Windows Weekly (Audio)

With Microsoft shattering records for patched vulnerabilities and AI exposing even more bugs, Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell debate whether this tidal wave of fixes signals progress or just bigger trouble ahead for Windows users. Also, Sonos is back and here's something no one has been able to say for, well, forever: It's new app is great! Plus, Gemini's Daily Brief is surprisingly useful, and it's available for free to everyone in the U.S.

MICROSOFT MAKES MAJOR FINANCIAL REPORTING CHANGE

The canary in the coal mine has finally been rewarded: Microsoft will dramatically change how it reports earnings, effective immediately. The good: Didn't see this coming, Microsoft will allegedly be transparent about Azure revenues every quarter The bad: A simpler structure means more revenues are being hidden and you can only make accurate YOY comparisons dating back two years now The unknown: What this will really look like in practice How is it possible that Paul has been all over this for years and Wall Street has mostly ignored it?

Windows

Patch Tuesday arrives - And, yes, it's basically 26H2 New Start, Taskbar, and Windows Search are generally available Is the "real" 26H2 still on track for October or does it just happen whenever? Microsoft fixed almost 1000 security vulnerabilities this month (974), with 723 of them in Windows and 112 of them critical-severity. It has already released over double the number of security patches this year (2760) as it did in all of 2025 (1139). Five new builds drop just ahead of Patch Tuesday updates with three minor new features Project Zenith is a misguided attempt to make Windows better for developers that shows they've learned nothing Microsoft Edge team promises two contrary improvements: Faster extension approvals, better quality

It came from IFA

Lenovo: Two AMAZING prototype PCs, one of which is imminent as a shipping product. Two killer NVIDIA RTX Spark-based laptops. Colorful laptops and AIO deflate the MacBook Neo balloon nicely. New ThinkCentre desktops and ThinkBook laptops, including a killer AMD-based workstation that can be daisy-chained HP: Three new NVIDIA RTX Spark PCs, one of which is a desktop PC Acer: RTX Spark, gaming handheld, more Key takeaway: NVIDIA RTX Spark is a game-changer

Apps

Vivaldi adds PWA and address bar improvements Yes, Virginia, Brave is still the fastest web browser

AI and dev

Newsday and The Seattle Times sue OpenAI and Microsoft for stealing copyrighted content at scale There's a great new documentary about the making of Visual Studio Code out and it's free This is a modern example of how tech limitations can spur innovation, something that happened a lot in the early home computer era and happens a lot less now .NET 11 heads to release candidate phase ahead of November release

XBOX and gaming

XBOX Cloud Gaming is getting usage caps starting in November and a standalone service is on the way XBOX app is coming to TCL smart TVs XBOX Insiders are testing startup animation choices, Showcase customization, an improved Remote Play experience, background downloads for Cloud Gaming, and more

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Gemini offers a useful and free daily briefing App pick of the week: Sonos RunAs Radio this week: State of WSUS with Adam Brown

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/1000

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

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While Microsoft pushes Copilot+ PCs, NVIDIA storms into the Windows ecosystem with AI-focused Spark machines and game-changing specs, igniting new rivalries with Apple and upending expectations for what local hardware can do. Plus, Atari revives 39 Activision classics for a price that will make retro fans blink, while the Sonos saga continues as it pivots to an open AI platform that might finally win back old loyalties. Finally, Paul's Markdown book will be released sometime in the next week.

Windows

The mystery of 26H2 is now less mysterious Last week: Week D came and went without a preview release, triggering speculation Microsoft issues Windows 11 version 26H2 to Release Preview, a first This means a September or October release to stable. Just guessing, but Preview Update in September, general Update in October is most likely Version numbers don't matter much anymore. There are no unique 26H2 features, just a few unique 26H2 presets - These include Point-in-time restore and Memory Integrity Protection being on by default Two 26H1 pre-release builds with little to speak of IFA 2026 is underway in Berlin Acer is first out of the gates with dozens of new PCs, including one based on the NVIDIA RTX Spark EU General Court confirms that Microsoft Edge is not a gatekeeper Visual Studio Code now has a full Markdown Editor experience Brave now offers free email aliases, and will have a premium option soon Firefox for iOS now has integrated ad blocking NVIDIA - $96.2 billion in revenues, up 106 percent YOY Dell - record $47 billion in revenues, but it's all from server/infrastructure HP - $15.7 billion in revenues, up 12.5 percent - $11.8 billion from PCs, vs. $15 billion for all Dell client products

AI/dev

Sony and Warner sue Anthropic for stealing their music Gemini Notebook gets first Expert Intelligence upgrade with integrated e-book support Sonos announces Sonos 27 OS with major AI functionality Microsoft moves WinUI development fully to GitHub ahead of open-sourcing it

