ARCHIVED NEWS
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August 2019
Site Update
31 August 2019
An update on the Linux Experiment has been posted on the Site Updates page.
Windows Updates
31 August 2019
Microsoft has issued a new Cumulative Update for Windows 10 version 1903.
Update: After installing this update, Cortana started using lots of CPU resources on my PC, despite being disabled as far as it can be. Rebooting or restarting Cortana doesn't resolve this; it's a known cache bug, detailed here. I used the workaround in that article and it fixed the issue.
Core Temp 1.15.1
31 August 2019
A new Version 1.15.1 of the free Core Temp CPU temperature monitoring utility has been released. This update fixes a bug which prevents Core Temp 32-bit from starting.
CPU-Z 1.90
28 August 2019
A new Version 1.90 of the CPU-Z information utility has been released. This version adds support for AMD Threadripper 3000 and Intel Ice-Lake, along with the Nvidia RTX 2070 and 2080 Super.
Chrome 76.0
28 August 2019
Google has released Version 76.0.3809.132 of the Chrome browser. This update provides security and bug fixes.
Nvidia GeForce 436.15 WHQL
28 August 2019
Nvidia has released the 436.15 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 600 and higher graphics cards under Windows 7, 8 and 10. It is the recommended driver for Control.
Site Update
27 August 2019
Another update on the Site Updates page of the nostalgic kind.
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 19.8.2
27 August 2019
AMD has released the Adrenalin Edition 19.8.2 driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7 and 10. This driver improves support for Control and Man of Medan, and adds HDCP 2.3 support to the RX 5700 series.
Core Temp 1.15
25 August 2019
A new Version 1.15 of the free Core Temp CPU temperature monitoring utility has been released. The main changes are support for the AMD Ryzen 3000 series and full multi-monitor DPI awareness.
Site Update
25 August 2019
I've decided to remove the restrictions on modifying the free TweakGuides Tweaking Companions and have released the source documents under a CC BY 4.0 License as detailed on the Site Updates page.
Windows Updates
24 August 2019
Microsoft has issued a new Article which specifies that installing the 26 July Update for Windows 10 version 1903 (KB4505903) on a system with an internal speaker can result in connection and/or audio quality problems when using a Bluetooth speaker.
Driver Security Vulnerabilities List
23 August 2019
As reported last week, Eclypsium, a firm specialising in mitigating driver and firmware security issues, has discovered serious security vulnerabilities in more than 40 drivers, from at least 20 vendors. The list of drivers and firmware is now publicly available on Eclypsium's GitHub in the Known Files.xlsx file.
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 19.8.1 WHQL
23 August 2019
AMD has released a WHQL version of the Adrenalin Edition 19.8.1 driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7 and 10. This driver is exactly the same as the previously released 19.8.1 driver, but is now WHQL certified.
Steam Security Vulnerability
23 August 2019
Yet another potentially serious Security Vulnerability has been revealed, this time in Valve's Steam game platform for Windows. A dispute between Valve and a security researcher has seen him publish details of it on his site. The result is that an issue that has been identified as a possible vector for exploits in Steam since 2015 is now more widely known. Valve has not responded yet.
Update: Valve has released an Update for the Steam Beta Client that addresses this security issue. The security researcher who identified it has said he will test it when the mainstream client is updated.
VLC Media Player 3.0.8
21 August 2019
The free VLC Media Player has been updated to Version 3.0.8. This update improves network buffering, contains a range of fixes for audio and video playback issues, and addresses several security vulnerabilities, including those identified in July which received a great deal of publicity.
Update: I've written an Editorial on the Site Updates & Editorials page which takes a look at the VLC Security Debacle.
Nvidia GeForce 436.02 WHQL
21 August 2019
Nvidia has released the 436.02 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 600 and higher graphics cards under Windows 7, 8 and 10. It is the recommended driver for Apex Legends, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, Strange Brigade, and World War Z. It also adds beta support for GPU Integer Scaling, Ultra-Low Latency Mode, the new Freestyle Sharpen Filter, as well as new G-Sync compatible monitors.
Update: Nvidia has temporarily pulled the drivers, citing an issue with forced installation of GeForce Experience.
Update 2: If you can't wait for them to become available on GeForce.com, the updated drivers can now be downloaded directly from the Nvidia driver page.
CCleaner 5.61
21 August 2019
A new Version 5.61.7392 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This update adds cleaning for Windows 10 clipboard history, as well as improved translations and stability improvements.
AMD Chipset Driver 1.8.19
20 August 2019
AMD has released Version 1.8.19.0915 of its drivers for use on AMD chipset-based motherboards. The main change in this driver is an updated Ryzen Power Plan version 5.0.0.0.
AMD Storage Driver 9.2.0
20 August 2019
AMD has released Version 9.2.0.127 of its storage driver for optimizing RAID configurations on AMD chipsets. The package has been updated, however the version number is the same as the previous release, and a changelog is not provided.
