In a move that is sure to make longtime PC users do a double take, the Library of Congress has added two very unexpected sounds to its National Recording Registry. No, it’s not another classic rock album or jazz staple. Believe it or not, it’s actually the “Reboot Chime” from Windows 95 (that played when the operating system started) and the soundtrack from Minecraft! I kid you not, folks. Both of these are linked to Microsoft, a company more known for software than symphonies.

If you ever booted up a Windows 95 machine, chances are you’ve heard that memorable chime. That short, ambient tone was composed by a man named Brian Eno. Microsoft asked him to create something brief, and he delivered a now-legendary 3.25-second sound that played every time the operating system came to life. And now, it’s being preserved forever as part of the nation’s sonic history -- how wild is that?

It's time to update Windows 11 again. Microsoft has just unleashed the KB5055523 update, and it is chock full of fixes for a series of bugs, problems and irritations in the operating system.

One of the most frustrating issues addressed by the KB5055523 update is a peculiar flaw in Explorer that rendered the ... menu all but useless. But there are lots of other fixes to be found in this security update, as well as new features and options -- especially for Copilot+ PCs.

Microsoft had made much of its plans to deprecate WSUS driver synchronization, announcing the intention in the middle of last year. In January, it issued a reminder that service was being closed down, and then again in February.

But now the company has had a change of heart. WSUS support for driver synchronization was due to come to an end this month, but Microsoft has backtracked saying that -- based on “your valuable feedback” -- it has revised its plans and will keep the service active.

Continually seeking new ways to make Copilot seem appealing, Microsoft has turned to retro gaming as a lure. The company has released a browser-based version of Quake II to serve as a Copilot Gaming Experiences demonstration of AI capabilities.

Microsoft has married its own Research lab’s MuseWorld and Human Action Model (WHAM) to show some of the different powers of generative AI. The company says that “by generating gameplay in real time, the underlying Muse shows how classic games like Quake II can be reimagined through modern AI techniques”. But what will matter to most people is that it is available to try out now, for free.

Six-hundred-forty-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft is bringing hotpatching support to Windows 11 clients. This allows some updates to be installed without restarts of the system. Downside is that the feature is only available for Enterprise editions of Windows 11 at the time.

The creation of the Start menu was revolutionary all those years ago. Since then, Microsoft has, variously, refined, improved, messed up, broken, and ruined this central component of Windows.

The version of the Start menu seen in Windows 11 has proved quite unpopular, but there is a revamp on the way that could win over a lot of users who fell out of love with it. We’re talking a new layout and -- even better -- “recommended” sections that can be disabled.

There are many complaints that can be levelled against Windows 11, but a very common one is the number of customization options that Microsoft has removed. Frequent subjects of these complaints are the taskbar and Start menu, and changes are finally being introduced that gives user greater control over the look and feel of both.

If you’ve ever balked at the size of icons in the taskbar, you’ll be pleased to hear that you will be able to make them smaller. As ever, it is Windows Insiders who get first dibs on this option, but it’s already being made available to the Beta Channel, so it is likely everyone will get it soon. Here’s what you need to know.

Updates to Windows can be important, but they can also be a huge inconvenience. We’re not just talking about the number of times things go wrong with updates, but the downtime associated with installing them and restarting systems.

With the arrival of hotpatching in Windows 11, however, some of this frustration is eliminated. Microsoft has enabled the (mostly) restart-free update method for organizations running Windows 11 Enterprise.

If you’ve ever thought that Windows 11 is a little lacking in visual polish, you’re not alone. Microsoft’s decision to center the Start menu and taskbar was meant to modernize the look of the OS and reduce mouse travel -- especially for users with ultra-wide or high-resolution displays -- but it’s not exactly what you’d call inspiring.

If you think Windows 11 looks like it’s straight out of 2011, we have a free solution to that problem: Quantum Start Menu.

Microsoft has been gradually shutting down the various ways people found to install and use Windows 11 without a Microsoft Account. The company has made it all but impossible to install the operating system without creating or signing into an account.

With the most recent preview build of Windows 11, Microsoft nixed a script that could be used to sidestep the requirement -- although it can still be manually applied via the registry. But there is still an easy way to avoid having to use a Microsoft Account.

We are, slowly but surely, making our way towards the release of PowerToys v1.0.0 -- but in the meantime we have the 0.x.x releases to enjoy. Microsoft has just pushed out PowerToys v.0.9.0, and it is an impressive update this time around.

Just a couple of weeks after we talked about the Command Palette module that was being worked on, this “PowerToys Run on crack” has landed. This is far from being the only change in PowerToys v0.9.0, though. In addition to a raft of bug fixes and tweaks, there are also new features for Peek, New+, and more.

When talking about AI in general -- including Copilot -- the focus tends to be on the impressive time-saving capabilities and futuristic features. What is often overlooked is the potential for artificial intelligence to improve accessibility.

But this is exactly what Microsoft is doing with the features it has for Copilot+ PCs. And now the company has made many of the Copilot+ experiences available to a wider range of processors, so systems with AMD Ryzen AI 300 series, Intel Core Ultra 200V and Snapdragon X Series chips can feel the benefits. There are huge advances in accessibility to be explored.

Windows 11 offers a familiar environment for users, but it’s not without its share of frustrations, particularly regarding performance issues and resource consumption on older hardware. Microsoft's updates frequently add new problems while fixing old ones, which is another annoyance.

If you’ve been considering a switch from Windows 11, Nitrux is the perfect alternative. The Debian-based distribution, known for its focus on simplicity and performance, has just been updated to version 3.9.1, codenamed “mk.” This release includes new features and a series of updates and fixes aimed at improving the overall experience for both new and existing users.

When things go wrong with a Windows 11 device, downtime is not only frustrating but also expensive. In a bid to reduce the time lost to computer issues, Microsoft has launched Quick Machine Recovery, a new automated tool for addressing problems.

The tool is undergoing testing with Windows Insiders on the Beta Channel at the moment, so it probably won’t be long before it is promoted for general availability. Billed as a tool that “automatically detects, diagnoses, and resolves critical issues on your device”, Microsoft is looking to save users and sysadmins from having to delve into the Windows Recovery Environment.

Billed as a way of increasing transparency, Microsoft has launched a new Windows Roadmap hub which is home to everything you could ever want to know about the new and upcoming features of Windows 11.

The page is designed with different types of Windows 11 users in mind. For anyone signed up for a Windows Insider channel, it’s a handy way to keep track of the rollout and availability of new features. For others, it provides a relatively reliable way to monitor what Microsoft is working on. And for Microsoft, it is a way to gather feedback.