Newsletter Archives

• 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

• LangaList: Should you force your machine onto Win10 1809 or wait for 1903?

  Posted on April 22, 2019 at 05:40 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  It’s a tough question. Fred Langa takes you through the pros and cons, and offers some solace during these trying times. If every version of Windows were good, it’d be a no-brainer. Demonstrably, that isn’t the case.

  Fred also has a peek into a bit of history with us still — the old 8.3 filename. It’s there, on your system, whether you know it or not.

  LangaList lives in this week’s AskWoody Plus Newsletter 16.15.0, out this morning to AskWoody Plus Members.

  Tech Help AskWoody Plus Newsletter, filenames, LangaList, Win10 1809, Win10 1903

• Reports of this month’s Win10 version 1809 cumulative update, KB 4493509, causing extreme slowdowns

  Posted on April 11, 2019 at 08:28 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  We had an anonymous tip yesterday pointing to two posters on Tenforums who reported that they’re machines were turned into molasses after installing the Patch Tuesday updates for Win10 version 1809.

  Bogdan Popa has a roundup this morning of various additional complaints.

  No acknowledgment from Microsoft just yet – and I don’t see a pattern. Do you?

  Windows Patches/Security KB 4493509, Win10 1809

• There’s a reason why your Win10 1803 machine hasn’t been pushed onto 1809

  Posted on April 9, 2019 at 12:59 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft gave up.

  The 1803-to-1809 push pace has gone from slow to glacial.

  Gregg Keizer has the details on Computerworld:

  According to AdDuplex, … Windows 10 1809 powered just 26% of surveyed Windows 10 systems as of March 26. The gain from February to March, only 5 percentage points, was about half the increase from January to February, illustrating the slowing of 1809’s adoption.

  I don’t trust AdDuplex’s numbers, of course, but the trend is unmistakable. Microsoft’s pulling back on 1809.

  I would submit that, with the redirection of the Windows Insider Release Preview Ring — used to be Win10 1809 cumulative update previews and now it’s Win10 1903 beta build — we’re seeing a full-on retreat. I fully expect that Win10 1909 will be nothing more than “Win10 1903 Service Pack 1/2” in fact, if not in name.

  Which is great. Perhaps Microsoft is pulling back from its insane twice-a-year Windows update pace.

  Windows News Win10 1809, Win10 1903, Win10 1909

• Now’s a good time to download and save a copy of Win10 version 1809

  Posted on April 7, 2019 at 12:13 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft says that Win10 version 1903 will be in beta preview for a while, then pushed out to normal people in late May.

  That makes now a good time to store away a clean copy of Win10 1809. Even if you never use it, doesn’t hurt to hold onto it. Stick it on a little-used hard drive, or a USB stick. No need to do anything fancy – you may never want it – but for now the bits are free and clean.

  Here’s how:

  Step 1. Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

  Step 2. Click Download Tool now. You get a prompt to run or save the file MediaCreationTool1809.exe.\

  Step 3. Click Run (or if it’s downloaded, double-click on MediaCreationTool1809.exe).

  Step 4. Click Accept.

  Step 5. Choose the radio button Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC then click Next.

  Step 6. Use the recommended options for your current PC or, if you must, changed the Language or bittedness. Click Next.

  Step 7. Click the ISO file radio button and click Next.

  Step 8. Choose a location for the downloaded files and click Save.

  Step 9. Wait. If you’re on a fiber optic line it’ll take a few minutes. If you’re on a lousy landline, it could take years. You can use your PC while you’re waiting. Watch grass grow. Count gigaflops. Go out and enjoy the weather and wonder at why you’re cooped up front of a PC on a day like this.

  Step 10. When Windows is done downloading and verifying the download, and it offers to Burn the ISO file to a DVD, just click Finish

  Step 11. Go look where you told the download to put the file. You should see a file called Windows.iso

  Step 12. IMMEDIATELY right-click on the file, choose Rename, and give it a reasonable name, such as

  Win10 1809 17763.1.iso

  If you want to verify the version number, double-click on the ISO file, right click on Setup.exe, choose Properties, and look on the Details tab.

  

  If you want to create installation media for Win10 1809 – a USB drive or DVD disc that you can use to boot and install Win10 1809 – follow the instructions here under the heading Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC. It basically takes you through the same steps, but has you veer off into the bushes in Step 7.

  Windows News Win10 1809

• Microsoft unexpectedly declares Win10 1809 ready for business

  Posted on March 28, 2019 at 13:13 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  This with a list of acknowledged bugs almost as long as my arm.

  Details in Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  Yeah, I think somebody read Susan’s Hey 1809, we need to talk.

  Windows News Current Branch for Business, Semi-Annual Channel, Win10 1809, Win10 1809 RTM

• More signs that MS is closer to releasing 1809

  Posted on March 19, 2019 at 12:55 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  This page was changed today

  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4028685/windows-10-get-the-update

  Any idea what’s up?

  Thx VulturEMaN

  Windows News Win10 1809

• When will MS start pushing the update to Win10 1809 on machines set for the SAC “branch”?

  Posted on March 16, 2019 at 07:38 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  It’s a simple question.

  I have my Win1803 machine set up with my recommended Windows Update advanced options:

  

  Microsoft says it’s getting rid of “Semi-Annual Channel.”

  So when does Windows start pushing 1809 onto my 1803 machine? I’ve been wondering about that for some time now — figured that MS would have to declare Win10 1809 “Semi-Annual Channel” at some point, if only to honor the settings in earlier versions of Win10.

  @PKCano had a fascinating observation:

  If they declare 1809 “ready for business” at the same time they release 1903:
  + The deferral period for 1809 begins, (for a maximum of 365 days) from that point.
  + If they release 1903, with the changes they have made to SAC doing away with SACT, the deferral period for 1903 begins, (for a maximum of 365 days) from that point.

  Now they have two versions of Win10 reaching the end of the deferral time simultaneously.

  Which I find to be a brilliant way to unwind the Gordian knot. Microsoft, basically, says “let ’em eat cake” and walks away.

  @b offered an interesting twist:

  Plus 60 days:

  For devices that have been configured with a branch readiness of SAC, for the upgrade to version 1903 only, we will add an additional 60 days to the configured deferral. This will simulate the delay previously experienced when Microsoft declared the SAC milestone. For example, if your device is currently configured to defer updates 30 days from the SAC release date, for the upgrade to version 1903 (and this time only), we would append a 60-day delay to that configured 30-day deferral–meaning that the device would be upgraded 90 days (60+30) after version 1903 is released. (Note that the additional 60 days will be handled on our service side, and will not be reflected in your device configuration.)
  Windows Update for Business and the retirement of SAC-T

  Microsoft has already said that it’ll jump over its now-declared-redundant “SAC” setting in 1809 by adding 60 days to the 1809 Windows Update “feature update” advanced setting. Perhaps, as @b says, they’ll do the same to 1803. [Permit me to clarify: I’m saying that Win10 1809 will be upgraded to 1903 according to the 60-days-plus-deferral-days rule. We know that. But I’m betting that Microsoft will use identically obfuscated logic to upgrade 1803 users straight to 1903 using the same rule.]

  What a thoroughly screwed up resolution to an incredibly convoluted series of patching re-re-re-definitions.

  Windows Patches/Security Win10 1809
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