XBOX and gaming

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, more coming to Game Pass Every Activision title for the Atari 2600 is being reissued in cartridge form, but it's going to cost you

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Markdown: A Field Guide for Writers App pick of the week: ImageGlass 10 RunAs Radio this week: Reimagining Intranets with Susan Hanley Brown liquor pick of the week: Macaloney's Cath-Nah-Aven

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

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Microsoft tries to prove Windows on ARM is ready for prime time, but behind the PR push, unresolved questions about compatibility, branding, and a tepid market threaten to derail the company's ambitions. Also, PowerToys 0.101 is here with Windows Hopper and multiple improvements! Plus, Parallels Desktop 27 for Mac launches.

Windows

If a Week D falls in the woods and no one installs it, did a Week D really happen? Theory: This is the big one, with the three big changes Microsoft promised this year. Basically, this is Windows 11 version 26H2 Three new builds across Beta, Experimental, and Experimental (26H1) with a modernized AutoPlay experience and a new "Open apps maximized" accessibility feature Microsoft reminds business customers that Windows on Arm is terrific ahead of Nvidia RTX Spark launch Totally coincidental that this happened on the same day that Apple announced a new Mac Mini with M6 and M5 Pro and Mac Studio with M5 Ultra and M5 Max

Microsoft 365

OneDrive for Mac gets native sync engine Proton Mail gets automatic and customizable category filtering

AI/dev

Bill Gates issues a strong warning on the dangers of AI. And you're not going to believe what number two is WSJ report echoes the complaints that Paul has been making for years. Again Adobe Firefly gets production-quality music, speech, and sound effect generation capabilities Apple Music will start labeling AI-generated music .NET Conf 2026 on track for November with .NET 11

XBOX and gaming

XBOX testing long-awaited disc to digital entitlements The ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 is available now for $1299, or in a $2499 bundle Rumor: Microsoft prepping an Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition console for November Update: it's real. The XBOX 25th anniversary collection arrives November 13 Microsoft announces (third party) Designed for XBOX 25th Anniversary Collection of hardware peripherals IKEA has designed some XBOX-influenced furniture and it is amazing Rockstar Games weighs in on leaks asGTA VIreveal arrives (tomorrow) Commodore announcesAlien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection for PC, consoles NVIDIA brings GeForce Now to Firefox

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Expose yourself to other points of view App pick of the week: PowerToys RunAs Radio this week: Security Features of PowerShell 7 with Mike O'Neill Brown liquor pick of the week: SpiceBox Spiced Whisky

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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For years, the checkbox to get a PC out of the Insider Program when that Windows version shipped in stable did absolutely nothing. That's no longer the case.

Windows

A new context menu for File Explorer heads out to Insiders along with five new preview builds There are lots of other like UX changes happening with little communication. Will Microsoft really touch (and update) all the ancient UIs in Windows 11? New Release Preview builds point at next Week D and Patch Tuesday updates: New Taskbar, New Start, new Windows Search, many minor changes throughout

Hardware

Now we know more about Snapdragon C ahead of IFA, where we may see the first laptops Google is holding a PixelBook reviewers event in mid-September You know that Commodore is back, but now the Amiga is back too! Lenovo surges on AI spending, but it's now engaged in financial shenanigans too. More like Spotify than Big Tech, but still bad

AI

Big Tech spending on AI is finally getting more scrutiny from financial/business publications It's happening: Microsoft "pulls a Teams" and will consolidate its Copilot (consumer) and Microsoft 365 Copilot (business apps) into a single app, evolve it in a "super app" OpenAI's new strategy: Get 'em while they're young Mozilla provides a progress report on Smart Window for Firefox, details new AI search partnership Alexa+ is now free on all FireTV devices in the U.S., no Prime required

XBOX

Resonance: A Plague Tale and more are heading to Game Pass during the second half of August XBOX August Update is here with more Achievements details, Game Hubs now support Xbox 360 titles, Game Pass subscribers can now stream a game while it installs in the background XBOX Insiders can now test Home Improvements, local save game management, and profile badges Apple makes major App Store concessions in the EU. But Epic Games says it is not enough. The new Call of Duty has a public beta on Friday, and there will be a single-player episode for the first time

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Yes, Virginia, you canexit the Insider Program now App pick of the week: Brave RunAs Radio this week: Automatic Attack Disruption with Liz Tesch Brown liquor pick of the week: Red Bank Premium Blended

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

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Microsoft's AI investments reveal a bizarre financial loop where billions pour into infrastructure, yet profits remain elusive. The hosts break down why the industry's most hyped tech might just be a high-stakes game of circular accounting. Plus, a developer has resurrected Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a to run natively on Windows 11! Lastly, Stardock's latest utility replaces Alt + Tab for $7.99.

