Windows 10 preview brings improvements to gaming, security and HDR video playback

Microsoft has introduced a fresh preview build of Windows 10 with a raft of new features on board.

Build 17093 makes several tweaks that the privacy-conscious and gamers will appreciate. In the former case, as we saw a couple of weeks ago, Windows 10 now lets users view diagnostic data (which is sent back to Microsoft) collected on their machine – and the button to delete this data from the PC is now live.

You’ll find that option under Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & Feedback.

And on the gaming front, Microsoft has tweaked the Game bar, making it more user-friendly, and adding a new clock, as well as a choice of themes. New buttons have been tacked on, too, for toggling the mic and camera, accessing captures, and editing the title of your Mixer stream.

Windows 10 now allows for HDR video playback to be switched on under Settings > Apps > Video playback, and there’s a new calibration tool to help you tune the way HDR video appears on your PC. That said, the calibration utility is currently labelled as ‘experimental’, so the results may be a tad unpredictable. Such is the life of a beta tester.

Getting graphic

Microsoft has also introduced new graphics settings for PCs with multiple GPUs, which take precedence over any other graphics control panels (from AMD or Nvidia). You’ll find the new options by heading to Settings > System > Display, then scroll down and click on the ‘Advanced graphics settings’ link.

This allows you to specify a certain GPU for any given app, choosing whether you want to use integrated graphics (power saving) or discrete (high performance).

A load more tweaks have been implemented, which include a host of improvements for those using the eye control accessibility feature to navigate Windows 10 just by looking around the desktop.

Windows Defender is now called Windows Security in the Settings page, and a Device Security section allows for management of your device’s security features, plus it provides security status reports.

The Edge browser has been further refined with a ‘clutter-free’ printing option, which allows you to print web pages without any adverts or any other unwanted bits and pieces appearing on the printout.

There are many more minor changes besides these, and for the full list, check out Microsoft’s usual lengthy blog post, which also clarifies the known issues with this new preview build.

• Some of the best laptops of 2018 run Windows 10

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