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September 2015



Opera 32.0

29 September 2015


The Opera browser has been updated to Version 32.0.1948.69. This version updates Chromium and provides bug fixes.



AMD Catalyst 15.9 Beta

29 September 2015


AMD has released the Catalyst 15.9 Beta graphics driver for the HD 5000 series and above on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. This beta improves performance in the Star Wars: Battlefront beta and Fable Legends: Benchmark, as well as providing bug fixes.



Chrome 45.0

25 September 2015


Google has released Version 45.0.2454.101 of the Chrome browser. This version provides security and bug fixes.



CCleaner 5.10

25 September 2015


A new Version 5.10.5373 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. Changes include faster startup, the addition of Chrome extension cleaning, improved Edge cookie management, improved Firefox cleaning, improved Intelligent Cookie Scan, improved resizing & DPI support, as well as minor improvements and bug fixes.



Skype 7.11

24 September 2015


A new Version 7.11.0.102 of the communications utility Skype has been released. A changelog is not yet available.



Firefox 41.0

23 September 2015


Mozilla has released Version 41.0 of the Firefox browser. Significant changes in this version improved box-shadow rendering performance, an image resizing bug fix, and security fixes.



Nvidia GeForce 355.98 WHQL

23 September 2015


Nvidia has released the 355.98 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 Killing Floor 2. It also adds support for the new GTX 980 for notebooks, as well as the Gameworks VR SDK for notebooks. The driver package contains PhysX version 9.15.0428 and GeForce Experience version 2.5.14.



Chrome 45.0

22 September 2015


Google has released Version 45.0.2454.99 of the Chrome browser. This version updates the Flash player, and provides security and bug fixes.



Flash Player 19.0

21 September 2015


Adobe has released Version 19.0.0.185 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.



iTunes 12.3.0

18 September 2015


Apple has released a new Version 12.3.0 of the iTunes software. This update adds iOS 9 and Windows 10 support, provides bug fixes, as well as overall stability and performance improvements.



Windows Updates

16 September 2015


Microsoft has released several non-critical updates for Windows 7 and 8.1, including another Cumulative Update for Windows 10, on Windows Update. They are listed in more detail in this Microsoft Article.



Chrome 45.0

16 September 2015


Google has released Version 45.0.2454.93 of the Chrome browser. This version provides security and bug fixes.



Opera 32.0

15 September 2015


The Opera browser has been updated to Version 32.0.1948.25. This version adds a VPN offer, password synchronization support, animated themes, bookmark improvements, as well as stability enhancements and bug fixes.



Site Update

13 September 2015


In the absence of a TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows 10, people have been asking me what sort of tweaks I'm using on my own Windows 10 install. Aside from the general tweaks already covered in the TGTC for Windows 8, my main Windows 10-specific tweaks are fairly conservative and relatively simple: I'm logged in using a Local Account; I'm using the Start10 Start Menu replacement utility, including disabling Cortana search; I've disabled all of the privacy-related features under Settings>Privacy; I've set the Diagnostics Tracking Service and the dmwappushsvc services to Disabled; I've disabled OneDrive using Group Policy Editor, by going to \Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\OneDrive and setting the "Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage" policy to Enabled; and finally, I've uninstalled all of the Metro apps I could by right-clicking on them and selecting Uninstall. Notice that all of these changes are easily reversible. What I haven't done is to mangle, and potentially break, Windows 10 by using the various complex methods being widely promoted to forcibly attempt to uninstall key integrated features or remove all Metro apps, or use one of the many "anti-spying" third party utilities.


The end result is that my Windows 10 looks much the same as it did in Windows 8.1 (e.g. my W10 Desktop vs. my W8.1 Desktop), and also functions in much the same way. Windows 10 is a little snappier than Windows 8.1, and is of course required for DirectX 12 support. I've also been lucky enough not to have experienced any significant bugs or problems - largely because I did a clean install. But I'm well aware that the tradeoff for using Windows 10 is that I now have far less control over potential data leakage and the Windows Update process, which are both very important elements of an operating system. Note that Microsoft has now backported some of the potentially privacy-invasive Windows 10 "telemetry" to Windows 7 and 8.1, most recently via the KB3080149 and KB3075249 updates. You can uninstall these, but Microsoft keeps issuing new updates with the same telemetry features, so it's becoming a game of cat and mouse. But at least in Windows 7 and 8.1 you can choose which updates you install. For now, I still recommend sticking with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 if you value control over your OS and your data.



SetPoint 6.67

11 September 2015


Logitech has released Version 6.67.83 of the SetPoint software for mice and keyboards.



Microsoft Security Updates

9 September 2015


Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can view here and obtain via Windows Update. This includes another Cumulative Update for Windows 10.



Skype 7.10

9 September 2015


A new Version 7.10.0.101 of the communications utility Skype has been released. A changelog is not available.


Update: A changelog is now available here



Nvidia DX12 Issue

6 September 2015


Ashes of Singularity developer Oxide has now provided an update on its earlier claims that Nvidia 900 series GPUs don't natively support the DX12 Async Compute feature. Oxide says that after discussions with Nvidia, they have confirmed that Async Compute is not yet fully implemented in Nvidia's drivers. When correctly implemented, Nvidia's Async Compute solution appears to be a combination of software and hardware, likely as described here. It's still unclear as to whether it will be AMD's or Nvidia's solution that will provide superior performance in DX12 titles. I suspect that it will hinge in large part on driver and game optimizations.



Windows Updates

2 September 2015


Microsoft has released a non-critical Update for Windows 7 which addresses Windows or applications freezing.



Chrome 45.0

2 September 2015


Google has released Version 45.0.2454.85 of the Chrome browser. The changes in this version include automatically pausing less important Flash content, new Javascript features, as well as security and bug fixes.



Skype 7.9

2 September 2015


A new Version 7.9.0.103 of the communications utility Skype has been released. A changelog is not available.



Nvidia DX12 Issue

1 September 2015


Another major Nvidia controversy has been brewing over the last couple of days. Ashes of Singularity developer Oxide claims that Nvidia's Maxwell (900 series) GPUs do not natively support an important, potentially performance-enhancing, DirectX 12 feature called Asynchronous Compute. Nvidia has not yet made a statement on this issue. It's unclear what actual performance impact this will have on Nvidia GPUs in upcoming DX12 games if they only provide software, not hardware, support for Async Compute. If you're in the market for a new GPU, I recommend waiting until this issue is independently clarified.



Nvidia GeForce 355.82 WHQL

1 September 2015


Nvidia has released the 355.82 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 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Mad Max. The driver package contains PhysX version 9.15.0428 and updates GeForce Experience to version 2.5.14.



AMD Catalyst 15.8 Beta

1 September 2015


AMD has released the Catalyst 15.8 Beta graphics driver for the HD 5000 series and above on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. This beta provides support for the Oculus 0.7 SDK, performance improvements in Batman: Arkham Knight and Ashes of the Singularity, as well as bug fixes.



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