New Windows 11 Preview Builds Enhance Accessibility and Performance Tracking
This Friday, Microsoft has provided Windows Insiders with two new preview builds of Windows 11. The updates come in the form of build 26200.5710 (KB5062676) for both the Dev and Beta Channels, featuring the same comprehensive changelog. Notable enhancements include new accessibility options, the introduction of a slowdown logging mechanism, and various other improvements designed to optimize user experience.
AI-Powered Features for Enhanced Accessibility
Starting today, users with Intel and AMD-based Copilot+ PCs can leverage an innovative AI-powered feature in the Click to Do app. This tool utilizes on-device processing to automatically generate image descriptions, streamlining accessibility for users, particularly those with visual impairments. This functionality also facilitates the creation of alt text and aids in summarizing visual data, such as graphs and charts.
Additionally, the Narrator feature for Copilot+ PCs has been enhanced with AI capabilities to deliver detailed image descriptions. For instance, it can articulate, “The image is a graph displaying the stock performance of Microsoft Corporation, alongside the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Computer indexes, indicating a steady increase from June 18th to June 23rd.”Users can now regenerate, like, or copy these AI-generated descriptions easily.
Introducing a New Slowdown Logging System
Another significant update included in these builds is the implementation of a new slowdown logging system aimed at enhancing Windows performance. Microsoft emphasizes:
As part of our commitment to improving Windows performance, logs are now collected when your PC has experienced any slow or sluggish performance.
Overview of Additional Improvements and Fixes
Here’s a summary of the key improvements and fixes included in this update:
- Click to Do (Preview)
- Testing the removal of the search box in the top bar of Click to Do.
- Lock Screen
- Introducing widget suggestions to enhance the lock screen experience for Insiders in the Dev Channel. This feature can be toggled on or off under Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. Note that this feature is still being refined.
- Settings
- A new settings page under Privacy & security now shows which third-party applications have recently utilized Windows-provided generative AI models. Users will have control over which apps are allowed to access these resources, enhancing AI management.
- Highlighted recent activity in a red box assists in easily identifying generative AI use.
- Ongoing gradual fixes being rolled out within the Dev Channel.
- Notification Center
- Resolved an issue that caused the Notification Center’s content to be clipped when the clock was enabled.
- Other Enhancements
- Fixed an underlying issue related to
dbgcore.dll, which had been causing recent crashes in explorer.exe and other applications.
- Fixed an underlying issue related to
Known Issues to Note
As with any new build, some challenges persist. Here are the known issues affecting Windows Insiders:
- General
- Some users may encounter a rollback error (0x80070005) during update installation. A potential workaround is to navigate to Settings > System > Recovery > “Fix issues using Windows update.”
- Unexpected error pop-ups may occur when accessing the Group Policy Editor.
- Start Menu
- Touch navigation in the new Start menu may exhibit reliability issues, including incompatible swipe gestures.
- Drag-and-drop functionality from “All”to “Pinned”is currently limited.
- Live Captions
- [NEW] Live captions may crash when attempting live translation on Copilot+ PCs.
- Xbox Controllers
- A bugcheck issue is affecting some Insiders using their Xbox Controllers via Bluetooth. To resolve, uninstall the driver named “oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf)” through Device Manager.
- Click to Do (Preview)
- Users may encounter delays when performing intelligent text actions following updates.
- Input Issues
- The Microsoft Changjie Input method is malfunctioning in this build, causing selection issues. Reverting to a previous version of the IME in Settings can help mitigate this issue.
Further Information
For additional details about the Dev build announcement, visit this link. To learn more about the Beta build, click here.
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