Items tagged with windows update
On Friday, Microsoft released another patch to fix some outstanding issues when printing graphical images in Windows 10. It appears that quality assurance is certainly struggling this month; however, as many users are reporting the update has failed to install with error code 0x80070541. While the error code may be largely useless, there is a workaround if you must install the update. Last week, Microsoft provided a separate workaround for a printer issue that was causing blue screens of death (BSOD), among other problems. This stemmed from printer driver incompatibilities and was easily fixed by an optional patch just two days later. Afterward, some users found they could not print graphical...
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As Windows updates from Microsoft roll out, older versions begin to drop off and out of support. The Windows 10 Spring 2019 Update has been kicking around for over 19 months, and it is time to go. Now, to help Windows 10 version 1903 to the grave, Microsoft has been pushing automatic updates to get those devices to the Windows 10 Spring 2020 Update. Updating devices is an important part of keeping people and computers secure, and Microsoft wants to make sure that the Windows ecosystem is healthy. Now, Windows 10 version 1903 has reached its end-of-life, and it will need to be updated. Back in June of this year, Microsoft began forcefully updating PCs from version 1903 without warning, and...
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Microsoft typically delivers two big updates for its Windows 10 operating system each year: one in the Spring, and one in the Fall. There are of course smaller updates interspersed between those releases, but Microsoft appears to be switching things up just a bit going forward. The company announced this week that it will in the future deliver Windows Feature Experience Packs to customers, which will be separate from the bigger Spring and Fall releases. According to Microsoft, the Windows Feature Experience Packs will allow it to "improve certain features and experiences that are now developed independently of the OS." At this time, Microsoft is limiting the initial crop of Feature Experience...
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Microsoft really wants you to upgrade Windows 10 to the latest version, delivered via the May 2020 Update. So much, in fact, that is once again pushing out its KB4023057 update, which takes a series of measures to prep your PC for the upgrade, some of which you might wish to avoid. Like resetting your network settings and blasting away certain registry keys, for example. To be fair, keeping Windows 10 fully updated is the best course of action for most people, as it ensures you have access to all of the features and security protections available. And with Microsoft playing it somewhat conservative with rolling out the May 2020 Update, for a lot of people KB4023057 could be a good thing—you...
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Microsoft's Windows 10 May 2020 update has been slowly rolling out over the last few weeks but this update has unfortunately brought a wide variety of issues with it. Most recently, some users have been unable to utilize the Windows 10 “Fresh Start” tool since the installation of the latest update. The Fresh Start tool allows users to install a clean version of Windows 10 on their device, perhaps recovering proper functionality from a cluttered or malfunctioning image. Users are able to keep some of their personal files, but the tool removes various third-party apps and even Microsoft Office. As a result currently, after this update, users will need to reinstall any apps...
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Microsoft delivered the first production, public release of its new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser back in January. However, Windows 10 users actually had to go out and “seek” the software from Microsoft’s website and download the executable to install it on their machines. Now, however, Microsoft is rolling out the browser through Windows Update, which should make it available to a broader range of Windows 10 users. Windows 10 is currently installed on over 1 billion PCs around the globe, so that will give Microsoft a huge footprint with the Edge browser. According to the KB4559309 support article, Microsoft Edge will be pushed to Windows...
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Microsoft has admitted that there was a problem with the KB4535996 update that it released in late February. Microsoft admitted the issue in the update only a couple of days ago, several days after users first began complaining about problems after installing the update. Microsoft said that it is "aware of issues" with signtool.exe after installing the KB4535996 optional update for Windows 10, version 1903, or Windows 10, version 1909. The workaround Microsoft offers for the flawed update is to uninstall KB4535996. Microsoft has also promised that it is working on a solution to the problem with the update and expects a new update to be available in mid-March. Windows users everywhere certainly...
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Many computer users know that Microsoft doesn't email you about Windows updates, but many people unfortunately still fall for spam tricks. There is a new malicious spam campaign going around that tells users to download a critical Windows update. If users install the attached file, Cyborg ransomware is then loaded on the system. The threat was discovered by researchers at Trustwave, and is said to be unique in a few ways. The attached file claims to be a .jpg format, but it opens as an .exe file. Another of the email's unique aspects is that it has a two-sentence subject that states, "Install Latest Microsoft Windows Update now! Critical Microsoft Windows Update!" The body of the email has only...
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Windows 10 1903 build 18362.329 (KB4512941) landed on the production ring as an optional update a short while ago. Some people who installed the optional update are now fighting a problem where their machine has spiked an abnormally high CPU resource consumption issue. The Windows 10 build was a cumulative update that fixed several issues that Windows 10 users had previously been experiencing, only to introduce this new, potentially more serious issue. Users have been reporting that once the update was installed, CPU usage increased dramatically even when the system was idle. The high usage reportedly comes from Cortana, specifically the SearchUI.exe process that can be found inside Task Manager....
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Back in early April, Microsoft announced that it would give users back control over Windows Update in Windows 10. In previous incarnations of Windows 10, Microsoft pushed out major updates to PCs based on telemetry data that it gathered from its millions of customers around the globe. If the data "gave us confidence that device would have a great update experience," updates would then be pushed to individual systems. As we saw with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, forced updates can turn disastrous if critical bugs go undetected (or underreported) during the testing phase. With the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, that all changes with more granular controls over updates. Those users...
