By DustinPosted onApril 7, 2017

The first of the Redstone 3 builds is available for Fast Ring Insiders for Windows 10. Grab 16170 from Windows Update now! Not a whole lot of new features, just behind the scenes things.

Also, the Windows Insider Program for Business is now available for the IT professionals out there.

Using corporate credentials will enable you to increase the visibility of your organization’s feedback – especially on features that support productivity and business needs. You’ll also be able to better advocate for the needs of your organization, and have real-time dialogue with Microsoft on features critical to specific business needs. This dialogue, in turn, helps us identify trends in issues organizations are facing when deploying Windows 10 and deliver solutions to you more quickly.

We’ll be rolling out even more tools aimed at better supporting IT Professionals and business users in our Insider community. Stay tuned!

By DustinPosted onApril 5, 2017

The Windows 10 Creators Update rolls out with a phased approach starting April 11th, but for those users that really want it early, Microsoft has an Update Assistance that will allow you to update to the most recent update.

For the those of you who are eager to get the Creators Update right away, you will be able to initiate the update manually, starting on April 5^th, via Update Assistant. This option is intended for advanced users on devices running a licensed version of Windows 10.

By DustinPosted onApril 5, 2017

Now that the Creators Update is completed, Microsoft is not resting on it’s laurels. They are continuing to work on the next build, Redstone 3. The new builds are a lot of refinements and behind the scenes fixes rather than the new features. Be sure to check your Insider settings in Windows to make sure you’re setup to grab the new updates, or turn it off if you don’t want to continue.

That’s because right now, we’re focused on making some refinements to OneCore and doing some code refactoring and other engineering work that is necessary to make sure OneCore is optimally structured for teams to start checking in code. Now comes our standard warning that these new builds from our Development Branch may include more bugs and other issues that could be slightly more painful for some people to live with. So, if this makes you uncomfortable, you can change your ring by going to Settings > Update & security > Windows Insider Program and moving to the Slow or Release Preview rings for more stable builds.

By DustinPosted onMarch 29, 2017

The Windows 10 Creators Update is slated to push to all users of Windows 10 on April 11th as a free update. I knew we were getting very close to the release with those most recent builds!

A lot of great new features for those that haven’t been a part of the Windows Insider builds.

Today, I’m excited to share our latest update to Windows 10, the Creators Update, will begin to roll out on April 11. The Creators Update is designed to spark and unleash creativity, bringing 3D and mixed reality to everyone and enabling every gamer to be a broadcaster. Beyond creativity, it brings new features to Microsoft Edge, additional security capabilities and privacy tools, and so much more.

By DustinPosted onMarch 20, 2017

Thursday, Friday, Monday…. A build each day! Bugs getting fixed with each one. Build 15063 has been released for both PC and Mobile. Lots of people talking about this being very close to RTM. Judging by the speed they are squashing bugs and how many known issues are left, I’m sure that we are very close!

Other changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

• We fixed a reliability issue from Build 15061 resulting in Microsoft Edge hanging and becoming completely unresponsive.

• We fixed an issue for Insiders where the localized files and registry keys associated with any additional language packs on the system would not be installed after enabling .NET Framework 3.5.

By DustinPosted onMarch 17, 2017

Seems like only yesterday we got build 15060. Well, it was! Today, we are greeted with 15061. Some good fixes for some issues that some people were experiencing.

Other changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

• We fixed an issue resulting in some unexpected visual distortion when watching certain mp4 videos in Movies and TV on recent flights.

• We fixed an issue resulting in OOBE crashing when you tapped the birthday date field when creating a new account and email address.

• We fixed a recent issue resulting in certain VPN connections being unexpecting missing from Network Connections.

• We fixed an issue where in recent flights, some Direct3D 9 games might periodically fail to launch. To work around this, it was necessary that your default display resolution be the recommended setting for your system. You can now return your display configuration to your preferred settings.

By DustinPosted onMarch 16, 2017

Fast Ring Insiders will be able to update to build 15060 on the PC. Several more fixes are in this build. Definitely getting very close to the Creators Update full release!

Other changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

• We fixed an issue resulting in the Settings icon appearing plating in the taskbar. This issue also resulted in another issue now fixed, where if Settings had been pinned to Start, the tile would become greyed out after the first time it was clicked. Thank you all for your feedback on this.

• We fixed an issue resulting in 3rd party IMEs not showing up in Settings after being installed.

• We fixed an issue in Microsoft Edge where quickly typing and deleting characters into a website’s search box while using the MS Pinyin IME might result in the IME becoming stuck and the website showing “Not responding”.

• Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 devices should no longer fail to update to new builds if a SD memory card is inserted if you have the latest Surface drivers and firmware installed.

• We fixed an issue where taskhost.exe might crash after pressing Tab while quickly typing in UWP app sign in fields, resulting in not being able to type for a few seconds.

• We fixed an issue for Insiders where, after a crash, Microsoft Edge might fail to launch again for a few minutes because previous instances were still suspended in the background.

• We fixed the issues occurring when exploring pages using the F12 Developer Tools in Microsoft Edge with cross-origin iframes (e.g. the DOM explorer shows only the iframe DOM, the Console frame selector doesn’t list the iframes, etc.).

 

By DustinPosted onMarch 16, 2017

For those folks using Windows Server 2012, you’re in luck. The mainstream support for Server 2012 has been extended due to the timing of the release of the latest version – Server 2016. The new extended dates have been moved up to 10.10.2023, with mainstream support ending 10.9.2018.

The Lifecycle Policy for Windows Server 2012 states that Mainstream Support will be provided for five years, or for two years after the successor product (N+1, where N=product version) is released, whichever is longer. Microsoft will also provide Extended Support for the five years following Mainstream Support or for two years after the second successor product (N+2) is released, whichever is longer.

By DustinPosted onMarch 16, 2017

For those building aw machine with the latest CPU’s, Microsoft might be a roadblock if you’re planning on any OS other than Windows 10. When you attempt to scan for updates, you can get an error “Your PC uses a processor that isn’t supported on this version of Windows”.

By DustinPosted onMarch 15, 2017

If you’re running on a metered internet connection, like many are, Windows Update on Windows 10 will bypass any settings you may have set to limit downloads. With the new updates, Microsoft has changed their Windows Update dialog to state “We’ll automatically download and install updates, except on metered connections (where charges may apply). In that case, we’ll automatically download only those updates required to keep Windows running smoothly.” (emphasis mine). At this point, I don’t know what the size and frequency of the updates that are “required to keep Windows running smoothly”. It could be minimal or it could be a substantial download. Either way, it could be over the top for some users.

I know of several people that are very limited to their bandwidth and are capped at a certain amount or pay for what they use. Some have left Windows 10 because of the high amounts of data it does consume, even when set to not download over a metered connection.

Hopefully, there is a reversal on Microsoft’s part for this policy as I can anticipate a lot of backlash in forums when this takes effect and the bill shows up.

This image is from the most recent build of Windows 10 in the fast ring of the Windows Insider program, build 15058 from my Surface Pro 4:

 

UPDATE: This may or may not be included within the final Creators Update. I notice that on another machine (my desktop), the message is slightly different. They may be testing out different things with these latest builds. It has happened in the past with testing various things that ended up not being included in the final builds. I will reach out to Microsoft and see if I can get an “official” word on this.

 

This report was also found by Richard Hay over at WinSuperSite – http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/metered-connections-windows-10-creators-update-will-not-block-all-windows-update-download