Windows Weekly (Audio)

WW 962: Peak Bloat - The Last Patch Tuesday of 2025

December 2025's Patch Tuesday brought major shifts, but the real action is in Microsoft's pricing, privacy battles, and the arms race to control AI-enabled browsers. Plus, Paul recommends Tiny11 Builder [https://github.com/ntdevlabs/tiny11builder] for a clean install, or Win11Debloat [https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-11/330573/de-enshittifing-windows-11-version-25h2-win11debloat]for an existing install. Then, Rufus [https://rufus.ie/] to create installation media without the forced Microsoft account (MSA) sign-in or hardware requirement checks. Use MSEdgeDirect [https://github.com/rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect] to use the default web browser for stories from Widgets, web-based search results, etc. And ExplorerPatcher [https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-11/330547/what-i-use-explorerpatcher] can fix the performance and reliability issues in File Explorer. It's the final Patch Tuesday of 2025 * Major dark mode updates (with a fix for the "flashbang" problem) * AI Agent in Settings, Click to Do, Windows Studio Effects, and Search improvements for Copilot+ PCs * Many other improvements: FSE, Share, Settings, Widgets, more More Windows 11 * New 25H2 preview build on Beta/Dev adds MCP public preview, Quick Machine Recovery auto-enabled, Unified Update Orchestration Platform, Windows MIDI services Microsoft 365 * Microsoft 365 is getting a lot more expensive in mid-2026. You didn't think all those free AI updates were free, did you? AI * Paul has been talking about "programmatic" apps and services because he wasn't sure of a term for this type of interaction. But there is a term for this: Semantic. As in semantic web. And there you go * Microsoft one of 1,000 companies partnering on Agentic AI Foundation because you're getting agents whether they work or not * Gartner says NO to AI web browsers * The New York Times is suing Perplexity for all the obvious reasons * After a big win in the legal battle with OpenAI * Opera for Android gets a big AI update * Google Workspace Studio brings code-free agent creation to business users - automation is a solid AI use case Xbox * Xbox Series X|S notably absent during Black Friday sales * Call of Duty won't repeat the mistakes of the past anymore since it didn't work out twice now * MS Flight Simulator 2024 is now available on PS5 * Red Dead Redemption comes to mobile for the first time, free with a Netflix account Tips & Picks * Tip and app(s) of the week: De-enshittify Windows 11 * RunAs Radio this week: Incident Management and the Crowdstrike Event with Liam Westley * Brown liquor pick of the week: Old Farm Pennsylvania Straight Rye Whiskey Hosts: Leo Laporte [https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte], Paul Thurrott [https://twit.tv/people/paul-thurrott], and Richard Campbell [https://twit.tv/people/richard-campbell] Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly [https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly] Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com [https://www.thurrott.com/] The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin [https://bsky.app/profile/carlfranklin.bsky.social]. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit [https://twit.tv/clubtwit] Sponsors: * 1password.com/windowsweekly [http://1password.com/windowsweekly] * auraframes.com/ink [https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=windowsweeklytwit] * helixsleep.com/windows [http://helixsleep.com/windows] * ventionteams.com/twit [http://ventionteams.com/twit]

WW 961: Petroleum Exchange Expert - AI Resistance, Reality, & the Rise of Slop

Can the AI boom survive its own hype? This episode takes on the future of OpenAI, tech's subscription fatigue, and why "Made with AI" labels might be the new scarlet letter. Plus, Microsoft's ugly sweaters are back for some reason. Windows 11 * Week D comes a week late and in the wrong month, but it's a big one, and a preview of what to expect next week in Patch Tuesday * More pervasive dark mode * Copilot+ PC exclusives: Improvements to Click to Do, Windows Search, Windows Studio Effects, Agent in Settings * Expansion of FSE availability * Improvements across Settings, Share, File Explorer, Desktop Spotlight, more * Aluminium OS is the name of the ChromeOS/Android Frankenstein that will take on Windows * Android 16 QPR2 is here with about 1,000 new features and maybe a saner approach to OS updating than what we see on Windows AI * AI slop is no enshittification: Human error is still a much bigger issue * Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is right: The "Made with AI" label is silly and needs to go * OpenAI declares a "code red" after Google finally figured out AI * Opera quietly does an about-face on AI in its browsers * Opera Neon gets one-minute deep research, Gemini 3, and Nano Banana Xbox and gaming * Mortal Kombat 1, more coming to Game Pass in first half of December * Valve is quietly bringing SteamOS, Windows games to Arm Tips & picks * Tip of the week: Time to cull * Tip of the week #2: Time to look back * RunAs Radio this week: The M365 Copilot Data Readiness Checklist with Nikki Chapple * Brown liquor pick of the week: Stumbras Starka Hosts: Leo Laporte [https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte], Paul Thurrott [https://twit.tv/people/paul-thurrott], and Richard Campbell [https://twit.tv/people/richard-campbell] Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly [https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly] Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com [https://www.thurrott.com/] The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin [https://twitter.com/carlfranklin]. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit [https://twit.tv/clubtwit] Sponsors: * outsystems.com/twit [http://outsystems.com/twit] * helixsleep.com/windows [http://helixsleep.com/windows] * bitwarden.com/twit [http://bitwarden.com/twit] * framer.com/design promo code WW [http://framer.com/design]