Intel Wireless Drivers 21.30
19 August 2019
Intel has released new drivers for its wireless adapters, which are included in a range of products. The latest drivers include Wi-Fi Drivers Version 21.30.3 and Bluetooth Drivers Version 21.30.0.
Windows Updates
19 August 2019
Microsoft has acknowledged in the Known Issues section of the Windows updates released last week that they may result in an "Invalid Procedure Call" error with any programs reliant on VB6, VBA and VBScript. These updates are now being quietly re-released by Microsoft. Check for Updates in Windows Update, or download them manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog by searching for the relevant KB number then looking for the one dated 16 or 17 August or newer.
Site Update
17 August 2019
Yes, another site update! This time, it's to announce a change to the site: Site Updates are moving off the front page. See the new Site Updates & Editorials page for more details, as well as the results of all of the website layout shenanigans, and more. *Updated 18 August.
Site Update
15 August 2019
A question I was asked this morning made me think: given the site is now ostensibly tracker free, can we do away with the external links to the free open-source Google font library that I (and most other websites) use? Even though they're not really able to be used as a tracker, I suppose the only way to be sure is to get rid of them. So here's what I've done as an experiment - I've changed the CSS style sheet to use the built-in font style, size, and weight that I consider most closely matches Google's Open Sans font previously used here. That is, Segoe UI for Windows systems, Helvetica Neue for Apple systems/devices, and Noto Sans for Google/Android devices, and failing that, Helvetica for all other systems. To properly see this change, press CTRL+F5 on desktop browsers, and clear your cache/history on mobile devices then reload the site. For easy reference, here's a direct screenshot comparison of what the front page looks like using the previous Google Fonts vs. the new System Fonts in Firefox on my Windows PC. To my eyes, the body text is pretty close, but the headings are thicker than I'd like. I tried various changes in line weight and font size, and this was the best I could get. Note that for now, the site pages still link to Google fonts but don't use them; I'll remove those links from all pages if we go final with this change. In short, the benefits of using system fonts are the site won't be intimately linked to potentially exploitable/trackable external sources, and pages will also load even faster; the negatives are that some people will prefer the look of the Google fonts, and the fact that they give the site the same look across all systems/devices. What do you think?
Update: Only a few responses, and the vote seems mixed. I personally favor dropping all links to Google just to be safe, and using built-in fonts. May not be the prettiest thing you see on the web but I think it does the job of getting information across in a clean layout. If you have strong feelings either way, or see any issues on your device/PC, let me know, otherwise I'll make the change permanent in the next 24 hours.
Update 2: Thanks for the response, your feedback is really helping guys! I'm still fiddling, trying to tidy up a lot of flaws due to (my) messy, badly coded HTML and CSS. I think I've fixed the more noticeable margin, alignment, and random white space issues. Now, what do you think of this change to the header and main menu: alternative front page 1 I believe it should look better for narrow-screen mobile devices. A more noticeable change is shown on alternative front page 2, which provides maximum text space on the page by removing the UPDATES heading and shifting the EuroVPS logo to the header.
Firefox 68.0.2
15 August 2019
Mozilla has released Version 68.0.2 of the Firefox browser. This update provides security and bug fixes.
Intel Rapid Storage Technology 17.5
14 August 2019
Intel has released Version 17.5.2.1024 of the Rapid Storage Technology driver for optimal RAID and AHCI drive performance on Intel chipset-based motherboards.
Microsoft Security Updates
14 August 2019
Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can view here and obtain via Windows Update. This includes the latest Windows 7 Rollup and Windows 8.1 Rollup updates, as well as Windows 10 Cumulative Updates.
GPU-Z 2.24.0
14 August 2019
GPU-Z, a free graphics card information utility, has reached Version 2.24.0. Changes in this version include support for new chipsets as well as bug fixes.
Site Update
13 August 2019
If the site layout looks a little bit different, it's because I'm fiddling with it to make it a bit cleaner. I've removed some borders, dropped the gradient background from the header and altered the EuroVPS logo and About box contents and positions.
Flash Player 32.0
13 August 2019
Adobe has released Version 32.0.0.238 of the Flash Player plugin for browsers. To download the full offline installer, use these links depending upon your browser: Internet Explorer or Firefox or Opera. Use Windows Update to update the built-in Flash Player in IE11 under Windows 8 and 10, and Edge under Windows 10. Update to the latest version of Chrome to update its built-in Flash Player.
Acrobat Reader DC 19
13 August 2019
Adobe has released a new Version 2019.012.20036 of its free software for viewing PDF documents, now known as Acrobat Reader DC. This update provides new features, as well as security and bug fixes. The full changelist and offline installers can be found here.
