Skip to content

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

MS Windows Fall Creators Update Computer Repair, Connectivity, and Remote Support
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Headline_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget]
By now, you probably know that the launch of October’s Fall Update of Windows 10 (formally called version 1809) was such a disaster that Microsoft took the unprecedented step of halting the update’s gradual roll-out. What you may not know is that Microsoft now urges Windows users not to force the update upon their PCs by using the “Check for updates” function in Windows Update. The reason for that warning is utterly scandalous. 
Since the April 2018 Spring Update, Microsoft has allowed code into the update package that has not been through the complete quality testing process. In essence, users who “check for updates” become beta testers, installing software that is not quite certified as “100% ready for release.” As a result, some users who did the update noticed that all their documents, photos, and music were deleted. One person reported that over 200 gigs of data in his Documents folder went missing. Others had serious issues ranging from audio glitches to corrupted hard drives. How anything like that got past the development and testing stages of an operating system used by hundreds of millions of people boggles the mind. Here is how the Windows 10 update process is supposed to work:

First, the update goes through the Windows Insider program, where millions of willing beta testers install admittedly risky code and provide Microsoft with feedback on bugs. All Insider members know there is a risk that something may go wrong; they install Windows 10 on older, “expendable” machines, not primary systems used for daily or critical work.

Second, the update goes through a “Release Preview” testing process before its final release to the public. Microsoft skipped this step in order to release the October 2018 Fall Update during a scheduled press event!

Third, once an update is declared “ready for release” only users who click “check for updates” will get it immediately. They act as a final line of beta testers, their feedback being used in the fourth and final phase of the update process.

That fourth phase is done in stages, with the update going first to users with the most modern hardware and BIOS systems. Their experiences with the update are shared with Microsoft via Windows 10’s built-in telemetry system. (See What Data Does Windows 10 Collect From You?) This data-sharing is part of the “basic” telemetry that cannot be turned off by users. It is used to make last-second tweaks as previously untested hardware platforms receive the update.

Millions of users have believed the “check for updates” option delivered the production-ready version of Windows just a little bit early. But it turns out that only users who checked for updates experienced massive data loss when their premature editions of Windows 10 were installed. Those who awaited the turn of their particular hardware profile did not experience data loss.

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Headline_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget]
This “check for updates” method of getting the major update early did not exist before the April 2018 Spring Update. Prior to that, users had to download and run the Update Assistant tool to get the update early. That tool is still available, but now “check for updates” does the same thing… and that is a problem.

win10 fall creators update Computer Repair, Connectivity, and Remote Support

The “check for updates” feature now does two different things, only one of which most users are expecting when they click “check for updates.” Their expectation is that they will get bug fixes, performance enhancements, and other improvements to existing Windows software. They do not expect to get a major new version of their operating system with all-new features, especially one that is not fully tested and certified as safe.

Something like this should never happen. I’ve heard of minor glitches when installing Windows updates — stuff like “My printer doesn’t work,” or “Some of my settings got changed.” The worst I can recall in over 30 years of running Windows is instances where the “Blue Screen of Death” popped up and the updates had to be rolled back by going into Safe Mode. But data loss like this should NEVER happen.

Bottom line here is Do not click “check for updates” in Windows Update until the October Update (version 1809) is fully rolled out and the initial raft of bugs are fixed. No one knows when that will be, as of this writing. No one even knows when the rollout of version 1809 will resume.

Security patches will be installed automatically by Windows Update as they become available. You do not need to check for such updates. Just steer clear of the “check for updates” link.