Windows Version 23H2:
Copilot AI on
the Taskbar, Well, OK
Sunday, September 24 2023, I jumped back into the Windows Insider Program at the Release Preview level. I did this to get a preview of Windows 11 23H2. From all that I have read, and from what I experienced in the Windows Insider Program at the Beta level, before an update wiped out my system, this Preview Release only offers a few of the coming changes to Windows 11, September 26, 2023.
And, that's why, for me, I SyncToy is a Blessed Sacrament. It has saved me from damnation more than once.
That said, this Preview Release does come with a few of the notable features that have been promised with Win11 23H2.
First thing that is apparent: On my 3 year old Intel I5 16gb system, there was an immediate and much appreciated improvement in performance. Any and everything I opened, whether local or on the Internet, clearly responded in a snappier manner. This was most noticeable in File Explorer. I search my local website folders frequently. Simply put, that worked better.
What follows are the most obvious changes I have found that will of most interest to Consumers.
| File Explorer itself does
have some new features. Most notable are the additional
options when click an image file. If the Preview Pane is selected in File Explorer, a very good thumbnail of the selected image will appear. |
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| When you search for items
using File Explorer, now there is a button to give you more
Search Options. Searching on File Contents can be very useful. |
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| There was much ballyhoo about
the coming changes to the Window 11 Settings app. Indeed, the first time you click Settings, the app opens up to a new Home screen. Here is a fairly useful summary of your system status. Knowing the last time you checked Windows Update might be good to know. |
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| There is a useful added
feature to the Network app in Settings. That is your Data Usage. I have ATT mobile broadband with a data cap at 50gb per month. It is only for the named connection Ethernet 3, though. My connection changes often over the course of a month. If your is stable, this will probably accurate. |
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| What is most
revolutionary is Microsoft's Bing Artificial Intelligence is now
on the taskbar. It's called Copilot. The icon on the Taskbar is the same as the logo you see here. |
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| Besides asking about
stuff, Copilot can do actual work for you. Like open an app
just by asking. Open Notepad was typed into the AI Search box. My Copilot replied politely and accurately. And presented me with a button that did exactly what I had asked. Notepad did open. |
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| One feature that I found
annoying was that every image I worked with came with a prompt
to turn the image into a chat. I was continually clicking The Ignore button. I find myself now clearing the Clipboard often. |
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This short review just touches on the highlights of what I have found in a short time. Tuesday, September 26, 2023, comes the whole enchilada.
Until then, and certainly before, do as Uncle Sam says...
