The December 2021 Update (KB5008215) for Windows 11 is now available through Windows Update and is part of Patch Tuesday. In this patch Windows 11 gained new emojis in Fluent-style developed by Microsoft. The novelty is in line with the company's other programs such as Skype, Microsoft Teams and more.
The new emojis have a modern look and feel and follow the general design of Windows 11. However, even with the redesign, the emojis are still in 2D. Microsoft even promised 3D emojis for Windows 11, but it wasn't this time. At least Clippy, Microsoft's former mascot, has been added in place of the paper clip emoji.
For those unfamiliar with Clippy, it appeared in the Microsoft Office suite in the early 2000s. Due to many requests, the Microsoft mascot is back. This was when Microsoft asked users if they would like to see Clippy in the operating system.
Among the bug fixes that arrived with the KB5008215 update, one of the main ones is the resolution of a bug that caused slow storage drives (SSDs).
Windows 11 causes NVMe SSDs to slow down for 3 monthsWhen you look for updates on Windows Update, you will see the following description on the screen:
"2021-12 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 for x64-based Operating Systems (KB5008215)"
How to download the update now
To get the performance improvements provided by the new Windows 11 update, follow these steps:
Step 01: Click on the Windows flag in the lower left corner to open the start menu.
Step 02: Select the gear symbol in the left corner under the column.
Step 03: Scroll down and select "update and security".
Step 04: Select "check for updates".
Step 05: Select "Download and Install" under updates.
Intel's new graphics driver fixes stability issues in Windows 10 and 11Manually download and install update KB5008215
You can download KB5008215 update for Windows 11 (64-bit and 32-bit x86) manually here. After accessing the Microsoft Update catalog page, follow the steps below.
Step 01: When accessing the Microsoft Update catalog, there will be several updates available. You should find the patch compatible with update KB5008215 for Windows 11 version.
Step 02: Select the "download" button next to the version of Windows 10 you want to download.
Step 03: Right click on the link and select "save as" to start the download.
Update Summary for Windows 11 Update KB5008215 (Build 22000.376)
Below you can see the main fixes and improvements made through the Windows 5008215 KB11 update:
- Fixed an issue preventing File Explorer and the desktop shortcut menu.
- Fixes animation of taskbar icons.
- Fixes Bluetooth audio issues.
- Fixes several issues with File Explorer.
- Fixes an issue that affects Start menu performance and reliability.
Update KB5008215 fixes performance issues with SSDs
Several users have reported performance issues with their SSDs on Windows 11. Update KB5008215 finally fixes this issue.
The SSDs performance drop complaint has been going on for 3 months now. There were users who used CrystalDiskMark and AS-SSD to determine the state of the hardware. Tests done show that Windows 11 makes NVMe SSDs dozens of times slower. The bug specifically affects random write while other metrics are not affected. With Windows 11 Build 22000.376 this issue has been resolved and now follows the same performance as the storage drive in Windows 10.
As per the KB5007262 update changelog, the speed of SSDs is being affected due to a feature called "NTFS USN journal".
Other bug fixes and improvements brought in Windows 11 Build 22000.376
According to Microsoft, Windows 11 Build 22000.376 has fixed a bug that caused Internet Explorer to crash when trying to copy and paste text. Another bug caused File Explorer to crash when closing the window right after browsing directories.
Also fixed a bug that affected the desktop context menu when trying to create shortcuts for applications using "DirectoryBackground". In addition, the animation of the taskbar icons and the volume control of Bluetooth devices has been improved.
Unfortunately, the drag and drop function on the taskbar has not been implemented in Windows 11. However, Microsoft fixed an issue that caused flickering when hovering the mouse arrow over icons on the taskbar.
Below are other bug fixes that have been resolved in this latest update:
- Microsoft has fixed an issue that causes rendering issues with subtitles in some videos.
- Microsoft has fixed an issue that may affect the performance of Task View, Alt-Tab or Snap Assist.
- Microsoft has fixed an issue that can cause Windows Mixed Reality to crash when you disable the Headset Presence Sensor option.
- Microsoft has fixed printing issues.
- Microsoft has fixed a bug that could cause temporary loss of audio.
- Microsoft fixed font rendering issues.
- Microsoft has fixed an issue that may crash or block some apps on devices that have a touchpad.
