Category Archives: 2019.05

Windows 10 Version 1903 Off to a Great Start

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Third-party data provided by AdDuplex implies that Windows 10 May 2019 Update, or Windows 10 version 1903, has already been showing early signs of success, since it’s share of the market more than doubled in the first week of availability.

AdDuplex says Windows 10 May 2019 Update now operates on 1.4% from the Windows 10 devices available, despite Microsoft using a gradual rollout to devices worldwide.

Windows 10 April 2019 Update, that was launched more than a year ago, remains the leading version of Windows 10 having a share of 61.1%, ahead of the October 2018 Update, or version 1809, that is now running on 31.3% of all Windows 10 computers.

“The October update fiasco”

While the October 2018 Update increased its share by 2%, its adoption is still the slowest of Windows 10 versions released so far, and it’s all for a good reason.

Published in early October, this update was pulled a couple of days later after Microsoft discovered a critical bug potentially causing the removal of user files kept in libraries. After being re-released greater than a month later, the update continued to experience other issues, eventually convincing a substantial area of the userbase to obstruct the upgrade.

Judging from these early numbers around the May update, different happens with version 1903, which to date turns out to be running rather smoothly on my small devices.

The other great news for Microsoft would be that the older versions of Windows 10 which are no more supported for Home and Pro SKUs, are declining at a fast pace. Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is currently running on just 2.9% of Windows 10 devices, as the older Windows 10 Creators Update and previous versions all hold an industry share of 3.2%.

As many as 0.2% of devices have been updated to Windows 10 preview builds included in the Insider program.

Windows 10 version 1903, May 2019 Update, releases – Download it now

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Windows 10 version 1903, Windows 10 May 2019 Update, is officially available as a free update for compatible devices starting May 21, 2019. This is actually the seventh feature update rolling the desktops, laptops, and tablets introducing a brand new group of features and enhancements to boost the productivity and security.

Microsoft first provided the May 2019 Update on April 8, 2019, in the Release Preview ring. Then on April 18, the official ISO file is made obtainable in the MSDN website, and today, starting May 21, the final version is available to everyone.

However, unlike previous releases, the May 2019 Update will be different to previous rollouts, because this time around, Windows 10 will no longer force the feature update to device. Instead, once it’s officially availble, users will get a notification, and only whenever you initiates the process manually, Windows Update will download and install the new form of automatically. In case your device is running a release that’s nearing to the end and services information, then Windows 10 will try to set up the feature update automatically.

How you can download Windows 10 version 1903

Starting on May 21, 2019, the new version can be obtained as a manual download using the Media Creation Tool, Update Assistant, or clicking the Upload now button within the Windows Update settings after you get the notification confirming the update is prepared for your device.

When you click on the install button, your device will reboot, and complete the upgrade process automatically, much like when installing a regular monthly update. The only difference is that this process will take a far more time to apply.

Upgrading towards the May 2019 Update

Should you can’t hold back until the update is available automatically, there are a few ways to upgrade immediately. You can use the Media Creation Tool to perform an in-place upgrade without losing your files, apps, or settings. Or even use the same tool to carry out a clean install of the May 2019 Update, which can help to resolve previous problems including performance issues.

As always the company is also releasing the Update Assistant, which is a tool that allows you to force the upgrade from the Windows 10 May 2019 Update.

In addition, you may also download the ISO file with version 1903 to do a clean or in-place upgrade utilizing a USB bootable media.
What’s new with Windows 10 May 2019 Update

In this first semi-annual update of 2019, Windows 10 is introducing a slew of improvements and several new features, but it’s just an incremental update compared to previous versions.

For example, with version 1903, you’ll get a new system light theme that expands to the Start menu, taskbar, action center, and flyout menus, and you’ll notice several Fluent Design changes, such as shadows for context and drop-down menus and acrylic effect in the Sign-in screen.

Cortana and check are now two seperate features, which you can disable independently from the taskbar, and also the Search experience continues to be updated with a brand new interface, activities from Timeline, along with a narrow your search of your most typical applications.

Windows Sandbox is yet another big feature that introduces a light-weight isolated environment to check untrusted apps without having affected your device. Quite simply, it’s a little demonstration of Windows 10 of around 100MB in dimensions, enough to install and run classic programs isolated from the main installation.

