5
Fév, 2021

Windows 10 versions 1909 and 2004 are « ready for broad deployment »

Microsoft changed the status of the Windows 10 operating system versions 1909 and 2004 to broad deployment on February 3, 2021. The new status changes how the operating system versions are offered on customer devices.

Up until now, users had to install the updates manually, e.g. by selecting the « check for updates » button in the Windows Update settings, or by installing the upgrade using the Windows Update Assistant. Updates to a new version of Windows 10 are only offered to systems if no known update blocks are in place. Update blocks prevent the installation on devices with potential or known issues.

New updates are released under the « targeted deployment » status initially which limits the availability to devices that are the most likely to be fully compatible with the new release

windows 10 1909 2004 broad deployment

The new « broad deployment » status unlocks the update for all users via Windows Update.

Windows 10 version 1909 was released in 2019, and consumer editions of the operating system version, Windows 10 Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstation, will run out of support in May 2021. Enterprise edition support runs out in May 2022 thanks to extended support.

Windows 10 version 2004 was released in May 2020 to the public. Availability was limited in the beginning, and a number of upgrade blocks were set by Microsoft to block the upgrade from being offered to incompatible devices. The release was not as catastrophic as that of Windows 10 version 1809, arguably the worst Windows 10 version release in history as it had critical issues that could cause data loss, unbootable systems, and other issues. Microsoft even had to pause the release for an extended period before it offered it again to its customers.

Support for Windows 10 version 2004 will run out on December 14, 2021 for all supported operating system editions, consumer and Enterprise alike).

Windows 10 version 20H2 is the newest version of Windows 10. It is not ready for broad deployment yet, but systems can be upgraded to it via Windows Update or manual installation. The operating system version is supported for 18 months on consumer devices and for 30 months on Enterprise devices. Upgrades from Windows 10 version 2004 to 20H2 won’t cause as many issues on devices as updates from a previous year’s release because of the minor nature of the update.

Windows 10 version 2004 has two issues listed on its Health Dashboard. The issues affects devices with Conexant ISST audio drivers, and might cause stop errors, blue screens and other, unmentioned issues, after updating devices to the version of Windows 10.

Now You: Do you run Windows 10? If so, which version, and why? (via Deskmodder)

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Windows 10 KB4592438: Watch out for these issues in the latest update

With Windows 10 KB4592438 cumulative update, Microsoft has delivered a fix for a highly frustrating ‘Blue Screen of Death’ bug that has been crashing PCs with Intel NVMe SSDs drives since May. Unfortunately, the update comes with multiple issues, according to user reports on the forums.

Like the November 2020 updates, Windows 10 KB4592438 for version 2004 and version 20H2 also appears to be problematic in terms of installation for some users. In addition to the installation problem, users are reporting a couple of other bugs as well including an issue where spikes in CPU and memory usage are observed.

Note that users have also encountered these issues when applying Windows 10 KB4592449 for version 1909 and 1903.

KB4592438 fails to install

The primary issue again appears to be an installation problem where Windows 10 will try to download the update in the loop and the process will fail with generic error messages, such as 0x8007000d, 0x800f0922, etc.

For example, one error message states that “some update files are missing or have problems. We’ll try to download the update again later. Error code: (0x8007000d)”.

If you are one of those affected by the installation failure problem, your best bet may simply be to use the Media Creation Tool for an in-place upgrade. Or you can also pause the update temporarily.

Performance issues

On Reddit and Microsoft answers forum, users are reporting that Windows 10 December 2020 cumulative update is causing lags when opening and closing programs.

Others have also noted that the update has caused a massive spike in resources usage (CPU and RAM).

“I am getting some weird spiking CPU usage after my update. Like shooting up to 100% up and down with just a browser open,” a user noted in a post on Reddit.

“Certain windows applications such as Task Manager, Disk Management and Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security lag severely when the window is moved by dragging it around the screen. CPU usage goes up to around 25-30% on one core,” another user highlighted the same problem in the Feedback Hub.

There are a couple of other bugs which have been reported, including Blue Screen of Death errors. Likewise, some AMD users have reported that they’re getting ‘Application error’ when launching programs like Command Prompt.

Some users have also reached out to us with complaints of Blue Screen error, Bluetooth and other problems after December patches.

If you are one of those hit by the latest Windows 10 update failure, there’s no known solution or workaround, but you can always uninstall the update and hit on the pause button.

The post Windows 10 KB4592438: Watch out for these issues in the latest update appeared first on Windows Latest

Windows 10 KB4586781 fails to install and causes other bugs

Windows 10 KB4586781, which was released in the second week of November, appears to be a fairly stable release when compared to older updates but it’s also plagued with installation issues.

