the game locally ‘is there to be salvaged and recovered’

Anthem has officially ended as of approximately 2:05 PM EST on Monday. Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah suggested that the technology to run Anthem locally could potentially be revived, depending on third-party developers or EA's involvement. Anthem's architecture relied on a client-server model, requiring players to connect to centralized servers. Reviving the game through private servers would necessitate a deep understanding of its network traffic and mechanics.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

‘The game literally flies’: Monster Hunter Wilds reportedly runs much better on PC when all DLC is installed

A player named deTylmarande discovered a correlation between downloadable content (DLC) ownership and performance issues in the PC version of Monster Hunter Wilds. They experienced improved frame rates on a friend's account with all DLC, while their own account, which had only the standard edition, suffered from frequent frame rate drops. DeTylmarande theorized that an "aggressive DLC ownership check function" negatively impacts performance when DLC is not owned. They created a mod that bypasses the DLC check, resulting in significantly improved performance. De_Tylmarande believes this issue is a bug rather than an intentional design by Capcom and has reached out to the company for a fix. Capcom has stated that their upcoming title, Resident Evil Requiem, is unlikely to face similar performance issues due to differences in gameplay mechanics and system architecture.

Winsage

January 15, 2026

Wine 11 runs Windows apps in Linux and macOS better than ever

Wine 11.0 has been released, allowing users to run 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit Windows x86 binaries on Unix-like operating systems without distinguishing between 32-bit and 64-bit commands. It introduces support for the Linux kernel's NT synchronization primitive, enhancing performance for Windows binaries. Wine 11 is compatible with older kernels, though with reduced performance. It supports x86-to-Arm translation on Arm64 Linux systems through FEX-Emu and works on Apple Silicon Macs via Rosetta 2. The version simplifies command usage to a single wine command and eliminates 32-bit support libraries. Enhancements include improved clipboard handling over Wayland, full-screen mode functionality, Direct3D support, native Vulkan video decoding for H.264, and better handling of SCSI devices and game controllers. Wine 11 downloads are available for Linux and macOS, with a FreeBSD port expected. Testing on Ubuntu 25.10 under GNOME using Wayland showed positive results for both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.

Winsage

January 15, 2026

This distro makes it easy to switch from Windows to Linux

VailuxOS is a Linux distribution built on a Debian foundation, featuring a user-friendly interface with the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It resembles Windows 11 in layout and includes a Computer icon for easy access to the Home directory. The installation process is straightforward, and it has a minimalist approach to preinstalled applications, allowing customization through the KDE Discover software center with Flatpak support. VailuxOS offers a graphical interface for setting up shared folders via Samba. A minor issue during setup involved a default German keyboard layout that affected password entry, which was resolved by switching to US English. Performance tests showed that VailuxOS can handle tasks like running the llama3.2r language model efficiently, demonstrating its capability for programming tasks.

Winsage

January 14, 2026

Windows 2000 rusts in peace by the sea

A ticket machine at Comboios de Portugal is malfunctioning, running on Windows 2000, which has caused the system to freeze and made card payments unavailable. The issue appears to be related to the software rather than hardware failures. Despite the machine's wear and tear, there is currently no Blue Screen of Death. The situation highlights a decline in rail travel in Portugal as travelers increasingly prefer express bus services.