- Windows 11 has a new preview build in the Dev channel
- It introduces Proactive Memory Diagnostics, which aims to fix issues that cause your PC to crash
- Microsoft has also closed a security hole in File Explorer, but not everyone’s happy about that
Windows 11 just got some nifty new changes in testing – one of which could help make your PC more reliable – and Microsoft has fixed a security issue, too.
Let’s start with the new preview build released in the Dev channel, where Microsoft has brought in a feature called Proactive Memory Diagnostics.
Here’s how this one works: the idea is that if your PC suffers what Microsoft calls a ‘bugcheck’ – meaning a glitch that causes the system to fall over and reboot (usually with a Black Screen of Death, the new color for this dreaded error) – you might get a notification that suggests running a quick memory scan after the next restart.
This memory diagnostic process will run during the next reboot of your PC. The downside is it might take five minutes or so, but it’s less than that on average, Microsoft assures us. If the scan finds anything by way of a memory issue, Microsoft aims to fix this – and you’ll get a message informing you of any successful resolution.
With an underlying memory problem remedied in this way, the hope is that your system will be more reliable going forward. But if you don’t want to be waiting for a scan to complete on your next PC reboot, you can always decline this functionality after a full-on system crash.
Another helpful change with preview build 26220.6982 is a ‘copy and search’ ability, which does what it says on the tin. Meaning if you copy any text within Windows 11, what’s called a paste gleam (highlight) will pop up in the search box on the taskbar – click on the gleam and the text you just copied will be automatically inserted into the search box.
So, this is a shortcut to search for something you’ve just copied, saving you the action of having to paste it into the box on the taskbar. It sounds like a valuable timesaver.
This preview release has also seen Microsoft restart the rollout of fancy animations (transitions) for when mousing over groups of apps in the taskbar, a feature that was previously paused.
Windows Studio Effects can now also use an alternative camera, aside from the main webcam, on Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon and AMD CPUs, whereas this was previously only allowed on Intel-powered laptops.
Another recent development – this time in the finished version of Windows 11 (24H2 and 25H2), not testing – is that, as Windows Latest reports, Microsoft has turned off the preview pane in File Explorer for files downloaded from the internet.
So, if you click on a downloaded file like a document, instead of seeing a sneak preview of the text inside the document in the preview panel on the right, you’ll get the following message: “The file you are attempting to preview could harm your computer. If you trust the file and the source you received it from, open it to view its contents.”
As Microsoft makes clear, the reason for the block is that the file could potentially be harmful. Why? This only applies to files you’ve downloaded from the internet (as opposed to created locally on the PC), and Microsoft has made the move as it discovered a vulnerability that an attacker could possibly exploit via File Explorer’s preview pane.
So, this is a defense against that, but Microsoft also told Windows Latest: “If you are confident in the safety of both the file and its source, you may remove the internet security block.”
Analysis: safe not sorry
Windows Latest isn’t too impressed with the new block for downloaded files in Windows 11’s File Explorer. This is because it pretty much ruins the convenience of quickly previewing a file, given that you have to click three times to manually remove the security block. (Right-click the file, select Properties, then click the ‘Unblock’ box). That’s more convoluted than just opening the file, so you might as well just do that instead.
However, I don’t think Microsoft had much choice here with a security flaw having been discovered. It’s better not to run any risk of Windows 11 PCs being compromised, even if that’s unlikely. I think being safe rather than sorry is the wisest course of action here – just open the file if you’re confident about it.
Windows Latest shares a Powershell command for more advanced Windows 11 users to fudge their way around this security block, but I wouldn’t recommend using it.
I’m keen to see the new Proactive Memory Diagnostics feature in action, assuming it isn’t dropped during testing. That could fall into one of two categories: it might be a genuinely useful way to make a Windows 11 PC more stable (fingers crossed), or it could be one of those processes that very rarely actually change anything. It’s too early to call, obviously, but I’m hopeful and it’s certainly a good idea in theory – not that Windows 11 crashes much anyway (in my experience, it’s extremely rare).
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