Home windows 11 KB5023778 replace provides promotions to the Begin menu
Microsoft has launched the non-compulsory March 2023 non-security preview replace for Home windows 11 with a search field that matches the present colour scheme and a brand new function the corporate describes as “notifications for Microsoft accounts.”
Th KB5023778 Windows 11 non-security release additionally has many enhancements and bug fixes with the checklist, together with new Microsoft Defender for Endpoint options and a repair for a Microsoft PowerPoint freeze subject.
As a month-to-month non-security preview launch that helps Home windows admins take a look at enhancements that may roll out with subsequent month’s Patch Tuesday, KB5023778 is non-compulsory and doesn’t include safety updates.
You’ll be able to solely set up this preview replace from Settings > Home windows Replace by clicking the ‘Obtain and set up’ button after checking for updates, or manually obtain it and set up it from th Microsoft Update Catalog.
Selling Microsoft merchandise within the Begin menu
As talked about to start with, this month’s preview replace additionally comes with a brand new set of notifications (that some would possibly describe as adverts), which is able to present up within the sign-out flyout of the Home windows 11 Begin menu.
“This replace introduces notifications for Microsoft accounts within the Begin menu. That is solely accessible to a small viewers proper now,” Microsoft explains.
“It is going to deploy extra broadly within the coming months. Some gadgets would possibly discover completely different visible remedies as we collect suggestions.”
This “function” has been under testing since a minimum of November 2022, when Home windows fanatic Albacore first noticed an preliminary iteration.
Some screenshots Albacore confirmed Microsoft selling the OneDrive file internet hosting service or prodding customers to create or full their Microsoft accounts.
Reactions on social media to the “Microsoft account notifications” (or begin menu promotional messages) had been antagonistic (to say the least).
Right now, Microsoft additionally shared a (tiny) screenshot of what these notifications will seem like, exhibiting a immediate asking Home windows 11 customers to backup their recordsdata to the cloud (probably utilizing the corporate’s OneDrive service).
This is not the primary time Microsoft has dabbled into selling its merchandise inside the person interface of Home windows apps.
In August 2022, it displayed adverts for Microsoft 365 Household subscriptions to Workplace 2021 clients and adverts for some Microsoft merchandise (together with Microsoft Editor) in the File Explorer app, in March, as a part of a Home windows Insider take a look at.
The File Explorer obtained injected with OneDrive promotional messages once more in 2016, and the Home windows 10 Wordpad app confirmed ads pushing Microsoft’s free Office web apps 4 years later.
Microsoft additionally marketed its Microsoft Edge web browser within the Home windows 10 Begin Menu and unintentionally broke the Begin Menu and Taskbar when testing Microsoft Teams ads on some Home windows Insider builds.
Different highlights on this month’s preview replace
The Home windows 11 KB5023778 preview launch comes with extra fixes and enhancements, among the extra notable ones highlighted beneath:
- This replace addresses a problem that impacts Home windows Search. Home windows Search fails inside Home windows container photos.
- This replace impacts the Group Coverage Editor. It provides Transport Layer Safety (TLS) 1.3 to the checklist of protocols you could set.
- This replace addresses a problem that impacts the Microsoft HTML Utility Host (HTA). This subject blocks code execution that makes use of Microsoft HTA. This happens if you activate Home windows Defender Utility Management (WDAC) Person Mode Code Integrity (UMCI) enforced mode.
- The replace addresses a problem that impacts the Distant Process Name Service (rpcss.exe). The problem would possibly trigger a race situation between the Distributed Element Object Mannequin (DCOM) and the Microsoft Distant Process Name (RPC) endpoint mapper.
Microsoft additionally warned right now that after beginning subsequent month, there would not be every other preview cumulative updates for supported Home windows 10 variations.
“After March 2023, there are not any extra non-compulsory, non-security preview releases for the supported editions of Home windows 10, model 20H2 and Home windows 10, model 21H2,” Microsoft said.
“Solely cumulative month-to-month safety updates (referred to as the ‘B’ or Replace Tuesday launch) will proceed for these variations. Home windows 10, model 22H2 will proceed to obtain safety and non-compulsory releases.”
Additionally, beginning April 2023, non-compulsory non-security preview updates can be launched on the Tuesday of the fourth week of the month to exchange the “C” and “D” releases beforehand issued through the third and fourth weeks.