Windows 10 Insider wondering where Notepad has gone? Fear not, Microsoft found it down the back of Dev Channel

'Unexpected removal' of crucial format-stripping app reversed in latest build

Forget Linux GPU support, Microsoft has emitted a new Dev Channel Windows 10 build that fixes a far more serious problem: the disappearing Notepad.

Build 20152 arrived overnight and - as well as knocking this hack's test rig out for 90 minutes while it had a good hard think about what the last install had done - initially looked like a return to form for the Windows Insider team. There was very little in the way of new features.

Certainly, after the arrival of GPU support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2, fans might have expected further excitement – perhaps some Windows 10X goodness, or some of the UI changes teased in Microsoft's recent marketing emissions.

Sadly, there were no whizzbang features this time around, just a fix for the Windows Update icon not showing up in the notification area when a reboot is needed and the addition of a "Continue" button to the "Windows needs space to continue" dialog.

However, we were heartened to note that "We fixed an issue that could result in Notepad unexpectedly being removed after resetting your PC."

If you were one of the afflicted, you can restore Notepad via the Optional Features screen, although we'd have to regard Notepad as anything but optional. Losing it would be like seeing a beloved family pet meet an unfortunate end (even though one knows it is long past its prime).

While Notepad's main use for many these days is as a way to remove all the tedious formatting that accompanies copied text, it has been on the receiving end of some fiddling in recent versions of Windows 10, having been a part of the inbox Windows experience since Windows 1.0 in 1985.

Other known issues in this build include problems with Xbox controllers, dimmer screens and a reporting of 0.00 GHz CPU usage in the Task Manager. Notepad is also not always reopening files automatically saved during a restart.

So, while the latest Windows 10 Dev Channel may lack the excitement of the last, the preservation of Notepad is at least a reminder of those halcyon days when all we had to worry about was hitting 88mph in a Delorean and avoiding losing an eye to some of the more excessive examples of the shoulderpad fad. ®