Windows 10 get fixes, improvements and new features with the KB5001396 update preview

Microsoft has released the KB5001396 update preview which, among other things, bring the new News and interests taskbar feature that the company is rolling out to Windows 10.

Microsoft has, as is the norm, released a preview of next month's Patch Tuesday updates and it brings more than just the new taskbar feature that Microsoft has been drumming up excitement about. The non-security update also includes a host of fixes and improvements.

See also:

• Microsoft announces surprise change to Windows 10 Aero Shake
• Microsoft is making it easy to speed up Windows 10 using 'Eco mode' resource throttling
• Windows 10's Microsoft Store app is getting a Sun Valley redesign and relaxed polices for developers

For Microsoft -- and, possibly, users -- the highlight of the update is news and interests on the Windows 10 taskbar, of which the company says: "with [this feature] you get quick access to an integrated feed of dynamic content, such as news, weather, sports, and more, that updates throughout the day. You can personalize your feed with relevant content tailored for you. In the coming weeks, you will be able to seamlessly peek into your feed directly from the taskbar throughout your day without disrupting your workflow".

But this is far from being the only reason to consider installing the preview of KB5001396 ahead of the full launch next month. The update also includes fixes for a number of issues that have been plaguing users.

The company shares details of the following key changes and improvements:

• Addresses an issue that prevents a site from transitioning out of Microsoft Edge IE Mode when expected.
• Addresses an issue that fails to remove mandatory profiles completely when you sign out when using the “Delete cached copies of roaming profiles” Group Policy.
• Addresses an issue that causes blank tiles to appear on the Start menu with names such as “ms-resource:AppName” or "ms-resource:appDisplayName". These blank tiles represent the installed applications and appear for approximately 15 minutes after updating to a newer version of Windows 10. Installing this update prevents these blank tiles from appearing on the Start menu.
• Addresses an issue with window activation that occurs when an owned window is removed.
• Addresses an issue with searching after you select File > Open in a 32-bit application. When you click in the search box, the application stops working.
• Addresses an issue with evaluating the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem to help ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows.
• Addresses an issue that includes kernel mode rules for .NET applications in Windows Defender Application Control policies. As a result, the generated policies are significantly larger than necessary.
• Addresses an issue that causes devices to fail Device Health Attestation.
• Addresses an issue that causes lsass.exe memory usage to grow until the system becomes unusable. This occurs when Transport Layer Security (TLS) resumes a session.
• Addresses an issue with a race condition between Task Scheduler and the Workstation Service. As a result, users cannot automatically join a hybrid Azure Active Directory (AAD) domain and error 0x80070490 is generated.
• Addresses an issue that turns off S Mode when you enable System Guard Secure Launch on a system running Windows 10 in S Mode.
• Addresses an issue that causes Azure Active Directory (AAD) Work Accounts to unexpectedly disappear from certain apps such Microsoft Teams or Microsoft Office.
• Addresses an issue that accidently triggers hybrid AAD joining when the Group Policy “Register domain-joined computers as devices” is set to DISABLED. For more information, see Post configuration tasks for Hybrid Azure AD join.
• Addresses an issue with a partial Service Connection Point (SCP) configuration that causes dsregcmd.exe to stop working. This issue occurs because of a case-sensitive domain ID name comparison that occurs when joining a hybrid Azure Active Directory domain using single sign-on (SSO).
• Adds the ability to adjust the amount of idle time before a headset goes to sleep in the Settings app for Windows Mixed Reality.
• Addresses an issue that might generate a stop error when Docker containers run with process isolation.
• Addresses an issue that causes automatic enrollment and certificate retrieval to fail with the error, “The parameter is incorrect.”
• Addresses an issue that generates a stop error when you delete a file or folder from locations that sync with Microsoft OneDrive.
• Addresses an issue with a deadlock in the New Technology File System (NTFS).
• Improves the Windows Server Storage Migration Service by:
  • Adding support for migration from NetApp FAS arrays to Windows Servers and clusters.
  • Resolving multiple issues and improving reliability.

If you're interested in installing the KB5001396 update preview, you can download it from the Windows Update Catalog -- or just hold on for next month's Patch Tuesday.

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