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 19.8.1
13 August 2019
AMD has released the Adrenalin Edition 19.8.1 driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7 and 10. This driver adds support for Microsoft PlayReady 3.0 DRM on RX 5700 GPUs, as well as providing bug fixes.
Driver Security Vulnerabilities
12 August 2019
Another day, another major security issue. This time, Eclypsium, a firm specialising in mitigating driver and firmware security issues, has discovered serious security vulnerabilities in more than 40 drivers, from at least 20 vendors, including Nvidia, Intel, AMD, ASUS, EVGA, MSI, Gigabyte and Realtek. Design flaws in the driver code can allow lower-privileged applications to execute malicious code at the Kernel level. Some vendors have already issued updates to rectify these flaws (e.g., the recent Nvidia Update further below), and Microsoft will use its Hypervisor Code Integrity (HVCI) feature to blacklist affected drivers in Windows 10. Eclypsium will be releasing a list of the affected drivers shortly, and I'll post them here.
The Next Major Windows 10 Update
10 August 2019
The next major feature update for Windows 10, currently dubbed Windows 10 20H1 due to its expected release in the first half of 2020, will contain substantial changes. Some of these changes will be under the hood, some will be noticeable interface or feature additions/removals. If you're interested in seeing precisely what these changes are shaping up to be, check out this page on Microsoft's Insider Program site. It gives you a clear run-down on every change in each insider build, straight from the horse's mouth.
Nvidia Security Update
8 August 2019
Nvidia has released a Security Update noting that all versions of their consumer-oriented GeForce graphics drivers for Windows prior to 431.60 contain vulnerabilities that may lead to local code execution, denial of service, or escalation of privileges. The solution is to update your graphics driver to the recent 431.60 version or newer, or versions 431.23, 425.85, or 412.39 from specific hardware vendors.
SWAPGS Vulnerability
7 August 2019
Another Spectre-based side-channel security vulnerability is causing concern. It's been dubbed SWAPGS, because it leverages the SWAPGS instruction to allow an attacker to potentially access sensitive data on systems running Windows. This vulnerability affects newer (post-2012) generations of both Intel and AMD CPUs, however AMD disputes this. In any case, Microsoft already released a Security Update for SWAPGS last month, so make sure you install it as soon as possible.
Chrome 76.0
7 August 2019
Google has released Version 76.0.3809.100 of the Chrome browser. This update provides security and bug fixes.
GPU-Z 2.23.0
6 August 2019
GPU-Z, a free graphics card information utility, has reached Version 2.23.0. Changes in this version include support for new chipsets and features, including improved AMD Navi and Nvidia Super support, an updated icon and splash screen, as well as bug fixes.
Site Update
6 August 2019
Slow news period, so let's take a quick look at the latest Windows 10 Update (KB4505903) from two weeks ago. A number of people report major problems with it, but it should be noted that MS quickly replaced the initial version with another one, which may have helped resolve some of these. I installed it a few days later and fortunately have had no issues. This leads me to an oft-forgotten but very useful tool: Reliability Monitor. It's hidden away under Control Panel>Security and Maintenance>Maintenance, or you can type perfmon.exe /rel in Start>Search. This tool is a great way for anyone, novice or advanced, to quickly see any critical errors, and also browse informational events. My Reliability Monitor history looks like this. There are two critical errors on 21 July, caused by my stupidly rebooting Windows while I had a Windows 10 VHDX backup image mounted. The next reliability snapshot here shows manual installation of the KB4505903 Update from the Update Catalog without issue. Note also the Windows Store app automatically updating itself, as well as some .NET updates installing silently. The last snapshot here shows, interestingly, multiple automatic installations of a built-in Windows Bluetooth driver yesterday, when I connected two Bluetooth speakers to my PC. I'd already connected and paired these devices with my system weeks ago, but for some reason, Windows felt the need to reinstall its own Serial Bluetooth driver four times, each time saying it was successful. Anyway, as you can see, this interface, though not as comprehensive as Event Viewer, can be very handy for quickly spotting significant errors and silent updates.
Intel HD Graphics 26.20
2 August 2019
Intel has released Version 26.20.100.7000 of its HD Graphics drivers for the optimal performance of Integrated Graphics Processors on Intel CPUs. This driver contains DX11 performance optimizations, as well as improved performance for Fortnite and other Unreal Engine 4 games.
AMD Chipset Driver 1.07.29
1 August 2019
AMD has released Version 1.07.29.0115 of its drivers for use on AMD chipset-based motherboards. Note: these drivers have the exact same version number as those released a short while ago to resolve the Ryzen 3000 issues.
AMD Storage Driver 9.2.0
1 August 2019
AMD has released Version 9.2.0.127 of its storage driver for optimizing RAID storage configurations on AMD chipsets.
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 19.7.5
1 August 2019
AMD has released the Adrenalin Edition 19.7.5 driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7 and 10. This driver fixes a Wolfenstein: Youngblood bug on RX 5700 GPUs.
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