To be able to reduce issues while installing updates, beginning with the May 2019 Update, there’s a brand new feature called “Reserved Storage,” which sets aside area of the system storage for updates. Whenever a new update is available, Windows 10 will delete the files on the reserved storage automatically allowing updates to set up successfully.

The Settings app introduces a brand new homepage with a header design, which surface your individual information, alongside status for Windows Update, Microsoft rewards, as well as your Phone feature, much like the visuals that you’ll see in the Microsoft account online. Also, there’s a brand new feature that detects and fixes common problems on your installation of Windows 10 automatically, and this update delivers a new Emoji panel which include symbols, such as for punctuation, currency, geometric, math, Latin, and language symbols.

You can learn more about all the additional features and enhancements coming this year within this guide.

While you might wanting to install the Windows 10 version 1903, noisy . days major releases are recognized to ship with unknown issues, bugs, and compatibility problems. Consequently if you’re planning to wait a little longer, it’s the time to configure your system to prevent Windows 10 from installing the May 2019 Update to some later date.

The brand new version won’t significantly change the way you utilize Windows 10, but it should improve the experience.

You can start downloading the new semi-annual feature update starting May 21. If you wish to avoid problems during after the upgrade, you can use this guide having a quantity of tips for a successful upgrade.

Microsoft Releases Windows 10 Cumulative Updates KB4499147 and KB4499162

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Microsoft has released two new cumulative updates for older versions of Windows 10, and they both included plenty of non-security bug fixes.

Today’s updates are KB4499147 for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709) and KB4499162 for Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703).

What’s worth noting is that neither the Fall Creators Update nor the Creators Update are supported for Home and Pro SKUs, so these updates are shipped simply to devices run by Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise.

KB4499147 increases the OS build number to 16299.1182, also it resolves a problem causing looping redirects between Microsoft Edge and Ie 11. There are also other fixes which are specifically targeted at enterprises, as this patch that resolves a sign-in error when using a clear or null password with Windows Defender Credential Guard enabled.

The entire changelog is embedded in the box following the jump.

“Just one known issue”

Cumulative update KB4499162 has the same changes, so it also resolves problems with Microsoft’s browsers, while also bringing improvements for the Microsoft Office productivity suite. One type of the changelog, again embedded below, states the next:

“Addresses an element that causes Microsoft Office along with other applications to prompt for a password after you change a person account password. This problem occurs on hybrid Azure Active Directory (AD) joined systems.”

Both updates come with a single known issue, and Microsoft says it’s focusing on an answer and it’d be shipped within an upcoming update. This bug prevents certain operations, such as rename, on files or folders which are on a Cluster Shared Volume (CSV).

There are no reports of failed installs to date, but they’re unlikely to make the rounds anyway given the two Windows 10 versions targeted by the new cumulative updates only operate on a small number of devices.

NVIDIA Rolls Out STUDIO Graphics Driver 430.86 – Get It Now

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NVIDIA has made available a new graphics driver, namely the 430.86 Studio package, which supplies an optimal experience for that latest releases of top creative apps, such as Autodesk Maya 2019, 3ds Max 2020, Arnold 5.3.1.0, Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 16, and Daz 3D Daz Studio.

Moreover, this release includes support for GeForce GTX 1650 (desktop) and GeForce GTX 1660 Ti/GTX 1650 (notebook) GPUs, is compatible with seven new G-SYNC monitors, and could be used along with Oculus Rift S and HTC VIVE Pro Eye HMDs devices.

In addition to that, NVIDIA manages to resolve several difficulties with Arnold app, ensures Resolve Studio UHD performance doesn’t drop, fixes Photoshop v20.0.4 crashes encountered with Quadro RTX 5000 cards, and corrects several problems as highlighted in the Release Notes below.

When it comes to compatibility, the 4 available files are just ideal for the 64-bit variants of Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating, and can be utilized on either desktop and notebook configurations.

However, remember that two there packages are targeted at Windows 10: one DCH (Declarative, Componentized, Hardware Support Apps) and one Standard file. To see what is ok for your configuration, locate Driver Type underneath the System Information menu in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

Therefore, for those who have encountered these issues, save the appropriate file for your computer’s operating-system, run it, wait for all data necessary for cellular phone to become extracted, and follow all instructions displayed on the screen for a complete and successful upgrade.

