Blog Archives

• Remember Microsoft’s plan to give you more control over driver updates? Yeah? No.

  Posted on February 9th, 2020 at 07:35 woody Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  Mayank Parmar over on Windows Latest posted a short epitaph for the anticipated new Windows Update feature:

  

  Back in 2019, Microsoft announced it would add ‘Optional updates’ option to Windows Update settings page. Microsoft said new Optional updates page will let you manage improvements for optional updates such as drivers, monthly feature updates, and non-security patches released every month.

  It looks like Microsoft has changed its mind and new Optional updates setting won’t arrive in Windows 10’s upcoming 20H1 update [a.k.a., Win10 version 2004].

  Looks like it got pulled with no notice to Win10 version 2003 beta testers. Instead, the announcement’s part of the release notes for Windows 10 20H2 Build 19536, the beta version that went out December 16, 2019

  Think of it as a preview to Microsoft’s promised “we’ll stick everything in the Fast Ring but don’t expect it to ship” service.

  Windows 10 Releases Win10 2004, Win10 2010

• Win10 version 1909 File Explorer search box still buggy — but less so

  Posted on February 1st, 2020 at 04:26 woody Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  So you thought the latest “optional, non-security, C/D Week” patch for Win10 version 1909, KB 4532695, fixed the long-standing File Explorer Search bugs?

  Think again.

  As mentioned earlier, Rafael Rivera picked up more anomalies:

  • You can left or right click inside the File Explorer Search box. But if you want to right-click, you must first left-click.
  • It takes two clicks at times to reset the caret position
  • You can’t delete items in the “remembered” list

  Mayank Parmar, over on Windows Latest, has a GIF of the clicking caret bug. Here’s what he says:

  File Explorer’s unified search experience is still a mess and it looks like things won’t get better until Windows 10’s 20H1 update is out. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the new problems with Explorer and there don’t appear to be any workarounds. If you have installed Windows 10 November 2019 Update, you have to accept the possibility of experiencing issues with File Explorer and Control Panel.

  A note from the peanut gallery: Microsoft never did acknowledge the problem, except to explain that they fixed “an issue that prevents File Explorer’s Search Bar from pasting clipboard content using the right mouse button (right-click)” and “an issue that prevents File Explorer’s Search Bar from receiving user input.”

  The Release Status Information page still stays exactly squat about the bug.

   

  Windows 10 Releases January 2020 Black Tuesday, Win10 1909

• Patch Lady – oh yeah, it’s second release time

  Posted on January 23rd, 2020 at 23:01 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  We didn’t have them in December but we’re starting up on the “second” release updates in January.

  So far I see

  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4534321 January 23 for 1809

  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4534308 for 1803

  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4534318 for 1709

  (remember 1703 is no longer supported for anyone)

  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4534307 for 1607 (LTSB)

  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4534324 for Windows 8.1

  Remember these are optional updates and include non security fixes only.  In the case of Windows 10, as long as you don’t “check for updates” they won’t be pushed to your machines.

  I expect that we might see a release for 1903 and 1909 at some point in time before next week.

   

  Windows 10 Releases Patch Lady Posts

• Win10 customers — it’s time to move to Win10 version 1903

  Posted on January 9th, 2020 at 12:37 woody Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  As a card-carrying member of the Ain’t-Broke-Don’t-Fix Society, I’ve been keeping my production machines on Win10 1809. It’s now time to move on – but not all the way to Win10 version 1909, which continues to have a major Search bug.

  We’ve gone three whole months without a major screw-up in 1903, which I take as a good sign.

  Details in Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  P.S. We’re still on MS-DEFCON 2 — there’s no pressing reason to install the December patches just yet. But if you’re running Win10 version 1803 or 1809, now’s a good time to upgrade to 1903.

  Windows 10 Releases Win10 1903

• Bowden: Win10 version 2004 hits RTM, build 19041 – but don’t bring out the confetti

  Posted on December 28th, 2019 at 10:16 woody Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  Per Zac Bowden at Windows Central, Win10 version 2004 (known as 20H1) is now done. Here’s what he said on December 20:

  20H1 is done now. As far as I’m aware, I’m hearing that RTM is now complete. 19041 is the build. Assuming there are no issues, that will be the base that will ship to the public in May or whenever 20H1 goes out to the public. So that release is done. We’re now moving on to 20H2.

  That isn’t an official announcement, of course. Just a short blurb in a Windows Central podcast.

  Emphasis on “assuming there are no issues.”

  Build 19041 was posted on December 10, so it’s been stewing quite a while. Will it end up RTM? Hard to say.

  Windows 10 Releases build 19041, Win10 2004

• Two major bugs continue to dog Win10 version 1909 — A mysterious persistent wake-up call, and the ubiquitous File Explorer Search bugs

  Posted on December 19th, 2019 at 07:54 woody Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  Microsoft said the 1909 upgrade would be easy — a “master switch” change to an already altered Win10 version 1903. It didn’t work out that way.

  I see two persistent bugs with Win10 version 1909:

  • An uncanny ability, on some machines, to wake itself up every day
  • The long-documented File Explorer Search bugs

  This, in addition to all the bugs you expect with changed versions — drivers, installation problems and the like.

  I think that “master switch” metaphor is yet another piece of Microsoft Marketing drivel.

  That said, I fervently hope that Microsoft will revert to one major upgrade a year.

  Details in Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  Windows 10 Releases File Explorer Search, wakeup, Win10 1909

• Significant changes for the FAST ring with latest Windows Insider build

  Posted on December 16th, 2019 at 16:44 joep517 Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  With the latest Windows Insider Preview Build 19536, Microsoft announced a significant change to the FAST ring of the Insider program. FAST ring releases will no longer be tied to a particular Windows 10 release.

  Microsoft says: “Internally, our engineers work in development cycles with various milestones. The active development branch (called “RS_PRERELEASE”) is where the teams check in all their latest code changes into the OS. Moving forward, the Fast ring will receive builds directly from this active development branch and new features will show up in these builds first.” More information is available at Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19536. See the “The Fast ring going forward” section.

  Windows 10 Releases Windows 10 beta, Windows 10 Insider

• Microsoft to start pushing Win10 1809 customers onto 1909

  Posted on December 6th, 2019 at 04:57 woody Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  Nevermind that Win10 1809 Home and Pro don’t officially hit end of service until May of next year…

  Microsoft just announced that it’s starting to push machines from Win10 1809 to version 1909.

  Current status as of December 5, 2019:

  Beginning today, we will slowly start the phased process to automatically initiate a feature update for devices running the October 2018 Update (Windows 10, version 1809) Home and Pro editions, keeping those devices supported and receiving the monthly updates that are critical to device security and ecosystem health. We are starting this rollout process several months in advance of the end of service date to provide adequate time for a smooth update process.

  I can understand a month, or maybe two. But five?

  No indication how the push will proceed. I guess you wake up one morning to find that your 1809 machine wants to reboot into 1909.

  As a service.

  Thx Bogdan Popa, Softpedia.

  Windows 10 Releases pushed upgrade, Win10 1809, Win10 1909
• « Older Entries