After years of frustration, Windows has quickly addressed two significant issues that have long annoyed users. One problem seemed to be a bug, while the other was maddeningly tedious. However, within a month, Microsoft introduced two key updates to its Windows operating system that finally resolve these issues for users worldwide.
These improvements are just two of many recent enhancements; Microsoft has also upgraded the Start menu, among other features.
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### Say Goodbye to a Drained Laptop Battery
Windows appears to have fixed a bug where the “Update and shut down” feature didn’t actually shut down the computer. Instead, it restarted the device, which could lead to a drained battery when users thought their laptops were turned off.
The “Update and shut down” bug was so persistent and widespread that it even became the subject of memes. Thankfully, the madness came to an end late last month with an October 28 update from Microsoft. The update plainly states the fix:
> **Improved:** Addressed underlying issue which can cause “Update and shutdown” to not actually shut down your PC after updating.
This fix means users can now trust that their laptops will fully power down after updates, preventing unexpected battery drain.
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### Windows Now Makes It Easy to Add Em Dashes — Writers, Rejoice!
The other fix is great news for writers fond of the em dash (—). In the past, inserting an em dash required the tedious ALT + 0151 keyboard shortcut. For those who regularly switch between a MacBook and a Windows machine, this was a particularly annoying inconsistency.
If your keyboard lacked a numeric keypad, the task was even more difficult. Many users resorted to copying and pasting the em dash from a text file or using imperfect plugins and workarounds.
Now, Windows offers a simple way to insert en dashes and em dashes while typing:
– Press **Windows logo key + Minus (-)** to insert an en dash (–)
– Press **Windows logo key + Shift + Minus (-)** to insert an em dash (—)
Note: If the Magnifier tool is running, pressing Windows logo key + hyphen (-) will zoom out Magnifier instead of inserting an en dash.
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### Justice for the Em Dash?
This change could help restore the reputation of the em dash.
With the explosive rise of ChatGPT and other AI writing tools in recent years, one telltale sign that someone might be using a chatbot to generate text was the frequent use of em dashes. Writers abhorred this stereotype because phrases set off by em dashes add rhythm and voice to news articles.
Since ChatGPT is trained on millions of news articles, em dashes naturally appeared often in AI-generated content. This association unfairly gave the em dash a bad reputation, as if their presence in a text was a signal that the writer was cheating.
With Microsoft’s long-overdue update making em dashes easier to use, they may start appearing more frequently in human-written copy. As this punctuation mark becomes more common in everyday writing again, the stigma surrounding it could fade. This change might rightfully restore justice for the em dash.
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### Are More Windows Fixes on the Way?
Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 last month. Users who have been holding out on switching to Windows 11 might see these updates—and more to come—as a sign that Microsoft is committed to making its operating system more user-friendly.
These improvements aim not only at attracting new users but also at pleasing power users who have been frustrated for years by Windows quirks.
Stay tuned for more updates as Microsoft continues to refine Windows for all users.
https://www.makeuseof.com/windows-em-dash-update-and-shutdown/
