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November 2018
Nvidia GeForce 417.21 Hotfix
30 November 2018
Nvidia has released the 417.21 Hotfix graphics driver. This driver is for the GeForce 600 series and above under Windows 10. It addresses: the Memory Data Rate being reported incorrectly in the Nvidia Control Panel; Microsoft Edge not responding after video playback; and not being able to apply color format after updating to 417.01.
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.12.1
30 November 2018
AMD has released the Adrenalin Edition 18.12.1 driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7 and 10. This driver adds support for Just Cause 4.
Intel Moves to Windows Modern Drivers
29 November 2018
Intel has announced a major change in its hardware drivers: as of Windows 10 version 1809, Intel hardware will be required to run Windows Modern Drivers, also known as Universal Windows Drivers (UWD). The first release under this new policy is new Intel Graphics drivers. More information on the specific graphics chipsets supported by this new policy, as well as UWD in general, is provided in this Intel UWD FAQ. This new model means that custom driver installation using .INF files for example is no longer supported. Intel's UWD drivers will be provided through Windows Update, or can be installed using an .exe installer downloaded from your computer manufacturer, or directly from the Intel Download Center.
Windows Updates
29 November 2018
Microsoft has revised the Windows 10 1809 Update History page again, this time showing that a solution to the issue of mapped network drives failing to reconnect in Windows 10 version 1809 is set to be provided by early December 2018.
Spectre & Foreshadow Update
29 November 2018
Microsoft has released an Intel Microcode Update to address Spectre and Foreshadow (L1 Terminal Fault) related vulnerabilities. This patch is specifically for a range of Skylake, Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake and Broadwell Intel CPUs under Windows 10 version 1809.
Opera 57.0
29 November 2018
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 57.0.3098.76. Changes in this update include an improved news recommendation engine, along with minor interface improvements and bug fixes.
Windows Updates
28 November 2018
Microsoft has released Cumulative Updates for the last four versions of Windows 10, but not the latest version 1809. However, Apple has released a new Version 7.8.1 of iCloud for Windows which addresses the compatibility problems it had with Windows 10 1809.
Nvidia GeForce 417.01 WHQL
27 November 2018
Nvidia has released the 417.01 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 600 and higher graphics cards under Windows 7, 8 and 10. It provides the optimal experience in Darksiders III. The driver also contains PhysX version 9.18.0907 and updates GeForce Experience to version 3.16.0.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update - Additional Issues
22 November 2018
Microsoft has revised the Windows 10 1809 Update History page again to list yet another issue with the latest version of the October update. This time it involves Intel display driver versions 24.20.100.6344 & 24.20.100.6345 which can cause problems with audio playback from a monitor or television connected to a PC via HDMI, USB-C, or DisplayPort. This is not the same as an earlier audio issue identified with Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers. If you have these Intel drivers installed, Microsoft will prevent your system from upgrading to Version 1809, until an updated version of the drivers is released.
Flash Player 31.0
21 November 2018
Adobe has released Version 31.0.0.153 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.
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.11.2
20 November 2018
AMD has released the Adrenalin Edition 18.11.2 driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7 and 10. This driver adds support for Battlefield V and a new Vulkan extension, as well as providing bug fixes.
Chrome 70.0
20 November 2018
Google has released Version 70.0.3538.110 of the Chrome browser. This update provides security and bug fixes.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update - Additional Issues
20 November 2018
Microsoft has updated the Windows 10 1809 Update History page again to list further issues with the latest version of the October update. The latest changes include: an incompatibility with iCloud for Windows Version 7.7.0.27; connectivity issues for F5 VPN clients when used in a split tunnel configuration; and an update showing that the problem with mapped network drives will now likely be resolved by the end of November 2018, rather than in 2019.
GPU-Z 2.15.0
16 November 2018
GPU-Z, a free graphics card information utility, has reached Version 2.15.0. This version adds support for new chipsets, a hardware giveaway promotion, and provides bug fixes.
Firefox 63.0
16 November 2018
Mozilla has released Version 63.0.3 of the Firefox browser. This update provides bug fixes. Note that 63.0.2 appears to have been skipped for Windows users.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update - Additional Issues
16 November 2018
Microsoft has updated the Windows 10 1809 Update History page to list several additional known issues with the latest version of the October update. These issues include: mapped network drives failing to reconnect; compatibility problems with Trend Micro’s OfficeScan and Worry-Free Business Security software; and various problems on systems with Radeon HD2000 and HD4000 series GPUs. MS indicates that the mapped drive issue will be resolved in 2019, while an upgrade block is in place to address the other two issues while Trend Micro prepares a patch and Microsoft investigates the Radeon GPU problems.