Once finished, be sure to perform a system reboot to permit all changes to take effect properly. If this task isn’t requested automatically by the wizard, it would be a good idea to carry it out manually to ensure that any possible problems are avoided.

That said, download NVIDIA STUDIO Graphics Driver 430.86, put it on in your device, and constantly check our web site to stay “updated about a minute ago.”

Buggy Drivers Block Windows 10 May 2019 Update on AMD Devices

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In case your computer comes with an AMD processor and also the installing of Windows 10 May 2019 Update fails, you’re not alone.

Microsoft has recently confirmed that installing Windows 10 May 2019 Update could fail on devices with certain versions of AMD RAID drivers with the following error:

“AMD Ryzen? or AMD Ryzen? Threadripper? configured in SATA or NVMe RAID mode.

A person is installed that causes stability problems on Windows. This driver is going to be disabled. Seek advice from your software/driver provider for an new version that operates on this form of Windows.”

Specifically, AMD RAID drivers that are over the age of 9.2.0.105 are causing this issues, which means you need to update to a minimum of this version of a newer release so that you can install the May 2019 Update.

“No upgrade block in position just yet”

While the update might be offered to AMD devices anyway, the entire process of installing the brand new Windows 10 feature update fails soon after beginning the process.

“On computers which have AMD Ryzen or AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, certain versions of AMD RAID drivers aren’t compatible with the Windows 10 May 2019 update. If a computer has these drivers installed and configured in RAID mode, it cannot install the May 2019 update of Windows 10. If you start cellular phone process, the process stops,” Microsoft says.

Microsoft hasn’t introduced an upgrade block for the impacted AMD devices, so make sure you update towards the new edition of the drivers, especially if you see the May 2019 Update pending for installation in Windows Update.

Windows 10 May 2019 Update has created in waves to devices around the globe, as this approach allows Microsoft to detect any potential bugs before they hit a considerable quantity of devices. Users who wish to manually install the update can look to the Media Creation Tool.

How Microsoft Will Handle Windows 10 End of Service Deadlines

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Pushing all devices to the latest version of Windows is one thing that proved to be impossible on several occasions, even for a business how big Microsoft.

Back in 2014 once the software giant discontinued Windows XP, the 2001 operating system was still being running on some A quarter of the PCs worldwide. And today, more than five years since it went dark, it has a share of the market of more than 2 percent.

History is set to repeat with the end-of-support of Windows 7 in January 2020, but additionally when older Windows 10 versions reach their retirement date.

As this happens every six months, as per Microsoft’s own schedule, the organization must make sure that users update to the latest Windows 10 version to carry on to receive updates.

With the approaching Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803) set for November 12, 2019, Microsoft is embracing a completely different approach.

The May 2019 Update, the latest stable form of Windows 10, will be pushed to devices running Windows 10 April 2018 Update and older automatically via Windows Update. What this means is Windows Update will download all of the necessary files simply by itself in the background and then prompt for any restart when it’s ready to initiate the update to Windows 10 version 1903.

Even though many believe it is really an aggressive approach that reminds of forced updates, Microsoft says it’s embracing this system because it’s virtually the only method to keep devices updated.

“We will begin updating devices running the April 2018 Update, and earlier versions of Windows 10, to ensure we can continue to service these devices and supply the latest updates, security updates and enhancements,” John Cable, Director of Program Management, Windows Servicing and Delivery, says.

To make sure the forced update scandal isn’t coming back, Microsoft is giving users more time to determine when you should update.

As the April 2018 Update is set to be retired for Home and Pro computers in November, the automated rollout on Windows Update will start the following month. What this means is users may have some six months to decide when you should update.

“Automatic updates starting in June.”

“We are beginning this machine learning (ML)-based rollout process several months prior to the end of service date to supply adequate here we are at an even update process,” Cable said.

Moving forward, the same system will be used for future Windows 10 updates too. Once the second update of the season, currently codenamed 19H2, goes live, Microsoft should then prepare the retirement of the October 2018 Update, and therefore provide the new update automatically via Windows Update to devices running version 1809.