Windows

25H2: new touchpad gestures, Windows Hello ESS improvements, Widgets improvements, Windows Search improvements, more 26H1: Windows Update calendar-based pausing, Picture Password EOL, Point in time restore, multi-camera support, user folder customization in Setup, etc. Over 420 bug fixes, but that's over 200 less than last month Follow-up on Microsoft's AI spending. It's much worse than we knew - And also much worse than we know now Yes, Microsoft Edge is going all-in on Manifest V3 Proton Drive - Now with a CLI and business features, and it's coming soon to Linux A developer ported Word for Windows 1.1 to x64

AI

Gemini now has one billion users. But how many pay? - Plus the new Pixel phones are one step sideways, one step back OpenAI brings ChatGPT to Linux (!)

Xbox and gaming

A new Xbox Elite Series 3 controller leak shows it will have a mini display Microsoft tests new console features with Xbox Insiders Id Software brings a new episode to Quaketo mark 30th anniversary! Minecraftis coming to Switch 2 Here comes GTA VI A Valve partner was hacked, Steam Machine customers warned Nintendo revenues decline 9.5 percent to ¥518 billion

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: View Git status directly in File Explorer App pick of the week: AltTabby RunAs Radio this week: The Content Management System Landscape with Matt Garrepy Brown liquor pick of the week: Sideshow Lincoln Straight Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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Behind the headlines about skyrocketing revenues and AI investments, the actual costs and future risks for Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are shrouded in strategic accounting moves. Plus, Paul finished rewriting and adding new chapters to the Windows 11 Field Guide - mostly just clean-up now, and then whatever new monthly features. Lastly, The Document Foundation issues a friendly reminder about the Office 2021 EOL and how that never happens with their software

Microsoft earnings

Microsoft earnings up 18 percent to $90 billion Analysis: Microsoft finds a new way to not account for AI costs

Windows

Pavan Davuluri says he's "energized" about what's happening to Windows in 2026. OK. But what's really happened so far? When will the biggest changes land? And when, if ever, will you address the real enshittification in Windows 11? Windows Insider Program: Five new builds - New Taskbar comes to Beta channel This leads to questions of timing, and here, WIP is not all that transparent still Another antitrust win: Apple to allow Copy and Paste between Windows and iPhone AMD revenues up 50 percent to $11.5 billion, but it's all AI datacenter Amazon: up 20 percent to $200 billion Apple: up 16 percent to $109 billion

AI

Satya Nadella mentions AI super app again, not clear why anyone cares about this Proton Lumo can do data visualization now

Xbox and gaming

Asha Sharma details the priorities for XBOX in the next year and number 5 will shock you XBOX console prices going up in the EU and UK Thanks, Caption Obvious: Yes, Backward Compatibility on PC will support Xbox 360 games too XBOX plans new FanFest tour dates - there's SO much to celebrate! Gears of War: E-Day leads the charge for new Game Pass titles in August XBOX Insiders is testing new console features XBOX app comes to Hisense and VIDDA TVs EA goes private for $55 billion in cash, but also some debt Sony has sold 95.3 million PS5s Sony responds to concerns about no more discs (with "pffffftttt")

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: It's done! App pick of the week: LibreOffice RunAs Radio this week: Ransomware Readiness with Heather Renze Brown liquor pick of the week: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

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There's been so much drama over what options Microsoft will allow for the Copilot key. But you don't have to wait for a future Windows update; you can remap any key with Microsoft's own Keyboard Manager PowerToy. More people should take advantage of this. Also, Paul just finished his major 2026 rewrite of the Windows 11 Field Guide! Every single chapter was rewritten or consolidated, with several new chapters added. Lastly, the OG Haloremake is a great reminder of how good this series was in the beginning. And it looks and plays terrific.

