Windows users got an update to the operating system recently as Microsoft rolled out Windows 11 2H23. The company, which makes feature updates to the system in the second half of the year, released the update via its general availability channel on Oct 31. What does it have to offer?
Copilot in Windows
AI fans will be more impressed by the embedding of Microsoft's Copilot feature directly in the OS. Now, you can access the AI assistant directly next to the Start button. This gives you access to the generative AI technology that Microsoft invested in via OpenAI, which it has harnessed to help out with tasks in Windows 11. Instead of struggling through help documents or online searches, you can now just ask the AI to help with common tasks like connecting Bluetooth devices or changing visual themes.
Enterprise system admins get complete control over whether users can access Copilot. Enterprise versions of the system also use Bing Chat Enterprise, which offers commercial data protection. This means chat data is not saved, and Microsoft promises not to look at the data or use it for training.
Some online chatter suggests that the Copilot feature is likely to make it into Windows 10, too. Hopefully Microsoft will sort out some of the niggles in Copilot before it makes such a move. Reports emerged that the new feature shuffled desktop items around without permission on multi-monitor displays.
Updated applications
Microsoft's love affair with AI now extends to its Paint, Photos, and Snipping Tool apps, all of which get enhancements. Paint lets you create images using text prompts, and introduces layers and intuitive background removal features for images.
The Snipping Tool now allows you to automatically extract text from any captured artefact and drop them into other applications. It can also redact sensitive text to preserve your privacy. The Photos app gets enhanced search using object recognition in addition to locations and dates, and you can blur photo backgrounds.
Windows backup
Another big new feature is Windows Backup, which enables you to select content for cloud backup that you can then restore to another Windows 11 PC.
Cybersecurity
There are several new cybersecurity features, including a new ability within Windows Hello for Business to work without passwords for PCs enrolled in Microsoft Entra-ID (formerly Azure Active Directory).
Windows 11 also now directly integrates passkeys (a password-free login feature). That enables you to use Windows Hello to sign into compatible websites using nothing more than a smile. Windows 11 will also use proximity sensing technology to lock your screen when you leave and wake up again when you come back (perfect for those trips to the loo).
Microsoft is also ditching three legacy apps in the operating system. 2H23 users no longer have access to the Common Internet File System (CIFS) browser protocol and service, which enables Windows to servers to query servers about services on the network. This service was already disabled by default in Windows 10. The Webclient (WebDAV) service, which defines how basic file functions work over HTTP, is no more. And Remote Mailslots, a DOS-era feature for temporary storage in memory, is also now gone.
Windows 11 has also dropped the automatic addition of SMB1 firewall rules to Windows Defender. This long-deprecated version of the Server Message Block network protocol is insecure, and has been omitted in Windows 11 Insider Builds since last year. The latest version of the OS automatically excludes the network ports that SMB1 used. This should please cybersecurity pros responsible for protecting the system.
Windows 11 has many other features, including the ability to automatically boot their system directly into their Windows Cloud PC, and the ability to switch between the Cloud PC and the local OS with simple mouse gestures.
There are several more minor improvements in Windows 11, like the native ability to compress files into tar and 7z files rather than just zip files. It also works more effectively with large zips, which will be welcome among folks that need to send lots of data to each other.
As always, there have been some issues with the new OS, including installation failures with no clear explanation. As always, admins would do well to test on a subset of devices before rolling out to a wider audience. But those brave enough to make the jump will stay at the cutting edge of Microsoft's innovation with the operating system.