If this week had a theme, it’d be “Patch it, prompt it, and please don’t click that.” Windows 11 dropped fresh preview updates, CISA rang the alarm (again) on SharePoint holes and a new ransomware crew, AMD showed off more Zen-5 horsepower (plus a new AI-focused Radeon Pro), and AI labs kept racing so fast that some researchers now admit they’re not sure they can still explain how these models think. Buckle up, Charleston—let’s turn the chaos into calm.
News For The Week:
1) Windows 11 gets fresh preview updates: KB5062660 & KB5062663
Link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/july-22-2025-kb5062660-os-build-26100-4770-preview-9c5bc200-52b6-4c1a-be70-80df6bbfe9c3
Microsoft pushed July 22 preview updates for both Windows 11 24H2 (KB5062660, OS Build 26100.4770) and 23H2 (KB5062663, OS Builds 22621/22631.5699). Highlights include a more readable black-background crash/auto-restart screen and a bundle of quality fixes rolled up from Patch Tuesday. SMBs and home users who like being “first to features” can toggle Settings → Windows Update → “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available.”. Microsoft SupportMicrosoft SupportWindows Blog
If you’ve had preview updates fail repeatedly, you’re not alone—some users report July’s cumulative still won’t install. Keep DISM and SFC handy (details in our Windows Tips below). Microsoft Learn
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2) CISA: SharePoint exploits evolving, ransomware now in the mix
Link: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2025/07/20/update-microsoft-releases-guidance-exploitation-sharepoint-vulnerabilities
CISA updated its guidance on July 24 warning that attackers are actively chaining SharePoint vulns to drop new webshells and deploy ransomware. If your firm still self-hosts SharePoint, apply Microsoft’s mitigations, audit for suspicious webshells, and turn on strict egress filtering and MFA on every remote path. Home users: this is your reminder to stop exposing NAS or RDP to the internet without MFA and updates. CISA
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3) New CISA advisory: Interlock ransomware is targeting North America
Link: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2025/07/22/joint-advisory-issued-protecting-against-interlock-ransomware
A joint advisory dropped July 22 on the fast-rising Interlock crew. Pair that with independent research showing a newer PHP-based variant tied to a Kongtuke FileFix campaign, and you’ve got one more reason to enforce least privilege, patch VPNs, and deploy EDR everywhere. Action items: disable legacy SMB1, require phishing-resistant MFA (FIDO2, not SMS), and test restores from offline backups. CISACybernews
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4) AMD’s week: Zen 5 Threadripper Pro and a Radeon “AI PRO” GPU
Link: https://www.amd.com/en/blogs/2025/amd-introduces-new-zen-5-based-ryzen-threadripper-pro.html
AMD officially launched its Zen-5 Threadripper Pro 9000 WX chips (up to 96 cores) and slipped in the Radeon AI PRO R9700 with 32GB VRAM and RDNA 4 for local AI acceleration—very interesting for privacy-minded SMBs who don’t want cloud inference bills. SI-built systems with the new GPU became available July 23. AMD
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5) Copilot+ PCs: finally worth it for businesses?
Link: https://www.itpro.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/are-copilot-pcs-finally-ready-for-the-enterprise
Analysts say yes: with Windows 10’s end-of-support looming in October 2025, AI PCs sporting 40+ TOPS NPUs are primed to run a lot of generative AI locally—faster, cheaper, and more private than cloud-only workflows. Expect a surge of enterprise refreshes through 2028. Holy City Computer Services can help you decide if you need on-device AI, cloud AI, or a hybrid of both. IT Pro
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6) Anthropic eyes >$150B valuation as AI burn rates skyrocket
Link: https://www.ft.com/content/3c8cf028-e49f-4ac3-8d95-6f6178cf2aac
Claude’s parent company is reportedly in talks to more than double its valuation, raising $3–5B as infrastructure and talent costs soar. Translation for small businesses: competition is fierce, model quality is rising, and pricing—and licensing terms—may keep shifting. Plan your AI stack with portability in mind. Financial Times
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7) Google says AI isn’t killing Search—it’s growing it
Link: https://www.theverge.com/command-line-newsletter/713603/google-search-chatgpt-openai-earnings-ai-race-swag
Per The Verge’s newsletter, Google claims AI Overviews are actually increasing search queries by over 10%, and Gemini now boasts 450M MAUs. Great for users—but website owners may see fewer clicks. Entrepreneurs should diversify lead-gen: think newsletters, SMS, and community channels you control. The Verge
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8) “We may be losing the ability to understand our AIs,” warn researchers
Link: https://fortune.com/2025/07/22/researchers-ai-labs-google-openai-anthropic-warn-losing-ability-understand-advanced-models/
Scientists from major labs caution that the next wave of highly-capable reasoning models could become too opaque to interpret. For regulated SMBs (law, healthcare, finance), this reinforces the need for audit trails, model-output logging, and human-in-the-loop validation. Fortune
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9) Last-minute money: Allstate Main Street Grants close today (July 25)
Link: https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/business-financing/small-business-grants-and-programs
The U.S. Chamber’s CO site flags $20,000 Allstate Main Street Grants (63 awards) with apps due July 25, 6:00 p.m. ET. If you miss it, bookmark their rolling grant calendar—and consider micro-grants like Start.Pivot.Grow. for $2,500 year-round. U.S. Chamber of CommerceLegalZoom
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10) More July grant picks for scrappy solopreneurs
Link: https://www.grantwatch.com/grantnews/7-small-business-grants-entrepreneurs-can-apply-for-this-july/
GrantWatch rounded up seven small business grants (from $500 to $5,000) still open in July. Perfect for that website redesign, cybersecurity training, or your first AI PC. If sorting through applications sounds like pulling teeth—Holy City Computer Services can help you prioritize the tech with the biggest ROI. https://www.grantwatch.com
Windows Tips For The Week:
- Preview-without-pain: If KB5062660/2663 fails to install, run PowerShell (Admin) →
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth→ reboot →sfc /scannow→ retry Windows Update. Microsoft SupportMicrosoft SupportMicrosoft Learn - Turn on “Get the latest updates” to receive non-security previews and new AI features in Paint, Photos, and Copilot earlier: Settings → Windows Update → Get the latest…. Windows Blog
- Ransomware resilience basics: Enable Controlled Folder Access (Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Ransomware protection) and block Office macros from the internet via Group Policy on business PCs. Tie it to your backup drills. CISACISA
- SharePoint on-prem? Run a quick sweep for suspicious ASPX/PHP files in web roots and tighten egress rules so compromised servers can’t beacon out. CISA
AI Prompt Ideas:
“Be my grant-writing coach.”
You are an experienced small-business grant reviewer. I’ll paste my business description. Turn it into a compelling 300-word narrative for a $20,000 Main Street–style grant application. Include: problem, solution, impact on the local community, and how funds will be spent. End with a 5-bullet budget breakdown and a one-sentence mission tagline.
Paste that into your favorite LLM, tweak, submit, win. (Fingers crossed.)
Charleston, if you need help patching Windows 11, buying (or avoiding) an AI PC, securing SharePoint, hardening against Interlock ransomware, or just figuring out which AI tools won’t break your budget, Holy City Computer Services is your partner. Call 843-670-4153, email support@holycityit.com, or visit https://www.holycityit.com. Let’s make your tech safer, faster, and a whole lot less stressful.