WW 960: Snow & Claus - Windows 11 & Agentic AI

Pavan Davuluri only spoke at one Ignite 2025 session, and it did not deserve the hate he got. But what did he really say? * Copilot is a front-end for apps and cloud AI services, agents are background processes. * Apps in Windows need to become programmatic so AI and agents can control them. * You are in control. You being IT and the user. These experiences are off by default, opt-in, and optional. This is the end of whatever BS argument anyone has about this stuff. * Copilot Voice because AI is better when you babble and is often more natural than typing * Key concept: Apps, CLIs, etc. expect exact commands, AI is all about intent, just do what I want, not exactly what I say. This is why, yes, people WILL want to talk to their PCs (and other devices) * UIs for these new features will look/feel natural in Windows * Search box in Taskbar is getting updated to orchestrate between local/web search and Copilot capabilities, including agents * Agents will appear as app icons in Taskbar when fired, can be check in on, can post notifications for you to attend to * Integration of M365 Copilot capabilities with Windows - Better together story, with things like Writing Assistance for every text box * Accessibility updates thanks to AI - Fluid Dictation, which is what makes Copilot Voice make so much sense * All the security, privacy, and IT management the audience expects Windows Insider Program * Dev and Beta builds include Full Screen Experience on all PCs, new Notepad app, more Hardware - Earnings * Lenovo PC business up 12 percent to $15.1 billion, 25.6 percent unit share * HP up 4 percent to $14.6 billion, but job cuts for AI are coming * Dell PC business up 3 percent to $1.41 billion AI and Stuff * Microsoft releases local Fara-7B agentic model for computer use * ChatGPT's new coding model is optimized for Windows * Dear God, you must see Nano Banana Pro to understand Google's lead * Google is bringing AirDrop to Android, starting with Pixel. This is what happens when regulators "force design changes on OS makers." Xbox and Gaming * Xbox Cloud Gaming usage is up 45 percent YOY. Sure. What's 45 percent of 3 people? * Xbox Cloud Gaming is adding per-game resolution settings, to 1440p for Game Pass Ultimate customers * ROG Xbox Ally is getting default game profiles, in preview for 40 titles now * Microsoft open sources the source code for Zork, Zork II, and Zork III * New Chromebook buyers get one year of Nvidia GeForce NOW with Fast Pass Tips and Picks * Tip of the week: Finding experts is more important than ever * We live in the age of stupid. Find the smart and never let go * Also, Xbox is having a good Black Friday sale * App pick of the week: Copilot Mode in Microsoft Edge * Also: Perplexity Comet on Android RunAs Radio this week: Christmas Gifts for SysAdmins with Joey Snow and Rick Claus * https://runasradio.com/Shows/Show/1012 Brown liquor pick of the week: Sidetrack Stone Whisky * https://www.huskdistillers.com/shop/sidetrack-stone-whisky These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/960 [https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/960] Hosts: Leo Laporte [https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte], Paul Thurrott [https://twit.tv/people/paul-thurrott], and Richard Campbell [https://twit.tv/people/richard-campbell] Sponsors: * outsystems.com/twit [http://outsystems.com/twit] * cachefly.com/twit [https://cachefly.com/twit]