Windows

Week D updates arrive on time this month Windows Hello ESS support for external fingerprint readers, many small improvements Experimental (Future Platforms) finally gets an update, but it's just the features we saw elsewhere first Several in-box app updates for July, nothing major Microsoft convinces LG to drop the McAfee ads, but HP's Bing ads are A-OK Chris tested Windows 11 with 8GB of RAM and the experience is not great Paul has a Wildcat-based laptop waiting for him in PA Microsoft is testing a "Do nothing" option for the Copilot key Your Windows 11 PC now has a OneDrive Photos app for some reason Opera One gets vertical tabs, deeper Google Lens integration

Earnings

Google/Alphabet - net income of $28 billion on $120 billion in revenues, but negative cash flow for the first time in the company's history Intel - net loss of $11 million, no Foundry customers leaves Wall Street swooning for some reason

AI

Microsoft begins shifting to its own MAI models, but the forward progress is minimal NVIDIA, Microsoft, more team up for AI empire, er, Alliance Anthropic launches Claude Opus 5

Xbox and gaming

Halo: Campaign Evolved is here XBOX went down for the count for most of the day on Monday. But disc-based games still worked XBOX begins testing ad-supported Cloud Gaming Ubisoft game purchases on Xbox now carry over to PC for free Luna comes to Prime Video app

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Remap keys with PowerToys Keyboard Manager App pick of the week:Halo Campaign Evolved Chris's pick of the week: His new newsletter! https://preferences.pcmag.com/PCMag/windows-guide

Hosts: Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott

Guest: Chris Hoffman

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

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As the tech world catches its breath from AI whiplash and retro gaming returns to the PC, Microsoft quietly kills underused tools and tries to double down on what actually works. This episode blends the excitement of tech and entertainment (like Xbox classics landing on Windows 11) with a poignant look back at the life and legacy of legendary columnist John C. Dvorak.

Windows

Five new Insider builds released on Monday; the new Start menu comes to the Beta channel Experimental (26H1) a day later with no interesting new features The Whiteboard app is apparently being retired

AI

Microsoft expands partnership with Mistral to improve EU AI infrastructure Copilot for consumers is losing Podcasts and Deep research features soon U.S. judge approves Anthropic $1.5 billion settlement with authors it stole from 1Password partners with Anthropic to make AI access to password-protected websites secure Google renames NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook Google's next big AI models are delayed, but we got Gemini 3.6 Flash, Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash Cyber to tide us over

XBOX and gaming

Microsoft brings XBOX Backward Compatibility to PC!! Here comes Halo: Campaign Evolved, along with more Game Pass titles for the end of July Bethesda announcesFallout 3andNew Vegas remasters, andFallout 5 is entering pre-production Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4in Early Access on August 21, Open Beta on August 27 XBOX July update adds support for longer gamertags, new library customization options, and more XBOX teams with Meta to bring Game Pass Starter Edition to Meta Horizon+ subscribers Valve says the component crisis dogging Steam Machine pricing will only get worse

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Windows Package Manager for bulk app installs App (game) of the week: Doom: The Dark Ages RunAs Radio this week: Security Begins at Procurement with Jessie Schofer Brown liquor pick of the week: Loup River Nebraska Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

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Microsoft's July 2026 Patch Tuesday just shattered records with hundreds of bug fixes, and AI is the force behind the surge. Are we witnessing the beginning of a safer Windows, or is this flood of vulnerabilities the new normal? Plus, Tony Redmond's epic book has a new name (was Office 365 for IT Pros) and is now a bundle of four books.

Windows

Patch Tuesday is here! Point in Time Restore, quieter Widgets, Windows Update improvements, Screen tint, and more The biggest Patch Tuesday in history, by far: a record 570 fixes for security flaws, and a huge 3X increase from the then-record flaws fixed last month. (Some say the number is 622. Math is hard.) And this is on top of 468 Microsoft Edge/Chromium flaws that were fixed by Google this month too. Yikes. Microsoft discusses how it's improving Windows security with AI Windows Insider Program: Improved Windows Search is next on the docket, heading out to Experimental this week. Question: When do these things hit stable? Microsoft releases Snapdragon X2 versions of its Surface for Business Pro and Laptop models

AI

Apple sues OpenAI for stealing trade secrets Surprised there was no talk of "thermonuclear war" OpenAI's response is hilarious, and it is already prepping its first hardware device OpenAI just announced the rumored super app, which is a combination of ChatGPT, Work, Codex, and an in-app web browser, which replaces the standalone Atlas web browser. Also, GPT-5.6. In keeping with recent history, Anthropic announced its in-app web browser for Claude less than 24 hours later Reminder that Microsoft acknowledged that it, too, is working on an AI super app at Build Apple releases public betas of its OS 27 releases and, shocker, Siri is really good Now Spotify has an AI chatbot so I can tell it how much I hate Spotify

Xbox and gaming

Obsidian is working on a new Falloutgame, duh. A quiet time after last week's terribleness

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Microsoft 365 for IT Pros (2027 edition) is here! App pick of the week: MusicBee RunAs Radio this week: Finding Security Vulnerabilities using AI with Sami Laiho Brown liquor pick of the week: Sanctuary Single Malt Whisky Reserve Edition

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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