“For Windows 10 devices that are at, or within several months of reaching, end and services information, Windows Update will automatically initiate an element update; keeping those devices supported and finding the monthly updates which are critical to device security and ecosystem health,” Cable notes.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have no other choice rather than update. Disabling Windows Update, which is something Irrrve never recommend, obviously blocks a brand new OS feature update from being placed on your device.

Additionally, you can use dedicated policies (if available on your Windows 10 version) or pause updates to further delay the deployment of a new Windows 10 version.

At first glance, Microsoft’s new approach appears to seem sensible, but there’s without doubt there’ll be users frustrated their devices got updated automatically. This is why I think Microsoft should insist harder on making everyone aware of this new system and, more essential, why it’s utilizing it, because otherwise, it’s forced updates all over again.

Microsoft Confirms New Issues in Windows 10 May 2019 Update

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Windows 10 May 2019 Update has become readily available for download, and Microsoft is now focusing on resolving any problems that users might encounter to be able to move forward with the public rollout.

The organization has confirmed three issues in the May update, and every one of options are under investigation as we speak, with users recommended to avoid upgrading until a fix goes live.

“Display brightness might not respond to adjustments”

First of all, this is an issue that just exists on Intel devices, and according to Microsoft itself, it?¡¥s the result of a driver compatibility error.

“After updating to Window 10, Windows 10 version 1903, brightness settings may sometime appear as if changes applied took effect, the actual display brightness doesn’t change,” Microsoft explains.

The workaround in this case is to reboot your device to apply brightness changes, and Microsoft says it blocked the replace on devices that could be influenced by the problem. A fix obtained care of, with no ETA for the time being.

“Audio no longer working with Dolby Atmos headphones and home theater”

Next, Microsoft states that some Dolby Atmos devices could experience lack of audio after installing the May update due to a licensing configuration error.

“This occurs because of a problem having a Microsoft Store licensing component, where license holders are not able to connect to the Dolby Access app and enable Dolby Atmos extensions,” Redmond says.

No workaround is available in this example, and Microsoft promises a fix in mid-June.

“Duplicate folders and documents showing in user profile directory”

Users installing Windows 10 May 2019 Update could end up with empty folders in libraries when they redirected known folders.

“This can happen if known folders were redirected when you made a decision to back up your articles to OneDrive while using OneDrive wizard, or you chose to back up your articles throughout the Windows Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE). This may also occur if you redirected your known folders manually with the Properties dialog box in File Explorer. This issue doesn’t cause any user files to become deleted along with a solution is happening,” Microsoft notes.

No workaround are available for this issue either, and Microsoft says a fix is coming later this month.

Microsoft Launches Windows 10 May 2019 Update

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Microsoft has just announced that Windows 10 May 2019 Update, or Windows 10 version 1903, is now readily available for download for select users via Windows Update.

The May 2019 Update, which brings improvements like Windows Sandbox along with a new light theme, has created to users gradually, as Microsoft really wants to make sure that issues in the OS won’t become widespread and affect a significant quantity of devices.

“We will be taking a measured and throttled approach, allowing us to review device health data once we increase availability via Windows Update,” John Cable, Director of Program Management, Windows Servicing and Delivery, explains.

Beginning today, users can manually check for updates in Windows Update to download the May update.

“Gradual rollout”

However, it’s important to know that everyone has got the update with the manual download option, because the company embraces a more cautious method for this method as well.

“You may not see Upload now on your device as we are slowly throttling up this availability, in the end carefully monitor data and feedback,” Cable notes.

Next month, Microsoft plans to ship the May update to devices running Windows 10 April 2018 Update, or Windows 10 version 1803, because this particular release approaches the end of support.

“We will start updating devices running the April 2018 Update, and earlier versions of Windows 10, to make sure we can continue to service these devices and supply the latest updates, security updates and improvements. We’re starting this machine learning (ML)-based rollout process many months prior to the end of service date to supply adequate here we are at an even update process,” Cable says.

Microsoft offers to keep close track of everything related to the May update, and it really wants to detail bugs inside a new health dashboard available here. It remains to be seen how smooth the rollout of this new OS feature update is going to be, until then, only a few users could possibly get it, therefore the impact associated with a possible bug remains low.

How to Fix Windows 10 Bug Causing a System Restore BSOD After Installing Updates

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Microsoft has recently acknowledged another issue in Windows 10, as the company discovered that if a number of conditions are met, the operating system could end up unable to boot to the desktop.

