Newsletter Archives

• What’s happening with X-Fi audio and Win10 versions 1903 and 1809?

  Posted on May 8, 2019 at 09:05 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft has already admitted that the new (not yet released) Win10 version 1903 knocks out audio on Creative’s premium — and relatively pricey — X-Fi sound cards. According to the Win10 1903 release notes, dated March 20:

  Creative X-Fi sound cards are not functioning properly. We are partnering with Creative to resolve this issue.

  A (purported) Creative engineer posted on Reddit last week:

  We have a couple driver packages coming up in the next few days that will address these issues. Titatnum, XtremeMusic, and XtremeGamer cards will be included with the fixes. I’m expecting to see them go live by the end of this week.

  “The end of this week” has come and gone, with no new drivers in sight.

  Our own @radosuaf has warned us about the problem — but not just with Win10 1903, which is still in beta. He’s seeing the same problems with the latest “second second” cumulative update for Win10 1809, KB 4495667:

  I reinstalled the drivers twice, removed the device and installed again – nothing. Removed tha update – works flawlessly.

  Which sure sounds like a retrograde patching bug.

  Anybody else seeing this bug?

  Windows Patches/Security KB 4495667, X-Fi

• Could somebody tell me: Is the latest Win10 1809 cumulative update, KB 4495667, forced or optional?

  Posted on May 4, 2019 at 07:40 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  There’s a kind of unwritten rule that the first cumulative update each month gets pushed onto Win10 machines, and the second is an “optional” update — meaning you have to intentionally click on “Check for updates” (or download and install it) in order to get it going.

  That’s considered acceptable behavior because the second updates are, traditionally, non-security updates. There’s no urgency in installing them. You only get bit if you’re a sucker, er, seeker and click Check for updates.

  When the latest Win10 1809 cumulative update, KB 4495667, rolled out yesterday, it included the standard first-Tuesday admonition:

  Install this update

  This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update.

  I thought it was odd at the time, and fretted about warning people with an AskWoody Alert. Then shortly after the KB article appeared, @abbodi86 eased my fears and said it was for seekers only. I checked the KB article and it had been modified to say:

  Install this update

  To download and install this update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select Check for updates.

  … which is the common “optional” non-security patch warning. That’s what the KB article says at the moment. Somebody slipped in a change to the KB article without mentioning it. Happens all the time. Since Google doesn’t cache KB articles, there was no way for me to verify the before-and-after contents.

  But then Susan Bradley got hit.

  @msftsecresponse https://t.co/8OvPkFV06U is this an out of band update otherwise why are you pushing it out to non seekers? The documentation says that it will only be installed if you check for updates. I didn't check, you pushed it. I'm in CA not impacted by Japanese era pic.twitter.com/dLIzQ7s6f9

  — Susan Bradley (@SBSDiva) May 4, 2019

  The behavior Susan saw corresponds to the first version of the KB article, not the second version. Susan’s in California and doesn’t work with Japanese-era dating. Understand that this is the “second second” Win10 1809 cumulative update for April — it’s the latest patch for Win10 1809, not the stopgap issued on May 1, KB 4501835.

  So which is it, Microsoft? Will the KB 4495667 patch get pushed onto Win10 1809 machines that aren’t actively blocking patches? Or did somebody screw up big time?

  Again?

  Windows Patches/Security KB 4495667, KB 4501835

• Confused by the second April Win10 1809 cumulative update and the second second update? You aren’t the only one.

  Posted on May 3, 2019 at 16:34 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  On May 1, Microsoft released the second cumulative update for the April cumulative update for Win10 1809. It’s KB 4501835, and it brings Win10 1809 up to build 17763.439. As I explained at the time in Computerworld:

  Oddly, in the Microsoft Catalog, the latest [KB 4501835] cumulative update is listed as:

  2019-05 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1809

  … whereas in the past, these 1809 laggards have been identified with the previous month. I would’ve expected “2019-04 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1809.” A foolish inconsistency.

  With me so far? It’s about to get crazy (and drive @PhotM nuts).

  On May 3 (today), Microsoft released its second second cumulative update for the April cumulative update for Win10 1809. (Say that ten times real fast.) It’s KB 4495667 and it brings Win10 1809 up to build 17763.475.

  Got that?

  Sooooo… what is this new update called? Why it’s the

  2019-05 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1809

  No, there’s no echo in here.

  Microsoft has apparently resolved, ahem, the discrepancy by renaming the former cumulative update

  2019-04 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1809

  without fanfare. If you check the Microsoft Catalog listings, you’ll see that it’s been renamed.

  @rpodric had a prescient tweet on this very subject earlier this morning, after the second cumulative update and before the second second cumulative update:

  @AskWoody

  Have you ever heard why MS doesn't actually label Win10 updates as it does Win7's? Otherwise, it's not super-easy, at least for me, to tell which is what type. pic.twitter.com/ey8Fcbp3VL

  — Rick (@rpodric) May 3, 2019

  and with that I think I’m ready for a drink. Thx @PhotM, @Kirsty

  Windows Patches/Security April 2019 Black Tuesday, KB 4495667, KB 4501835, Win10 1809

• Microsoft issues a *second* second April cumulative update for Win10 version 1809, KB 4495667

  Posted on May 3, 2019 at 14:04 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Remember how we were waiting for MS to finally ship the second April cumulative update for Win10 version 1809? And how, when it arrived, nine out of the ten listed fixes involved the Japanese Era bug?

  @EP just pointed me to another little “post E-week” release. Just a couple of hours ago, Microsoft released KB 4495667, the third April cumulative update for Win10 version 1809.

  And it’s a doozy. All of the Japanese Era fixes plus dozens more. Most of the bugs in the April 9 (Patch Tuesday) patch are still there – although the Custom URI Schemes for Internet Explorer bug was fixed.

  More than that, this isn’t a typical “optional non-security” second monthly cumulative update. Microsoft’s going to push it out the Automatic Update chute. I haven’t seen it yet, but it’ll probably arrive shortly.

  Great news on a Friday afternoon.

  P.S. No, you shouldn’t install it.

  P.P.S. No, it hasn’t yet appeared on my 1809 machines.

  Windows Patches/Security KB 4495667, Win10 1809