WW 959: Thurrott Syndrome - Microsoft Faces AI Backlash as Windows 11 Evolves

Ahead of Microsoft Ignite 2025, Windows boss Pavan Davuluri tweeted an innocuous post about nothing, and all hell broke loose. We are broken as a community and it's time to cull the herd. Ignite 2025 * Fun aside: Google could have announced Gemini 3 at any time, but they chose the opening day of Ignite. Who's dancing now? * No Satya and suddenly the keynote is watchable again * Microsoft brings Anthropic models to Foundry along with Nvidia architecture * MCP comes to Windows 11 in public preview for developers * New Microsoft 365 Copilot agents for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint * Agent 365 is the obvious name of an AI agent management service * Windows 11 is getting agents on the Taskbar because it isn't annoying enough already Windows 11 * Two new Release Preview builds, a new Canary build, and the first release of Copilot Actions * The RP builds are a preview of Patch Tuesday in December, it's bigger than expected * Dev/Beta build with experimental AI agent capabilities, more AI * OpenAI released ChatGPT 5.1 and it's like no one noticed * Mozilla announces AI window for Firefox, with immediate backlash Xbox and gaming * Qualcomm JUST announced a new control panel for Snapdragon X gaming * Hands-on with the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) for Windows 11 * FSE Transforms a gaming handheld PC into a device-like experience * Frame rates see a dramatic jump in FSE Call of Duty, which was surprising * Fortnite is coming to the Xbox app in Windows, adding Xbox Play Anywhere support * Xbox announces a new set of titles coming to Game Pass across platforms * Xbox Partner Preview event is set for November 20 * As predicted, Steam Machine is the "Xbox Microsoft wanted to make." Yes, it's a good idea now that someone else is doing it Tips and picks * Tip of the week: Tiny11 Builder, again * Hardware pick of the week: Lenovo Legion Go 2 * RunAs Radio this week: Azure SRE Agents with Deepthi Chelupati * Brown liquor pick of the week: Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve 2007 Hosts: Leo Laporte [https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte], Paul Thurrott [https://twit.tv/people/paul-thurrott], and Richard Campbell [https://twit.tv/people/richard-campbell] Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly [https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly] Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com [https://www.thurrott.com/] The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin [https://twitter.com/carlfranklin]. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit [https://twit.tv/clubtwit] Sponsors: * ventionteams.com/twit [http://ventionteams.com/twit] * helixsleep.com/windows [http://helixsleep.com/windows] * framer.com/design promo code WW [http://framer.com/design]

WW 958: Personal Turkey - Will Valve's Steam Machine Make a Splash?

Windows 11 just got its most noticeable Start menu revamp in a while, but is it a productivity boost or just more Microsoft meddling? The team digs into Patch Tuesday's big surprises and whether generative tools are transformative essentials or just a passing fad. Windows 11 * Patch Tuesday was yesterday, your new Start menu is right where Microsoft left it * Copilot+ PCs: Improvements to Click to Do, File Explorer, Voice access, and Windows Search * All PCs, eventually: Taskbar improvements, Administrator Protection (off by default), Quality updates * Heading into Ignite next week, Microsoft cites recent security wins in Windows 11 and Surface * First 26H1 build comes to Canary to prove that there will be nothing new in it, ever * Qualcomm takes a one-time $5.7 billion hit thanks to Big Stupid Bill but still nails it in quarterly earnings Microsoft * WSJ continues its Microsoft financial accountability criticisms * Also reports that internal documents state OpenAI expects to lose $74 billion in 2028, the year Anthropic will break even * If Paul starts a business and it loses money for three years in a row, it becomes a hobby. So WTF is OpenAI exactly? AI * Microsoft AI creates a Superintelligence team as a sort-of alternative to AGI * Microsoft launched .NET 10 at .NET Conf on Tuesday - Plus, Visual Studio 2026 with a new monthly release schedule and Insider versions going forward * Double-digit performance improvements again, somehow * Uno announced Uno Platform Studio 2.0 with a fun surprise for Paul: They upgraded the original WPF version of .NETpad into a cross platform app in 3 minutes! There will be a demo on Thursday * .NETpad is transitioning to WinUIpad with the Windows App SDK rewrite. It is going poorly because Windows App SDK is terrible, cannot be open sourced quickly enough Xbox * Steam announces a new videogame console, the Steam Machine! * Backbone Pro Xbox Edition is now available * Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition is here with with Xbox Play Anywhere support, Creations * Halo: Campaign Evolved is coming, so Halo: Infinite becomes a lot more finite * Call of Duty Black Ops 6 player on PC? Hope you enjoyed that 180 GB "update" you had to install before playing a year-old game (also got a 6.7 GB update Wednesday. For the love of God) * GTA VI has been delayed yet again as it edges into Duke Nukem Forever territory * Sony has now sold over 84 million PS5 consoles, meaning it has outsold every Xbox generation ever made * Sony is selling a 27-inch gaming display in the U.S. and Japan Tips & picks * Tip of the week: Solving the problem over identifying the problem * App pick of the week: Tiny11 Builder * RunAs Radio this week: Azure Resiliency with Chris Ayers * Brown liquor pick of the week: Kyoto Whisky Kuro-Obi Black Belt Blended Hosts: Leo Laporte [https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte], Paul Thurrott [https://twit.tv/people/paul-thurrott], and Richard Campbell [https://twit.tv/people/richard-campbell] Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly [https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly] Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com [https://www.thurrott.com/] The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin [https://twitter.com/carlfranklin]. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit [https://twit.tv/clubtwit] Sponsors: * bitwarden.com/twit [http://bitwarden.com/twit] * outsystems.com/twit [http://outsystems.com/twit] * auraframes.com/ink [https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=windowsweeklytwit] * zapier.com/windows [http://zapier.com/windows]