Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16241 Refines Fluent Design And GPU Task Manager Features

The headlining feature of Build 16241 is a further refinement to the Windows Shell. Cloud Self Service Password Reset (Cloud SSPR), which comes with Azure AD Premium (AADP), now supports full integration with Windows 10. What that means is if you somehow forget your password or PIN, you can reset your credentials and get back in to Windows directly from your lock screen. Microsoft says that this integration is means to unburden helpdesks, which is definitely music to the ears of IT warriors that put up with forgotten password tomfoolery on a regular basis.

Microsoft has also made some subtle changes to the noise layer that is featured in the Acrylic Material component of the new Fluent Design System. It takes a keen eye to spot the differences, but there is an overall “softer” look to the opacity effects.

There are also a number of improvements/fixes for mixed reality hardware, which should be fully supported within the Fall Creators Update. Microsoft has added support for USB motion controllers. There have also been changes made to improve connection reliability, 4K 360 Video streaming performance, and headset stability when immersed within a mixed reality session. In addition, mixed reality captures can now be shared (reliably) to Facebook.

• The GPU section within Task Manager, which was first introduced with Build 16226, has also received a number of refinements:
• The GPU name is now shown on the left-hand side of the Performance tab for each GPU.
• We now default to the multi-engine view, which shows performance monitors for the four most active GPU engines. Typically you’ll see charts for the 3D, Copy, Video Encode and Video Decode engines. Right-click on the chart to switch back to the single-engine view.
• There is now a total GPU memory text counter next to the dedicated and shared text counters at the bottom of the Performance tab.
• The Direct X version now also contains the highest supported DX feature level.

There are two more advanced options available that allow you to optimize how much bandwidth updates consume on your machine. This is particularly helpful for those on metered connections. Microsoft has also included an activity monitor that shows how much bandwidth that updates have utilized from other PC on your network, Microsoft, or other PCs on via the internet.

Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that you can now grab Canonical’s Ubuntu Linux Distro directly from the Windows Store. It is supported in Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds 16215 and higher.