Windows Weekly 992: Gassy Jack

Microsoft's July 2026 Patch Tuesday just shattered records with hundreds of bug fixes, and AI is the force behind the surge. Are we witnessing the beginning of a safer Windows, or is this flood of vulnerabilities the new normal? Plus, Tony Redmond's epic book has a new name (was Office 365 for IT Pros) and is now a bundle of four books.

Windows

• Patch Tuesday is here! • Point in Time Restore, quieter Widgets, Windows Update improvements, Screen tint, and more • The biggest Patch Tuesday in history, by far: a record 570 fixes for security flaws, and a huge 3X increase from the then-record flaws fixed last month. (Some say the number is 622. Math is hard.) And this is on top of 468 Microsoft Edge/Chromium flaws that were fixed by Google this month too. Yikes. • Microsoft discusses how it's improving Windows security with AI • Windows Insider Program: Improved Windows Search is next on the docket, heading out to Experimental this week. Question: When do these things hit stable? • Microsoft releases Snapdragon X2 versions of its Surface for Business Pro and Laptop models

AI

• Apple sues OpenAI for stealing trade secrets • Surprised there was no talk of "thermonuclear war" • OpenAI's response is hilarious, and it is already prepping its first hardware device • OpenAI just announced the rumored super app, which is a combination of ChatGPT, Work, Codex, and an in-app web browser, which replaces the standalone Atlas web browser. Also, GPT-5.6. • In keeping with recent history, Anthropic announced its in-app web browser for Claude less than 24 hours later • Reminder that Microsoft acknowledged that it, too, is working on an AI super app at Build • Apple releases public betas of its OS 27 releases and, shocker, Siri is really good • Now Spotify has an AI chatbot so I can tell it how much I hate Spotify

Xbox and gaming

• Obsidian is working on a new Fallout • game, duh. • A quiet time after last week's terribleness

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Microsoft 365 for IT Pros (2027 edition) is here! • App pick of the week: MusicBee • RunAs Radio this week: Finding Security Vulnerabilities using AI with Sami Laiho • Brown liquor pick of the week: Sanctuary Single Malt Whisky Reserve Edition

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:

blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT helixsleep.com/windows