Microsoft Weekly: Windows 11 26H1 is official and not-so-infinite Halo

This week's news recap is here, with the latest stories about the Windows 11 26H1 announcement, bugs with Windows 10 support, the end of Halo Infinite, new preview builds, gaming news, reviews, and more.

Quick links:

1. Windows 10 and 11
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Reviews are in
5. Gaming news
6. Great deals to check

Windows 11 and Windows 10

Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions.

Following the discovery of Windows 11 version 26H1 in update code, Microsoft officially announced the first H1 release for its operating system. It is coming soon as a special release for "certain silicon," which is most likely Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 chips or even Nvidia's upcoming PC processors.

Windows 10 is no longer supported, and as such, its market share is dwindling, particularly among gamers. Valve reports that as of November 2025, 31.14% of all survey participants reported using Windows 10. In one month, the operating system lost 3.94 points, while Windows 11 climbed to a new all-time high of 63.57%.

Microsoft announced that on Windows 11 version 25H2, it is no longer possible to authenticate devices on NTLM and Kerberos with duplicate security identifiers.

Those on Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2 should also check out this guide, which explains how to fix duplicate Task Manager processes. They can eat up a massive chunk of your PC resources, so you'd better know how to clean them up before Microsoft has a permanent fix. By the way, the company often fixes Windows bugs with the Known Issue Rollback feature, and there is now a new post that explains the magic behind it.

There is also another useful article that details how to speed up File Explorer by disabling certain useless features. Microsoft also used File Explorer as an example for the updated context menus in WinUI-based apps, but at this point, it is unknown if the company plans to bring those improvements to the Windows shell.

Speaking of bugs, this week, Microsoft mistakenly flagged Windows 10 PCs in the ESU program as unsupported. However, the company quickly admitted the mistake and reassured users that their computers would continue receiving security updates. Additionally, Microsoft confirmed yet another BitLocker bug forcing users into BitLocker Recovery.

Do you remember Microsoft simplifying Windows Update names? Forget about it. Following community backlash, Microsoft is reverting the new scheme to include more information in Windows Update names.

Finally, check out our interview with Jason Banta, AMD's Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Client OEM, where we discuss Ryzen compatibility with the next major Windows release, system requirements, Copilot+ PCs, and more.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

Microsoft Edge has received updates and improvements to its built-in password manager. It can now store and sync passkeys across devices, offering users a more secure and convenient authentication method. However, for now, it is only available on Windows.

Finally, check out our overview of the latest additions to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, which includes several useful features for Edge, Outlook, Copilot, Teams, and more. Besides adding stuff, Microsoft is retiring certain things, particularly in Excel. In addition to that, Microsoft apologized for the misfired price increase of the Microsoft 365 subscription earlier this year and offered a refund.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

• SmartScreen for Internet Explorer and IE Mode on Windows 11 are now deprecated

• Microsoft inks $9.7 billion deal to secure computing power for its AI

• Microsoft to invest $7.9 billion in UAE AI and Cloud Infrastructure by 2029

• Microsoft's Mustafa Suleyman says AI is definitely not conscious

• Microsoft and NVIDIA seek to help UK agentic AI businesses

• Microsoft now lets employees raise concerns anonymously

• Microsoft announces a major change for Configuration Manager

• Microsoft rolls out the MAI-Image-1 AI image generator model on Bing

Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week:

• Nvidia 581.80 with support for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Anno 177, and more. By the way, if you play old Forza titles, stay away from the 580 branch. These drivers break Forza Horizon 3, Motorsport 7, and Motorsport 6: Apex, and the only way to play these titles on Nvidia GPUs is by rolling back to driver 576.88.

Reviews are in

Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week

This week, we reviewed the iContact Pro 4K, an odd webcam that tries to solve a common webcam problem by mounting the camera on a retractable arm. Does it work, though? Check out our review here.

Steven Parker reviewed the MINIX ER937-AI, a fully-qualified Copilot+ PC with built-in Windows Hello and an AMD processor for under $920. While the computer offers excellent performance, a premium build, and good thermals, it suffers from a weak SSD, the lack of a card reader, and a hefty price tag.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more.

Halo Infinite is not-so-infinite anymore. Despite the promise of making the game a ten-year-old platform for Halo, Halo Studios is discontinuing the title to focus its efforts on future games. Halo Infinite has received its final update, and it is no longer supported.

If you feel like Battlefield 6's multiplayer is a bit too extreme for you, Battlefield Studios now offers a solution: Relaxed Mode. This casual mode still offers XP gains for players, with most of the players on servers being bots.

The latest additions to Game Pass are here. Microsoft is adding Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Dead Static Drive, Egging On, Voidtrain, Great God Grove, Pigeon Simulator, Winter Burrow, and other titles. Some games are leaving the service as well, so be sure to check out the complete list here.

New games are also available in GeForce NOW, Nvidia's cloud streaming service. They also include Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and other titles, such as Europa Universalis V, 7 Days Blood Moons, Voidtrain, Virtual Fighter 5 R.E.V.O., and more.

Deals and freebies

Also, check out this week's Weekend PC Game Deals for more discounts across various storefronts.

Other gaming news includes the following:

• Wider Steam store pages are now rolling out to everyone as Valve targets the front page next

Great deals to check

Every week, we cover many deals on different hardware and software. The following discounts are still available, so check them out. You might find something you want or need.

• 40-inch Samsung oDyssey G7 G75F 180Hz Monitor - $749.99 | 38% off
• Razer Blade 14 Black, Ryzen AI 9 365, RTX 5070, 32GB RAM - $1,799 | 14% off
• 34-inch Dell 34 Plus Curved Monitor - $329.99 | 21% off
• The Pixel 10 lineup - 25% off
• Microsoft Surface Pro Keyboard for the Surface Pro 12-inch | 20% off
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 256GB - $899.99 | 31% off

• ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB - $599.99 | 7% off

• 27-inch LG 27GX704A-B Ultragear QHD monitor - $499.99

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