1 Narrator Changes2 Known Issues
You may remember Microsoft first started previewing the dark theme for File Explorer in May. As the name of the theme suggests, the app will get a black side panel and title bar. Microsoft says the latest preview release completes its plans for the dark theme on File Explorer. That means the theme is ready for Windows 10 Redstone 5. The nest major upgrade release for Windows 10 is expected to land in October, likely called the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. These days the Windows Insider Program is a busy place. Microsoft is releasing Redstone 5 branch previews and working beyond that build on the Skip Ahead branch.
Although, we know the build carrying the File Explorer dark theme is a Redstone 5 release. In fact, it brings the branch up to preview build 17733. While the dark theme is the headline grabber, there’s no doubt build 17733 is geared towards the Narrator. Microsoft has announced numerous improvements and fixes for the Windows 10 feature.
Narrator Changes
The XAML shadows have been taken offline and acrylic has been removed from some popup controls. They will be back in a later build. Fixed an issue from recently flights where the touch keyboard might become invisible on the screen. Fixed an issue in recent flights where components of a notification with a progress bar (like the one when using nearby sharing) might flash every time the progress bar updated. Fixed an issue where on certain devices if you reset your device and chose to keep files, after logging back into Windows the Sound Settings page would be unresponsive. Fixed the issue where the High Contrast dropdown flashed when the values were changed. Fixed the issue where Narrator couldn’t access all the emoji in the Touch Keyboard’s emoji panel. Fixed the issue where Narrator didn’t say “selected” after image was selected using the keyboard. Fixed the issue where Touch Narrator’s focus remained on the word even after deselecting it. Fixed the issue where the Narrator key got sticky when using the Mouse Mode command. Fixed the issue where Narrator’s Command Restore Default dialog was not read by Narrator. Fixed the issue where Narrator’s copy and paste feature would say “selection removed” but the selection remained. Fixed the issue where Narrator automatic dialog read the Command key Assignment dialog twice. Improved the Narrator experience when moving by character and announcing phonetic pronunciations. Fixed the issue where Narrator focus and keyboard focus got out of sync after navigating TreeView controls. Fixed the issue where Narrator misread the Calculator app’s display on focus for values over 100. Fixed the issue where when launching Narrator QuickStart using the link in Narrator Settings, the Narrator icon would appear in the taskbar. Fixed the issue where Narrator couldn’t read the label of the Word document recovery dialog. Fixed the issue so Narrator can now navigate the New Notepad Status Bar contents. Fixed the issue where Narrator Scan mode navigation didn’t progress after tabbing onto a link. Fixed the issue where Narrator navigated out of the Microsoft Edge browser window using Scan mode on some web pages. Fixed the issue where Narrator crashed when Developer Mode was in use and the generated string to display was null. Fixed the issue where Narrator continuous reading got stuck on a table element in some HTML emails.
Known Issues
Microsoft has also detailed the following known issues accompanying this build:
Your PC will bugcheck (GSOD) when deleting a local folder that is synced to OneDrive. Clicking a link to launch one app from another app may not work for some Insiders. When you upgrade to this build you’ll find that the taskbar flyouts (network, volume, etc) no longer have an acrylic background. When you use the Ease of Access Make Text bigger setting, you might see text clipping issues, or find that text is not increasing in size everywhere. On Windows 10 in S Mode, launching Office in the Store may fail to launch with an error about a .dll not being designed to run on Windows. The error message is that a .dll “is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again…” Some people have been able to work around this by uninstalling and reinstalling Office from the Store. When using Narrator Scan mode you may experience multiple stops for a single control. An example of this is if you have an image that is also a link. When using Narrator Scan mode Shift + Selection commands in Microsoft Edge, the text does not get selected properly. A potential increase in Start reliability and performance issues in this build. After setting up a Windows Mixed Reality headset for the first time on this build with motion controllers, the controllers may need to be re-paired a second time before appearing in the headset. When using a Windows Mixed Reality immersive app, saying “Flashlight on,” may fail to activate the flashlight feature even though the status appears as active on the Start menu. If you install any of the recent builds from the Fast ring and switch to the Slow ring – optional content such as enabling developer mode will fail. You will have to remain in the Fast ring to add/install/enable optional content. This is because optional content will only install on builds approved for specific rings.