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.11.1 (2nd Release)
16 November 2018
AMD has released a revised Adrenalin Edition 18.11.1 driver on Windows 7 and 10. This driver is the same as the previous release, but is specifically intended to provide support for the Radeon RX 590 GPU.
Opera 56.0
15 November 2018
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 56.0.3051.104. This version updates the Amazon promotion banner.
Site Update
15 November 2018
My position on Windows 10, elaborated here, has deteriorated to the point where I simply cannot trust my OS to maintain the integrity of my system. Microsoft has made it abundantly clear that they either cannot, or will not, listen to users and change their sloppy and deceptive ways. I'm planning on building a new system in early 2019, so I will take that opportunity to transition to Linux as my primary desktop OS. If I'm successful, I will try to compile a simple guide so that it may help others who are tired of Microsoft's continued incompetence to more easily do the same thing.
Nvidia GeForce 416.94 WHQL
14 November 2018
Nvidia has released the 416.94 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 600 and higher graphics cards under Windows 7, 8 and 10. It provides the optimal experience in Battlefield V, Fallout 76, and Hitman 2. The driver also contains PhysX version 9.18.0907 and GeForce Experience version 3.15.0.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update Re-released
14 November 2018
Microsoft has officially re-released the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, also know as Version 1809, after earlier recalling it due to a data deletion bug. The new update is still called Windows 10 Version 1809, but the build number is now 17763.134, rather than 17763.1 for the initial October Update or 17763.55 for the patched version of the first release of 1809. This new version fixes the data corruption bug reported earlier, among other fixes, but has a known issue with not allowing users to associate Win32 programs as defaults for some apps. Microsoft has also provided an explanation of how its quality control processes work.
Note: If you already had an earlier version of 1809 installed on your system, a Cumulative Update released today is all that will be necessary to bring you up to the latest build.
CPU-Z 1.87
14 November 2018
A new Version 1.87 of the CPU-Z information utility has been released. This version provides support for new chipsets.
Microsoft Security Updates
14 November 2018
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.
Flash Player 31.0
14 November 2018
Adobe has released Version 31.0.0.148 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
14 November 2018
Adobe has released a new Version 2019.008.20081 of its free software for viewing PDF documents, now known as Acrobat Reader DC. This update provides security fixes.
CCleaner 5.49
13 November 2018
A new Version 5.49.6856 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This update adds and improves cleaning of the Common Language Runtime folders, extends the cleaning of Windows error reporting folders, and provides bug fixes.
Chrome 70.0
10 November 2018
Google has released Version 70.0.3538.102 of the Chrome browser. This update provides security and bug fixes.
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.11.1
9 November 2018
AMD has released the Adrenalin Edition 18.11.1 driver for the HD 7700, HD 8500 series and above on Windows 7 and 10. This driver adds support for Hitman 2, Battlefield V and Fallout 76, as well as providing bug fixes.
Windows 10 Activation Issue
9 November 2018
There are widespread reports that legitimate Windows 10 Professional installs are suddenly reporting as not being activated. When attempting to resolve this issue, users are told by the Activation troubleshooter that they are only licensed for Windows 10 Home. Microsoft has indirectly acknowledged via an MVP in their community forum that this is a fault with Microsoft's activation servers, and users are advised to ignore the activation prompt and wait for a fix over the coming days.
Note: I too am affected by this issue, this is the message that suddenly appeared in the lower right corner of my Windows 10 Pro 1809 desktop a short while ago. The fault appears to primarily affect those who upgraded to Windows 10 during the free upgrade period.
Update: It appears Microsoft has fixed the fault. This issue can now be resolved properly by activating Windows using the Activation troubleshooter, found under Settings>Update & Security>Activation.
Nvidia GeForce 416.81 WHQL
9 November 2018
Nvidia has released the 416.81 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 600 and higher graphics cards under Windows 7, 8 and 10. It provides the optimal experience in Battlefield V. The driver also contains PhysX version 9.18.0907 and GeForce Experience version 3.15.0.
Opera 56.0
7 November 2018
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 56.0.3051.99. This update provides bug fixes.
Firefox 63.0
1 November 2018
Mozilla has released Version 63.0.1 of the Firefox browser. This update provides bug fixes.
iTunes 12.9.1
1 November 2018
Apple has released a new Version 12.9.1 of the iTunes software. If you don't wish to use the Windows Store to download iTunes, direct download links are provided: 64-bit Version, 32-bit Version. This version updates mobile device support and contains security fixes.
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