Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22579 lets you name folders in the Start Menu, adds CD Playback in Media Player
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22579 has been released for users in the Developer Channel. It lets you name folders in the Start Menu, adds CD Playback in Media Player, and more.
What's new in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22579
Add Names for Start Menu Folders
Windows 11 Build 22579 allows you to name folders to help users organize their shortcuts.
All existing directories (and new folders that you create), have the name Folder by default, to rename it, open the Folder and click on Edit name, type the new name and hit Enter.
Print Experience Update
Programs that use the CPrintDialog to display the Print Dialog, will use the new design as the Print Queue's style that was introduced in the previous build. The new dialog will automatically discover local network printers, and if you choose a new printer it will be installed directly, without switching to the Settings app.
Audio CD playback in the new Media Player
The new Media Player app that replaced Groove Music, has a new option in the sidebar, Audio CD. You can use it to browse tracks on disc-based media directly from the program. The CD playback option is available in version 11.2202.42.0 of the app.
Image Credit: Microsoft
Note: I don't see the Audio CD tab in the Media Player, it's either being A/B tested or because my computer doesn't have an optical drive.
New gestures to switch between apps
Build 22579 introduces 2 new multi-finger touch gestures, use three fingers to swipe left or right, to switch between apps. While these function similar to the touchpad gestures in the stable version of the OS, the touch-screen gestures appear don't use Alt + Tab's app switcher in Microsoft's demo.
Task Manager displays the Run New Task button on all pages.
Get Started app adds Recommended Sites
The Get Started app, which tailors the user experience, now displays "Apps and sites we think you'll love". Previously, this screen only recommended apps. The new suggestions are only available on devices which have EN-US as the system language. Microsoft will add support for other locales in the future, along with personalized site recommendations.
IT admins can exclude removable USB drives from encryption
A new Windows Policy is available in Build 22579, that IT admins can use to exclude removable USB drives (e.g. cameras, voice recorders, medical devices, etc) from BitLocker encryption, so they don't get encrypted accidentally. Instructions to enable the new policy are available on the announcement page for this build, along with a full list of known issues and fixes in it.
New Open With Dialog and File Explorer Tabs have been removed
The redesigned Open With Dialog that was introduced in Build 22567, has been removed from Build 22579. Microsoft says that this is a temporary removal, and that the new style would be added back after some underlying performance issues have been addressed
The File Explorer Tabs that users could activate using ViveTool in Build 22572 no longer works with the latest build. Trying to re-enable the option gives an error in the utility. This was an unannounced feature, the fact that it has been removed suggests that it was either not ready even as a hidden option, or was causing other problems, like the "unintentional ads" that were displayed in the previous build.
Fixes in Windows 11 Build 22579
An issue that was causing slow Wi-Fi network speeds in the previous build has been patched. Cellular network connections should now work on devices. A problem that was preventing Gaming Services from running, and in turn causing games to not install or launch, has been resolved. Middle-clicking a program's icon will now open another instance of it. Some crash issues related to Explorer and Task Manager have been mitigated. The Start Menu will no longer display animation effects if you turn them off
You can download the Build 22579 ISO images from the official page (requires a Microsoft account).
The lack of major improvements in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22579 is probably because Bug Bash 2022 is underway (March 16th to 22nd), the developers are likely busy monitoring the event to work on fixing issues that are discovered by users.
Looking at those tiny folders in the start menu, and thinking how ugly that design is, so much worse than even KDE…
*adds CD Playback in Media Player*
Sorry which decade are we in again? I seem to have woken up in the 90s!
No seriously, which media player doesn’t already do this? What was so wrong with WMP 11 or 12 that it couldn’t simply be updated and a new player had to be made from scratch?
And of course, yet another release of W11 Start Menu that merely attempts to restore feature parity with W10. This is not how “upgrades” work Micro$oft.
W11 is unable to let the user to put a direct access in the start menu. It’s unable to let the user to put a single direct access in the taskbar neither. Absolutely crap! Absoluty sadness and absolutely nonsense! W11 is a disaster! Worst OS downgrade I have ever seen! :[
Why everything in Windows 11 is so large and ugly? Was it made for blind users and children only? I miss a compact UI and more information density. I’ll have to buy an 8k monitor and set it at 100% DPI to make Windows usable again.