- Windows 11’s August Update is now available
- It comes with a new feature aimed at restoring a PC not starting
- There is also an important solution for ironing out stability problems that players have with Windows 11 24h2
Windows 11 has a new update available that makes some smart introductions, including a fresh PC recovery ability and an important solution for players.
August Patch for Windows 11 24H2 (known as KB5063878) brings a new Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) feature, which is a very welcome addition, but this is something I deeply hope I never have to see.
That’s because this functionality – which is in -depth for all Windows 11 users, which is highlighted by Windows latest – is designed to help restore your PC from a starting error. These are the most awful of computer scenarios where you can’t even get to the desktop, and of course it makes it difficult to troubleshoot what has gone wrong with your system.
In these cases, QMR represents a new choice in the Windows Recovery environment (which can be accessed to try to restore a non-booting PC), where windows 11 use a local network connection to send diagnostic data regarding the systemhalting problem to Microsoft. The idea is that this data (hopefully) can be used to find a solution and that this cure can automatically be patched through.
In short, your PC will arrange itself, which is a good idea, of course, although as I already said, I never hope to use this functionality because I would rather not encounter a boot -fiasko in the first place. (These are rare events, fortunately.)
There is also a big addition to Copilot+ PCS with August Patch, which is the implementation of the first AI agent ever in Windows 11. This ‘Windows Agent’ is a resident of the setting app and offers a way to find the options you need with a minimum of fuss. Essentially, it is an AI -driven search that uses natural language – so you can ask questions in a conversation way, and it will also suggest recommended settings for what you’re looking for.
Although this change is only for Copilot+ laptops, there is also a fine tuning that traditional Windows 11 PCs get, whereby the search box in settings has been moved to a better, more visible position, centered at the top of the panel.
This latest patch also makes the black screen of death – a more streamlined version of the old blue screen – official, though I have doubts about whether this is an improvement.
The August Update for Windows 11 also solves the various game -related stability issues that have been present in version 24H2, which is a huge blessing for players -and there is also a new gamepad layout for the virtual keyboard on us.
For further details of this patch, see my overview of the preview release that came out late in July, which is essentially the same update (when still in testing as an optional upgrade).
Analysis: Slick Quick Fix Trick?
The highlight here, at least in terms of the features that come to all Windows 11 -PCs (not just Copilot+ devices), is Quick Machine Recovery (QMR). This feature will live or die on whether it works well and how useful it turns out to solve boot errors – even if it is said, every chance of some extra help will get your PC to actually reach the desktop.
The good news is that Windows latest has tried QMR and observed that it has been implemented well enough (although the tech site did not test it with an actual boot-tailing problem).
It is worth noting that when Microsoft previously tested QMR in Preview -Builds, the company said it would be turned on by default for all Windows 11 home users. It makes sense as there really is no reason not to turn on this functionality for everyday people (business users get the decision from their IT administrators).
Okay, so maybe some home users may not like the idea of sending any Data via the cloud to Microsoft, but when it is diagnostic info that can cure your PC, so it starts, which saves you a big headache in the process, I think even the more paranoid would admit that this is a more than valuable change. And if Microsoft does not have QMR by default, the average user may never be aware of the feature, or benefits from it if their PC hits a showstopping error that prevents it from booting.
Apart from that, the game fix is also a big one. Some players running Windows 11 24h2 have become seriously frustrated by crashes in them as Fortnite, so hopefully this will reduce the curtain on the dull episode. (24H2 has been very problematic for PC players that you might remember.)
The AI agent is a great addition to Copilot+ PCS, and using AI to strengthen search is a theme that Microsoft pushes on with – it is an obvious way to give more depth to a commonly used ability in different windows. Previously, Microsoft Windows 11’s head search (via the taskbar) peppered with AI, which was good to see. In addition, recall is another such trick to Copilot+ PCs, though one I remain convinced.
