support Archives

Winsage

July 31, 2026

Announcing new builds for 31 July 2026

New Windows Insider Preview Builds have been released for both the Beta and Experimental channels, featuring renewed Windows Insider flight certificates valid until August 11, 2026. The Experimental channel has already incorporated these renewed certificates. Notable new features include: 1. Adaptive Hibernate Policy: Enhancements to improve instant-on resumes from Modern Standby and battery preservation, with less frequent hibernation above 80% battery and earlier hibernation below 10%. 2. Alternate Taskbar Position: Users can change the taskbar's position to bottom, top, left, or right through Settings. Tooltips, flyouts, and animations will function in alternate positions, but some features are still in development. 3. Smaller Taskbar: A new, smaller taskbar option is available for maximizing screen space, particularly on smaller devices, allowing for smaller icons and reduced height. Users can adjust this setting in Taskbar behaviors.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Google Health could finally fix its most annoying feature: AI Coach

Many users of Google Health have expressed frustration with the app's AI Coach feature, which has been providing lengthy, unsolicited commentary that clutters dashboards. In response, Google is working on introducing dedicated coaching preferences in version 5.04.1 of the app, allowing users to disable AI Coach insights for a more streamlined view of fitness data. The new "Coaching" preferences will offer options for receiving full messages from the AI Coach or opting for basic updates without commentary. Changes will only affect future messages, leaving existing insights unchanged. An official rollout date for these features has not yet been announced.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Get more than 100 games for just $10 in a new bundle supporting laid-off game devs

The United Videogame Workers union, in collaboration with Necrosoft Games, has launched the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on Itch.io to support game developers affected by layoffs, including Microsoft's reduction of 3,200 employees. The bundle features over 100 games and proceeds will go to a hardship fund for eligible developers in the U.S. and Canada to cover essential expenses. The initiative has raised nearly ,000 and will be available for purchase until August 14.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

The Relic: First Guardian launches across PlayStation 5 and PC today with promised, continued future support

On July 31, 2026, Perp Games and Project Cloud Games launched their action role-playing game, The Relic: First Guardian, for PlayStation 5 and PC. The game features the player as The First Guardian, who must restore the realm of Arsilthus by sealing the Void. A day-one patch has been implemented, and ongoing support is planned. Players will face 80 unique bosses inspired by Korean folklore, engage in fast-paced combat, and explore a semi-open world with three regions. The game is priced at £44.99, with a digital DLC available for £8.99, and a physical boxed version will be released on September 4th for the same price. The game is also set to launch on Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2 later in the summer.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Report shows 34% of physical PS5 games and 50% of Xbox Series X games do not work fully without a download first

Sony plans to end production of game discs by 2028, indicating a shift towards digital gaming. An analysis shows that physical discs may not ensure offline gaming access, as recent outages of Xbox servers have hindered users' ability to play their games. This raises concerns about game preservation, as reliance on online servers and downloads complicates the safeguarding of digital experiences. Unlike PC gamers, who can still use external disc drives, future PS6 owners will not have this option, making it harder for physical media enthusiasts and preservationists.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Cheap Android TV Boxes Pose as Phones and Turn Owners’ Broadband Into Proxies

Bitsight's investigation revealed that inexpensive Android TV boxes are being shipped with applications that can change their hardware identity, allowing them to impersonate popular smartphone brands like Samsung and Huawei. This operation, named Fuyao, is linked to Zhejiang Fengwo IoT Technology Co., Ltd., a Chinese company established in 2019. The H96MAXV11 model was frequently reported among the affected devices. In one day, the operation received 65,957 reports from about 38,000 unique MAC addresses, with many devices misidentified as phones due to spoofed identifiers. Fengwo has also promoted over 120,000 "AI digital humans," though details on this marketing term are vague. The command-and-control server for Fuyao sends phone profiles to devices, masking their actual hardware specifications. The operation uses machine vision technology and a YOLOv8s object-detection model to identify advertisements. Bitsight documented 40 fraud tasks, 21 unique campaigns, and 166 modules across four devices. The operation's payout structure involves 144 operator-owned domains, with an estimated gross return of .25 per device daily, potentially leading to annual revenues in the millions. Attribution to Fengwo is supported by shared TLS certificate data and public patent records, although the patents do not directly address advertising. There is uncertainty about how the fraudulent apps were installed and at what point in the supply chain they were introduced. Device owners are advised to verify Play Protect certification and disconnect suspicious devices.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Humble announces ‘Rage Inducing Difficult Games’ Bundle

Humble has launched the 'Rage Inducing Difficult Games' bundle, available for purchase for three weeks. For a minimum of £5.40, players can access four titles: Getting Over It, Pogostuck: Rage With Your Friends, Splodey, and Never Give Up. For £11.70, the full bundle includes ten titles, adding GRIME – Deluxe Edition, Lorn’s Lure, Aeterna: Darkness Megapack, Jump King, Egging On, and Ghostrunner. A portion of the proceeds will support the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Winsage

July 31, 2026

Windows NT 4.0 brought the Win95 UI to servers 30 years ago today — milestone unifying modern Windows OS hi…

On July 31, 1996, Microsoft unveiled Windows NT 4.0 to its manufacturing partners. This release, codenamed Cairo, integrated the Windows 95 interface into a 32-bit enterprise OS and was the last version to support Alpha, MIPS, or PowerPC CPU architectures. The first public release of the NT line was Windows NT Server 3.1 in 1993, followed by versions 3.5 and 3.51 in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Windows NT 4.0 introduced features like My Computer and My Documents, as well as advanced components such as the cryptography API, DCOM, TAPI 2.0, and DirectX (v2). It had low minimum system requirements, recommending a CPU of 33 MHz or better, 32MB of RAM, SVGA graphics, and a 256 MB hard disk. NT 4.0 served as the foundation for Windows XP, which was released in 2001.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Russia Designates Telegram Founder Pavel Durov As A ‘Terrorist’

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was designated as a "terrorist" and "extremist" by Russia's FSB on July 29, ahead of parliamentary elections in September, due to claims that Ukrainian intelligence services extensively use Telegram. Durov, who has dual citizenship in France and the UAE, publicly expressed defiance against this classification by sharing content emphasizing "freedom of expression." This designation aligns him legally with Aleksei Navalny, though it does not extend to the Telegram platform itself. Telegram remains popular in Russia despite regulatory challenges and has been used by Russian intelligence services. Durov has resisted government pressure to allow access to the app's security infrastructure. The FSB is attempting to tighten control over Telegram, but its significance for political mobilization complicates these efforts. Additionally, Durov faces legal threats in Europe related to content moderation on Telegram.

Winsage

July 31, 2026

Windows NT 4.0 brought the Win95 UI to servers 30 years ago today — milestone unifying modern Windows OS hit RTM in the Pentium era

On July 31, 1996, Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0, codenamed Cairo, which integrated the Windows 95 interface into a 32-bit enterprise operating system. It was the last version to support multiple CPU architectures, including Alpha, MIPS, and PowerPC. Windows NT 4.0 included features such as the Start Menu, Taskbar, Task Manager, and support for advanced functionalities like the cryptography API and DirectX (v2). The minimum hardware requirements were a CPU of 33 MHz or better, 32MB of RAM, SVGA graphics, and a 256 MB hard disk. Following its launch, Microsoft introduced versions for embedded systems and a Terminal Server edition. The release of Windows XP in 2001 marked a shift away from DOS-based consumer operating systems.