Bugs in Windows 10 are nothing new, but however, the ones wearing down the operating-system in a manner that makes it impossible to reach the desktop are the most critical, especially as troubleshooting them isn’t something which can be done by the average Joe.

In the official advisory, Microsoft explains what triggers the bug.

First and foremost, Windows 10 should be clean-installed on a device, meaning the operating system should be recently deployed on your own (not upgraded from a previous version).

Users, Microsoft explains, must then enable system protection and make up a restore point, something that many of us do today to make sure that no information is lost in case a critical issue is encountered. System restore is really a feature which comes built into Windows by default.

Next, the machine should be updated with at least one patch, Microsoft continues. When you’re ready, should you attempt to restore the device for some reason towards the restore point you created earlier, the process might fall with error 0xc000021a. The BSOD forces a system reboot, only for the computer to then fail to boot to the desktop.

Microsoft explains what causes the bug in the technical advisory linked above:

“During the machine restore process, Windows temporarily stages the restoration of files that are being used. After that it saves the data within the registry. When the computer restarts, it completes the staged operation.

In cases like this, Windows restores the catalog files and stages the driver .sys files to become restored when the computer restarts. However, once the computer restarts, Windows loads the existing drivers before it restores the later versions from the drivers. Since the driver versions do not match the versions of the restored catalog files, the restart process stops.”

Since you are no longer in a position to boot to the desktop, you have to depend on the WinRE, or Windows Recovery Environment, to revive the device. In WinRE, you must take this road:

Troubleshoot > Advanced options > More recovery options > Startup settings > Restart now

Once the device reboots, in the startup settings screen, choose the option called:

Disable driver signature enforcement

Microsoft says that, at this point, the unit should reboot and finish the machine restore task that you started earlier. However, remember that the process might take a while to accomplish, so just be sure you do not interrupt it.

Additionally, the software giant says that Windows users can also avoid the issue from happening on their own devices utilizing a relatively easy workaround. All they have to do would be to launch the machine restore from WinRE, and not from the settings screen. To do this, follow this path in Windows 10:

Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced options > Restart now

When WinRE loads, click these options after which follow the instructions on screen:

Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System restore

The bug seemingly exists in most Windows 10 versions, and despite Microsoft not saying it specifically, a fix is presumably within the works already. The following Windows 10 feature update is the May 2019 Update due later this month, but it remains seen if a resolution is included or not. Until a fix lands, you should try to avoid this issue while using method above.

Microsoft Warns Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB4494441 Breaks Down Some Websites

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Microsoft has confirmed another issue within the latest round of cumulative updates for Windows 10 shipped as part of the May 2019 Update.

The organization says these latest updates break up some government websites in the united kingdom, because they no longer load in Ie and Microsoft Edge. All websites should work as expected in other browsers, like Google Chrome and the Chromium Microsoft Edge.

“After installing the May 14, 2019 update, some gov.uk websites that don’t support HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) may not be accessible through Ie 11 or Microsoft Edge,” Microsoft says.

The organization claims it is already investigating the issue and working on a resolution, but a fix is going to be released at another time. Not one other info continues to be provided on the ETA, but Microsoft says it wants to roll it “as quickly as you possibly can.”

“Use another browser”

As for the cumulative updates wearing down these UK government websites, they are the following:
Windows 10 version 1809: May 14, 2019-KB4494441 (OS Build 17763.503)
Windows 10 version 1803: May 14, 2019-KB4499167 (OS Build 17134.765)
Windows 10 version 1709: May 14, 2019-KB4499179 (OS Build 16299.1146)
Windows 10 version 1703: May 14, 2019-KB4499181 (OS Build 15063.1805)
Windows 10 version 1607: May 14, 2019-KB4494440 (OS Build 14393.2969)
Windows 10 original version: May 14, 2019-KB4499154 (OS Build 10240.18215)

Ironically, these cumulative updates were supposed to introduce improvements for gov.uk websites, as per the state change logs:

“Adds “gov.uk” to the HTTP Strict Transport Security Top Level Domains (HSTS TLD) for Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.”

It remains seen whenever a fix lands for impacted devices, but in the meantime, the easiest workaround is either to uninstall the cumulative update completely or just switch to a different browser if this is possible.