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The April Patch Tuesday update, which landed on April 9 for Windows systems, is still wreaking havoc on numerous systems. As we've previously reported, the KB4493472 has been especially problematic for antivirus programs -- Sophos Endpoint Protection was among the first to encounter problems, while Avira and Avast were other victims. We're now learning that McAfee software has also been affected by the Patch Tuesday updates. In this case, two software programs have been identified by Microsoft and McAfee as currently being incompatible: McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) Threat Prevention 10.x and McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention (Host IPS) 8.0. According to Microsoft's updated release...
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Another day, another update fiasco that Microsoft and its partners must battle through. Earlier this week, Microsoft issued another round of monthly “Patch Tuesday” updates, but things didn’t go so swiftly for those that have Sophos Endpoint Protection installed on their systems. Sophos acknowledged the problem on its support website this morning, writing, “Sophos has received reports of computers failing to boot. Sophos is actively investigating this issue and will update this article when more information is available.” According to Sophos, all versions of its Endpoint and server licenses are affected. In addition, the Patch Tuesday updates are causing widespread...
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Late last week, we reported on an issue that caused many people trying to reach the Windows Update server within Windows 10 to be greeted with an error message. While many people immediately placed the blame on Microsoft -- and how could we blame them given the company's continued troubles with Windows updates -- the eventual solution that worked for many involved changing DNS providers. Today, Microsoft is providing some clarification for what went wrong and is absolving itself of any blame in the situation. Early this morning, Microsoft posted the following statement to its Windows Support page: The Windows Update service was impacted by a data corruption issue in an external...
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Microsoft has had its fair share of problems with its Windows 10 updates over the years, with the biggest onslaught of issues being experienced recently with the October 2018 Update. Unfortunately, there's a new issue affecting Windows 10 users, and it's related to the Windows Update mechanism. Some Windows 10 users began reporting this morning that they have been unable to hit the Windows Update server to check for or download updates for their PCs. Normally this process would be relatively straight forward, with Windows 10 either presenting you with a list of available updates or telling you that there are no updates available. However, users that have Comcast as their ISP in...
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In a new post on its Windows Blog, Microsoft details its Windows Update mechanism, allowing us to peer inside the company process to see how those precious updates are rolled out. While some Windows updates have clearly not gone according to plan, the vast majority do, and given the complexity and reach of these updates, it's actually surprising we don't see even more issues than we do. According to Microsoft, it delivers updates to about one thousand devices per second, ultimately topping one billion devices per month. That's not only Windows 10, but every version if Windows that Microsoft still supports - even where that support seems unlikely. Windows XP is tied in with these numbers,...
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One of the most annoying things about Windows 10 is that it often decides to apply updates right when you are in the middle of working. This is typically halfway through a long document or during meeting. A new Windows 10 Redstone 5 build that Microsoft has released to some Insiders dubbed 19H1 has new tech to avoid this issue. The Windows 10 now has changes specifically to the update system that takes advantage of new cloud-based logic. The goal of this cloud-based logic is to avoid unexpected updates when you are trying to work. The tech uses a predictive model that aims to improve over time to better understand when the user will be using their device. The goal is to make sure Windows isn't...
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The two most worrisome vulnerabilities in computers to have surfaced in recent months are Spectre and Meltdown, which were first first disclosed earlier this month. These flaws collectively affect processors from Intel, AMD, and ARM. The problem for some people, including Linus Torvalds, was that Intel's initial response was lackluster. After Intel finally got around to giving PC users a fix for the Meltdown and Spectre flaws, the updates caused unexpected rebooting of some machines -- a new bug that Intel eventually confirmed. Microsoft has decided to step in and help users who are fighting these unexpected reboots with an out-of-phase patch released on Saturday specifically to...
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The day of reckoning has arrived for everyday Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users around the globe. Microsoft’s free Windows 10 operating system is getting bumped to first class, moving from an Optional update to a Recommended update via Windows Update. The move to “Recommended” status means that a lot more people will initiate the Windows 10 installer when they go through the routine process of keeping their Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 installations up-to-date. And for the uninitiated, they’ll probably just keep clicking “Next” and “OK” until they find themselves staring at the Windows 10 welcome screen. Obviously, Microsoft is hoping that this is the case, as any new install will pad its numbers on...
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Microsoft seems to like to live dangerously. The company has come under flak for some questionable tactics in Windows 10 with regards to privacy. Microsoft endured even more scrutiny when it was discovered that Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines were silently downloading Windows 10 in the background, eating up not only bandwidth but also valuable disk space with a multi-gigabyte ISO. And if that wasn’t enough, the company admitted to “mistakenly” ticking the checkbox to install Windows 10 on Windows 7/Windows 8 machines within Windows 10. For users that weren’t paying attention, this would spark an automatic start to the Windows 10 setup routine. Now Microsoft is sure to ruffle a few more feathers...
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Microsoft’s Windows 10 Fever Heightens, Windows Update Mistakenly Sparks Upgrades On Windows 7/8 PCs
Microsoft has had great success getting Windows 10 installed on over 100 million PCs in the two months since it was officially launched on July 29th. Microsoft hit the 75 million mark nearly a month in, and crossed the 100 million threshold earlier this month. However, Microsoft hasn’t been without criticism regarding its tactics to get customers to upgrade. Although the upgrade to Windows 10 is free for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users holding a valid license, it is by no means compulsory for customers to perform the update. But that didn’t stop Microsoft from silently downloading the multi-gigabyte ISO for the operating system in the background, “just in case” the user wanted to upgrade...
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