Microsoft’s latest cumulative update doesn’t just fail to address a bug that performs TRIM command on non-SSD drives—but once again introduces installation issues, and other minor gremlins.

The good news is that Windows 10’s November 2020 update is not crashing devices with Blue Screen of Death error. We haven’t seen reports of system crashes or critical issues after users applied the patch. Worst problems only to be affecting a very small subset of users and the update installation problem is more widespread.

This month, Microsoft has released cumulative updates for Windows 10 version 20H2, 2004, 1909, 1909, and other supported versions.

Windows 10 KB4586781 fails to install

Unsurprisingly, there have been incidents of the KB4586781 update failing to install and most people have avoided the issues by simply pausing the update.

In some cases, Windows 10 2020-11 cumulative update fails to install due to error code 0x8007000d.

“Some update files are missing or have problems. We’ll try to download the update again later. Error code: (0x8007000d),” another error message reads.

Others are reporting that Windows Update takes longer than usual to apply the patch and the process ultimately fails with error 0x800f0831.

“The update downloads and installation goes to 100%. After reaching 100%, the update fails with 0X80070308,” another user noted in the Feedback Hub.

Some users have also noted that Microsoft Edge now takes longer than usual to open up and the mouse pointer keeps on blinking after they applied the patch.

Luckily, most Windows 10 problems have been mirror this time, which is good news as the October cumulative update caused all kinds of issues, including system crashes and Blue Screen errors.

Microsoft has a lot of work to do to fix the installation trouble. Plus, there are a lot of Windows 10 problems that are still not fixed. For example, an issue where Windows 10 tries to optimize the hard drive with unsupported TRIM command remains unpatched.

Temporary user profile

After applying November 2020 cumulative update, some users have again reported the temporary user profile bug.

Microsoft hasn’t officially acknowledged the temporary user profile bug, which has been a race condition and result of an issue in the update installation process or antivirus software, so it’s not exclusive to any particulate update.

“Recent Windows update at work pissed me off today by obliterating all user settings, dozens of desktop shortcuts and replacing my user login account as though I started it from scratch,” one user noted on Reddit.

“[Update] wiped out all the customization on the taskbar and desktop. It also changed the desktop image and wipeout history in MS Office,” another user said.

If the update is in the installation process, Microsoft could actually fix the temporary user profile issue in the next major feature update, which should be out next year.

The post Windows 10 KB4586781 fails to install and causes other bugs appeared first on Windows Latest

7
Nov, 2020

Microsoft will enforce Windows 10 version 1903 upgrades because of end of support

Windows 10 version 1903 will reach end of support next month on December 8, 2020 for all supported editions of the operating system. The version of Windows 10 was released on May 21, 2019 and Microsoft has released three newer versions of Windows 10 since that date.

End of support means that Microsoft won’t release security updates anymore for the version of Windows 10. Systems that are not updated may be vulnerable to security issues discovered after support for the version of Windows ends.

Windows administrators have two main options when it comes to the upgrades: Windows 10 version 1909 or Windows 10 version 2004/20H2. The first is a smaller update that should complete in a matter of minutes, the second a full update that will take longer. Downside to installing Windows 10 version 1909 is that it will run out of support in May 2021 if a Home or Pro edition is installed.

Enterprise and Education customers get 30 months of support for the second feature update of a year, while Home customers get only 18 months regardless of time of release.

windows 10 version 1903 end of support

Microsoft will enforce updates of systems that have run out of support or are about to run of support. A reminder was published to the Windows Message Center on November 6, 2020 about the upcoming end of support:

Reminder: End of service for Windows 10, version 1903 – December 8, 2020

All editions of Windows 10, version 1903 and Windows 10 Server, version 1903 will reach end of service on December 8, 2020. After this date, devices running these editions of Windows will no longer receive security updates. We recommend that you update these devices to a supported version as soon as possible to continue to receive monthly quality updates with security and non-security fixes.

The latest Ad Duplex stats have Windows 10 version 1903 listed as the third-most installed version of the operating system. Windows 10 version 2004 is placed first, Windows 10 version 1909 second. About a fifth of all installations are still on Windows 10 version 1903 according to the statistics. The statistics are collected by a third-party and may not be entirely accurate. Microsoft does not release information about the distribution of Windows 10 versions to the public.

Systems will be updated automatically using the built-in update functionality of the operating system if it is enabled and not blocked somehow. According to German site Dr. Windows, systems will be updated to version 1909 and not a newer version. The reason given is that it speeds up the updating process and that the update is less prone for causing issues.

Now you: do you use Windows 10? Which version are you on?

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft will enforce Windows 10 version 1903 upgrades because of end of support appeared first on gHacks Technology News.