Windows Weekly 962

December 2025's Patch Tuesday brought major shifts, but the real action is in Microsoft's pricing, privacy battles, and the arms race to control AI-enabled browsers. Plus, Paul recommends Tiny11 Builder for a clean install, or Win11Debloat for an existing install. Then, Rufus to create installation media without the forced Microsoft account (MSA) sign-in or hardware requirement checks. Use MSEdgeDirect to use the default web browser for stories from Widgets, web-based search results, etc. And ExplorerPatcher can fix the performance and reliability issues in File Explorer.

It’s the final Patch Tuesday of 2025

• Major dark mode updates (with a fix for the “flashbang” problem)
• AI Agent in Settings, Click to Do, Windows Studio Effects, and Search improvements for Copilot+ PCs
• Many other improvements: FSE, Share, Settings, Widgets, more

More Windows 11

• New 25H2 preview build on Beta/Dev adds MCP public preview, Quick Machine Recovery auto-enabled, Unified Update Orchestration Platform, Windows MIDI services

Microsoft 365

• Microsoft 365 is getting a lot more expensive in mid-2026. You didn’t think all those free AI updates were free, did you?

AI 

• Paul has been talking about “programmatic” apps and services because he wasn’t sure of a term for this type of interaction. But there is a term for this: Semantic. As in semantic web. And there you go
• Microsoft one of 1,000 companies partnering on Agentic AI Foundation because you’re getting agents whether they work or not
• Gartner says NO to AI web browsers
• The New York Times is suing Perplexity for all the obvious reasons
• After a big win in the legal battle with OpenAI
• Opera for Android gets a big AI update
• Google Workspace Studio brings code-free agent creation to business users - automation is a solid AI use case

Xbox

• Xbox Series X|S notably absent during Black Friday sales
• Call of Duty won’t repeat the mistakes of the past anymore since it didn’t work out twice now
• MS Flight Simulator 2024 is now available on PS5
• Red Dead Redemption comes to mobile for the first time, free with a Netflix account

Tips & Picks

• Tip and app(s) of the week: De-enshittify Windows 11
• RunAs Radio this week: Incident Management and the Crowdstrike Event with Liam Westley
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Old Farm Pennsylvania Straight Rye Whiskey

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Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

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• Transcripts: Windows Weekly 962 Transcript

Links

• Windows 11’s December Patch Tuesday Update Improves File Explorer’s Dark Mode
• New Windows 11 Insider Build Brings File Explorer and Settings Connectors for AI Agents
• Microsoft 365 Commercial is Getting More Expensive in 2026
• When AI Works ⭐
• Microsoft Partners on Agentic AI Foundation for Interoperability
• Gartner: All AI Browsers Should be Blocked for Foreseeable Future
• The New York Times is Suing Perplexity Over Copyright Infringement Allegations
• OpenAI Must Turn Over ChatGPT Logs in New York Times Case
• Opera for Android Gets a Major AI Update
• Google Workspace Studio is Now Available
• Call of Duty Will Stop Doing Back-to-Back Releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops Games
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is Now Available on PlayStation 5
• Netflix Brings Red Dead Redemption to Android, iPhone, and iPad
• Tiny11 Builder
• Rufus
• MSEdgeRedirect
• ExplorerPatcher
• Incident Management and the Crowdstrike Event with Liam Westley
• OLD FARM ​PA RYE WHISKEY