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October 2015
Site Update
30 October 2015
Microsoft has announced that it is making further changes to the Windows 10 upgrade notifications in Windows 7 and 8.1. Windows 10 will first be listed as an Optional Update in Windows Update - hopefully not automatically ticked as before. But starting in early 2016, Windows 10 will become a Recommended Update and thus will install automatically unless explicitly prevented. To maintain full control over the Windows Update process, I strongly recommend that all Windows 7 and 8.1 users go to the Windows Control Panel, open Windows Update, click the 'Change settings' link in the left pane and make sure the 'Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them' option is selected, and also tick the 'Give me recommended updates the same way as I receive important updates' to enforce the same choice for such updates. Whenever updates of any kind do become available, make sure to first check your favorite news sites for indications of what these updates contain before installing them. Unfortunately the days of trusting Microsoft to be reasonably ethical are well and truly over.
Windows Updates
30 October 2015
Microsoft has released one critical Cumulative Update, and several non-critical updates, for Windows 10 on Windows Update. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article.
Autoruns 13.5
28 October 2015
Microsoft has released Autoruns 13.5, updating this free startup software identification utility. This version adds display of 32-bit Office addins and font drivers, and enables resubmission of known images to Virus Total for a new scan. Note: the download page currently says version 13.4, but the actual downloaded file is version 13.5.
Opera 33.0
28 October 2015
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 33.0.1990.43. This version updates Chromium to improve performance and provides bug fixes.
CCleaner 5.11
26 October 2015
A new Version 5.11.5408 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. Changes include adding Windows Store apps to the Uninstall tool, support for Office 2016 cleaning, improved Chrome and Firefox cleaning, optimised Start-up items detection, as well as minor improvements and bug fixes.
Chrome 46.0
23 October 2015
Google has released Version 46.0.2490.80 of the Chrome browser. This version updates the Flash Player, as well as providing security and bug fixes.
Java Runtime Environment 8.65
22 October 2015
Oracle has released an Update 65 to the Java Runtime Environment 8.
iTunes 12.3.1
22 October 2015
Apple has released a new Version 12.3.1 of the iTunes software. This update provides security and bug fixes.
Skype 7.13
22 October 2015
A new Version 7.13.0.101 of the communications utility Skype has been released. A changelog is not yet available.
Windows Updates
21 October 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.
CPU-Z 1.74
18 October 2015
A new Version 1.74 of the CPU-Z information utility has been released. This version improves the CPU Benchmark, supports new chipsets, corrects eDRAM detection on Skylake CPUs and adds Skylake logos.
Flash Player 19.0
17 October 2015
Adobe has released Version 19.0.0.226 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.
Site Update
16 October 2015
Some very disappointing news today that starting in December, Nvidia may restrict the latest Game Ready driver downloads to their GeForce Experience (GFE) software. In other words, if you want the latest Nvidia drivers you must install GFE, as their website will only release drivers quarterly. Nvidia has yet to confirm or detail how this will work, but I wouldn't be surprised if it proves to be true. It seems an unfortunate reality in today's market that the major tech companies are shamelessly trying to herd PC users into mobile OS-like walled gardens. The reason Nvidia may feel it can get away with doing this is because in recent years its achieved a near-monopoly in the desktop GPU market, with 82% market share. It's similar to the way Microsoft is, in my opinion, abusing its 89% market share on desktop PCs, first by repeatedly installing the 'Get Windows 10' nagware as an important update on all Windows 7 and 8.1 systems, and then by "accidentally" automatically installing Windows 10 on some systems without the user's knowledge.
Firefox 41.0.2
16 October 2015
Mozilla has released Version 41.0.2 of the Firefox browser. This update provides security fixes.
Nvidia GeForce 358.59 Hotfix
14 October 2015
Nvidia has released the 358.59 Hotfix graphics driver. This driver is for the GeForce 400 series and above under Windows 7, 8 and 10. It addresses G-Sync windowed mode & full-screen performance issues.
AMD Catalyst 15.10 Beta
14 October 2015
AMD has released the Catalyst 15.10 Beta graphics driver for the HD 5000 series and above on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. This beta improves DirectX 12 quality and performance in Ashes of the Singularity, as well as providing bug fixes.
Acrobat Reader DC 2015
14 October 2015
Adobe has released a new Version 2015.009.20069 of its free software for viewing PDF documents, now known as Acrobat Reader DC. This update contains security and bug fixes.
Chrome 46.0
14 October 2015
Google has released Version 46.0.2490.71 of the Chrome browser. This version updates the Flash Player, as well as providing improvements along with security and bug fixes.
Flash Player 19.0
14 October 2015
Adobe has released Version 19.0.0.207 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.
Microsoft Security Updates
14 October 2015
Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can view here and obtain via Windows Update.
Foxit Reader 7.2.2
9 October 2015
The free Foxit PDF Reader has been updated to Version 7.2.2.0929. This update contains bug fixes.
Nvidia GeForce 358.50 WHQL
8 October 2015
Nvidia has released the 358.50 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 the Star Wars: Battlefront Open Beta. It also adds support for the latest OpenGL ARB extensions as well as OpenGL ES 3.2. The driver package contains PhysX version 9.15.0428 and GeForce Experience version 2.5.14.
Windows Updates
7 October 2015
Microsoft has released several non-critical updates for Windows 7 and 8.1 on Windows Update. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article. Note that Microsoft has again released an updated version of the 'Get Windows 10' update (KB3035583) for Windows 7 and 8.1.
Skype 7.12
2 October 2015
A new Version 7.12.0.101 of the communications utility Skype has been released. A changelog is not yet available.
AMD Catalyst 15.9.1 Beta
1 October 2015
AMD has released the Catalyst 15.9.1 Beta graphics driver for the HD 5000 series and above on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. This beta appears to be an updated version of the recently released 15.9 Beta, with additional bug fixes.
Windows Updates
1 October 2015
Microsoft has released several non-critical updates for Windows 8.1 and 10 on Windows Update. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article.
Firefox 41.0.1
1 October 2015
Mozilla has released Version 41.0.1 of the Firefox browser. This update provides several bug fixes.
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