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August 2015
Intel Rapid Storage Technology 14.6
29 August 2015
Intel has released Version 14.6.0.1029 of the Rapid Storage Technology driver for the use of RAID or AHCI on Intel chipset-based motherboards.
Windows Updates
28 August 2015
Microsoft has released several non-critical updates, including a Cumulative Update, for Windows 10 on Windows Update. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article.
Firefox 40.0.3
28 August 2015
Mozilla has released Version 40.0.3 of the Firefox browser. This update disables asynchronous plugin initialization and contains bug fixes.
Nvidia GeForce 355.80 Hotfix
26 August 2015
Nvidia has released the 355.80 Hotfix graphics driver. This driver is for the GeForce 400 series and above under Windows 10. It fixes excessive virtual memory consumption for SLI configurations on Windows 10.
CCleaner 5.09
25 August 2015
A new Version 5.09.5343 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. Changes include improved Windows 10 Registry cleaning, an optimized build for Windows 10 64-bit, improved MS Edge, IE11, Paint.net and Malwarebytes cleaning, as well as minor improvements and bug fixes.
SoundBlaster Windows 10 Drivers
25 August 2015
Creative has released Windows 10 drivers for most of the SoundBlaster series of sound cards by now. The download links, plus the estimated availability date of Windows 10 drivers for the remaining Creative sound cards, can be found here.
Nvidia GeForce 355.69 WHQL
21 August 2015
Nvidia has released the 355.69 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is only for the newly released GeForce GTX 950 GPU under Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10. The driver package contains PhysX version 9.15.0428 and GeForce Experience version 2.5.12.
QuickTime 7.7.8
21 August 2015
Apple has released a new Version 7.7.8 of the QuickTime media player. This version has security fixes.
Chrome 44.0
21 August 2015
Google has released Version 44.0.2403.157 of the Chrome browser. This version provides security and bug fixes.
Java Runtime Environment 8.60
19 August 2015
Oracle has released an Update 60 to the Java Runtime Environment 8.
Windows Updates
19 August 2015
Microsoft has released several non-critical updates for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 on Windows Update. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article.
Opera 31.0
19 August 2015
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 31.0.1889.174. This version upgrades Chromium, improves the process of setting Opera as the default browser in Windows 10, and provides bug fixes.
Windows Updates
15 August 2015
Microsoft has released the third Cumulative Update for Windows 10.
Firefox 40.0.2
14 August 2015
Mozilla has released Version 40.0.2 of the Firefox browser. This update fixes a bug with opening the Settings app via Firefox in Windows 10, as well as a mozalloc.lib bug and startup crash bug.
CPU-Z 1.73
14 August 2015
A new Version 1.73 of the CPU-Z information utility has been released. This version adds the L4 cache frequency, provides a new CPU Benchmark tab, new validation, and Windows 10 editions.
iTunes 12.2.2
14 August 2015
Apple has released a new Version 12.2.2 of the iTunes software. This update provides bug fixes and improvements for Apple Music, as well as overall stability and performance improvements.
Nvidia GeForce 355.60 WHQL
14 August 2015
Nvidia has released the 355.60 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 400 and higher graphics cards under Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10. This is the recommended driver for Ashes of the Singularity, and it also adds support for the beta release of Gameworks VR SDK. The driver package contains PhysX version 9.15.0428 and GeForce Experience version 2.5.12.
Skype 7.8
13 August 2015
A new Version 7.8.0.102 of the communications utility Skype has been released. A changelog is not available.
Chrome 44.0
12 August 2015
Google has released Version 44.0.2403.155 of the Chrome browser. This version updates Flash Player, and provides security and bug fixes.
Firefox 40.0
12 August 2015
Mozilla has released Version 40.0 of the Firefox browser. Significant changes in this version include interface changes in Windows 10, improved image scaling performance, smoother animation and scrolling with hardware VSync, improved plugin performance, and additional protection against unwanted downloads.
Microsoft Security Updates
12 August 2015
Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can view here and obtain via Windows Update. This includes the second Cumulative Update for Windows 10.
Flash Player 18.0
12 August 2015
Adobe has released Version 18.0.0.232 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.
Firefox 39.0.3
7 August 2015
Mozilla has released Version 39.0.3 of the Firefox browser. This update contains security fixes.
SoundBlaster Windows 10 Drivers
6 August 2015
Creative has released Windows 10 drivers for the SoundBlaster Z, Zx and Recon3D sound cards. The download links, plus the estimated availability date of Windows 10 drivers for other Creative sound cards, can be found here.
Windows Updates
6 August 2015
Microsoft has released several non-critical updates for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 on Windows Update, including the first Cumulative Update for Windows 10. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article.
Chrome 44.0
5 August 2015
Google has released Version 44.0.2403.130 of the Chrome browser. This version provides security and bug fixes.
Opera 31.0
5 August 2015
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 31.0.1889.99. This version improves startup time, changes the interface, adds synchronization and DRM-protected content support, and provides stability enhancements and bug fixes.
Site Update
4 August 2015
I try to avoid posting opinions on the front page, but now that I've had the chance to do a clean install of the retail build of Windows 10 and delve into it, I feel compelled to share some thoughts with you. To me, Windows 10 is one step forward, two steps back. Sure, the interface is now unified, but Metro integration is now much harder to avoid as well, and user control has been diminished even further. Case in point: I wanted to set Windows Photo Viewer as my default image viewer, instead of the Photos app. In Windows 10, Microsoft has deliberately made this impossible to do without resorting to editing the Registry. Why? To unashamedly force you to use the Metro-based app. Similarly, the somewhat bloated new Start Menu seems to have interesting potential at first, until you realize that it is extremely limited in terms of customization options. Exploring its features, I quickly found that Windows 10 offers me virtually nothing new of practical use over Windows 8.1. Indeed users now have much less control over some features, such as the infamous Windows Update changes which see everyone forced to automatically accept updates. And of course MS has stepped up its efforts to foist its OneDrive and Bing services upon users through tighter integration, as well as mining your data wherever possible. Something has to pay for this free upgrade.
I could provide plenty more examples of annoying or counter-productive feature and UI changes and the forced use of watered-down Metro apps, which I believe outweigh the benefits of Windows 10. As harsh as it may seem, that's my honest opinion at the moment. Of all the versions of Windows I've used over the past 25+ years, Windows 10 has required the greatest amount of tweaking and use of third party programs to get it close to my desired state. Maybe MS will refine Windows 10 and offer greater choice. For now, I recommend sticking with Windows 7 or even Windows 8.1 if you value control over your OS and your data.
Site Update
2 August 2015
I just want to apologise once again for not putting out a TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows 10. This is the first time since 2005 that I haven't released a TGTC for a new version of Windows, but unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, it just isn't a viable project for me right now. In any case, I hope those of you transitioning to Windows 10 can do so relatively painlessly, and if you haven't as yet, there's no harm in waiting a little while for the new OS to become a bit more polished and stable.
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