Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 4 (Skip Ahead) Build 17004

With new preview builds for the Fall Creators Update focusing purely on fixing stability and performance issues as Microsoft rushes towards its release, it’s the Redstone 4 branch (aka Skip Ahead) where you’ll find new additions beginning to appear.

The latest release for this branch introduces a sizeable number of improvements, as well as a big leap forward in build numbers, jumping from 16362 to 17004.

In this build Microsoft has added more elements of Fluent Design, its new design language, and also introduced numerous fixes and improvements to Microsoft Edge. Updates to the browser are something we tend to see a lot of in preview builds.

Microsoft Edge Improvements:

• Fixed an issue where typing a web address into the address bar from the New Tab and Start Page and would sometimes clear the text and not result in any page navigation.
• Fixed an issue resulting in keyboard layout changes potentially not being applied when using Microsoft Edge after setting focus to the address bar.
• Fixed an issue where the tab previews for PDFs were black with a white bar on each side.
• Fixed an issue where the first time you pressed Ctrl + F to open Search, the search box doesn’t get focus. Fixed an issue where you might be unable to type in the address bar after clicking on CTRL+F text field.
• Fixed an issue where "Open with previous pages" wouldn’t recover tabs after dragging a tab between two Microsoft Edge windows.
• Fixed an issue resulting copy/paste and the print dialog not working for those using the updated YouTube.com website design.
• Fixed an issue where Ctrl + Click on a link in a PDF wouldn’t open the link in a new tab.
• Fixed an issue resulting in PDFs potentially rendering blank after panning down a few pages and back up.
• Fixed an issue from recent flights where Alt + D wouldn’t bring input focus to the address bar when certain keyboards were active.

Microsoft has also made some improvements to Input:

• Fixed an issue resulting in the enter key not working properly in Facebook Messenger.
• Fixed an issue resulting in the Delete key on the full touch keyboard layout unexpectedly inserting a period in UWP apps.
• Fixed an issue resulting in a stutter when selecting long strings in certain single line editable text boxes (for example when naming favorites in Microsoft Edge).

Elsewhere, other changes, improvements, and fixes in the build include:

• RS4 builds include many of the same fixes included in the latest RS3 builds.
• Microsoft is introducing a new color wheel to Color & High Contrast Settings to help you get a feel for the effect of each of the different available color filters.
• You may see a Microsoft Edge shortcut on your desktop after upgrading to this build. You can delete the shortcut, upgrade from this build and it will not return.
• Fixed an issue resulting in Mod Organizer no longer load mods into Skyrim in recent flights.
• Fixed an issue resulting in the last flighted build sometimes green screening with a SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION in win32kfull.sys.
• Fixed an issue resulting in the WIN+X menu sometimes unexpectedly missing the accelerator key underline hints.

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