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February 2016
AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.2
25 February 2016
AMD has released the Crimson Edition 16.2 driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. This driver provides performance and quality improvements for Rise of the Tomb Raider, is optimized for the Ashes of the Singularity Benchmark 2.0, achieves 'VR Recommended' status for the Radeon R9 390, Nano, and Fury series, adds CrossFire profiles for The Division and XCOM 2, as well as a range of bug fixes.
Windows Updates
25 February 2016
Microsoft has released a non-critical update for Windows 7 and 8.1 on Windows Update. Note: this is a 'Get Windows 10'-related update (KB3035583).
Opera 35.0
24 February 2016
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 35.0.2066.82. This version updates Chromium and provides a bug fix.
Intel Chipset Device Software 10.1
24 February 2016
Intel has released Version 10.1.1.14 of the Chipset Device Software, the main driver for Intel chipset-based motherboards.
GPU-Z 0.8.7
24 February 2016
GPU-Z, a free graphics card information utility, has reached Version 0.8.7. Changes include support for new chipsets and bug fixes.
CCleaner 5.15
24 February 2016
A new Version 5.15.5513 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. Changes include updated Chrome cleaning, improved Firefox cookie detection, improved Media Player Classic cleaning, adding Disk Analyzer search feedback, as well as minor improvements and bug fixes.
Chrome 48.0
19 February 2016
Google has released Version 48.0.2564.116 of the Chrome browser. This version provides security and bug fixes.
Opera 35.0
18 February 2016
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 35.0.2066.68. This version updates Chromium and provides bug fixes.
Vulkan
17 February 2016
The Khronos Group has launched Version 1.0 of a new graphics API called Vulkan, designed to provide improved performance over OpenGL or DirectX via greater efficiency and lower CPU overheads. Importantly, unlike DirectX 12 which is Windows 10-only, Vulkan runs on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. To try Vulkan out for yourself, you will need the appropriate Nvidia Vulkan Driver or AMD Vulkan Driver, along with an application programmed to use Vulkan, such as The Talos Principle or one of these free Tech Demos. Hopefully more upcoming games will provide Vulkan support.
Windows Updates
17 February 2016
Microsoft has released non-critical updates for Windows 7 and 8.1. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article.
Nvidia GeForce 361.91 WHQL
16 February 2016
Nvidia has released the 361.91 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 400 and higher graphics cards under Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10. It is the recommended driver for ARMA 3, Street Fighter V, Monster Hunter Online, and Hitman Beta. It also provides updated SLI profiles and bug fixes. The driver package contains PhysX version 9.15.0428 and GeForce Experience version 2.9.1.
Firefox 44.0.2
12 February 2016
Mozilla has released Version 44.0.2 of the Firefox browser. This update fixes startup crashes and provides security fixes.
Skype 7.18
12 February 2016
A new Version 7.18.0.112 of the communications utility Skype has been released. A changelog is not yet available.
Chrome 48.0
10 February 2016
Google has released Version 48.0.2564.109 of the Chrome browser. This version updates the Flash player and provides security and bug fixes.
Flash Player 20.0
10 February 2016
Adobe has released Version 20.0.0.306 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.
Microsoft Security Updates
10 February 2016
Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can view here and obtain via Windows Update.
Update: Microsoft is now providing a detailed Update History for Windows 10 updates.
Firefox 44.0.1
9 February 2016
Mozilla has released Version 44.0.1 of the Firefox browser. This update provides a range of bug fixes.
Java Runtime Environment 8.73
8 February 2016
Oracle has released an Update 73 to the Java Runtime Environment 8.
VLC Media Player 2.2.2
7 February 2016
The free VLC Media Player has been updated to Version 2.2.2. This update improves codec support by adding new formats and providing faster decompression, as well as a large number of security and bug fixes.
AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1.1 Hotfix Update
6 February 2016
AMD has reissued an updated Crimson Edition 16.1.1 Hotfix driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. This updated driver adds a fix for flickering when using the CrossFire profile for Fallout 4.
WinRAR 5.31
4 February 2016
The archival utility WinRAR has been updated to Version 5.31. Changes include addressing issues in Windows high DPI mode, interface improvements for right to left languages, and bug fixes.
Chrome 48.0
4 February 2016
Google has released Version 48.0.2564.103 of the Chrome browser. This version provides security and bug fixes.
Process Explorer 16.11
4 February 2016
Microsoft has released Version 16.11 of the free Process Explorer utility, which is a more detailed version of Task Manager. This version fixes an image path length bug.
Windows Updates
4 February 2016
Microsoft has released a non-critical update for Windows 7 and 8.1 on Windows Update. Note: this is a 'Get Windows 10'-related update (KB3123862).
Skype 7.18
4 February 2016
A new Version 7.18.0.111 of the communications utility Skype has been released. A changelog is not yet available.
Windows Updates
3 February 2016
Microsoft has released non-critical updates for Windows 7 and 8.1 on Windows Update. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article.
Importantly, as announced late last year by Microsoft, and now confirmed by Mary Jo Foley, starting this month, Windows 10 has become a Recommended update under Windows Update on Windows 7 and 8.1 systems. This means that if you don't pay careful attention, Windows 10 will automatically commence installation the next time you run Windows Update. Given the repeated and deceptive manner in which Microsoft is forcing Windows 10 onto Windows users, from this point forward I can only recommend that you use the free GWX Control Panel utility to successfully block these attempts.
Opera 35.0
3 February 2016
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 35.0.2066.37. This version adds mute on tabs, download improvements, more customization options, updates Chromium and provides stability enhancements.
Nvidia GeForce 361.82 Hotfix
2 February 2016
Nvidia has released the 361.82 Hotfix graphics driver. This driver is for the GeForce 400 series and above under Windows 7, 8 and 10. It removes the 'Eject GPU' item.
AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1.1 Hotfix
2 February 2016
AMD has released the Crimson Edition 16.1.1 Hotfix driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. This driver provides performance/quality improvements and a CrossFire profile for Rise of the Tomb Raider, a CrossFire profile for Fallout 4, as well as a range of bug fixes.
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