Articles about Windows Update

Microsoft has revealed that a recent update for Windows has been causing problems that could have left systems unprotected and open to attack.

After installing the KB5007205 update, some system administrators have found that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint fails. This makes something of a change from the printer problems that so many updates for Windows have caused in recent times, but there is currently no fix available.

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It is the time of the month that sees Microsoft releasing preview versions of upcoming updates for Windows, and this is precisely what the company has done with the optional KB5007253 Preview cumulative update for Windows 10.

Available for Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2, 21H1 and 21H2, this update addresses 0x000006e4, 0x0000007c and 0x00000709 errors associated with networking printing. It also includes a fix for the Microsoft Installer (MSI) issue that was causing problems with Kaspersky apps, as well as fixing a laundry list of other problems.

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Feature updates for Windows are the updates which are supposed to be the most interesting. Rather than just improving security and fixing problems, they often include new features (hence the name) and are far more significant than regular monthly updates.

So significant are feature updates that they are considered to be new versions of Windows and for Windows 10, Microsoft has been releasing them twice a year -- in the spring and in the fall. But moving forward, after the release of Windows 10 November 2021 Update (21H2), Windows 10 will be brought in line with Windows 11, meaning feature updates will become annual events.

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Patch Tuesday has rolled round again, and Microsoft has released a cumulative update for Windows 11.

The KB5007215 update addresses security issues that have been found in the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system, and also fixes other problems. Among the issues patched are a screen rendering problem affecting various apps. Microsoft has also released a video including some Windows 11 tips.

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Just yesterday we wrote about a series of issues with apps in Windows 11. Users found that the Snipping Tools and various Windows settings did not work, something Microsoft has blamed on an expired certificate.

Now the company has released the KB5008295 update to address the problems, but not everyone is going to be able to install it just yet.

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Ahead of next month's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has released a preview version of the KB5006738 update for Windows 10.

There's quite a lot to this cumulative update, but what is probably going to be considered the highlight is the fact that it addresses various printer-related issues that have been plaguing Windows users for some time now.

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It's three weeks since Windows 11 started to roll out, and now Microsoft is starting its push to encourage people who can upgrade to do just that.

Part of this drive is delivering the PC Health Check app to Windows 10 machine, giving users a quick way to check whether they can upgrade to Windows 11 or not. The app is being pushed out as part of the KB5005463 update and the rollout is likely to irritate as the automatic update essentially forces the Windows 11 compatibility checker onto people.

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Microsoft has released the latest preview update for Windows 10 ahead of a proper release next Patch Tuesday -- the KB5006744 update preview.

While this is a non-security update, it does address a number of problems that have been plaguing Windows 10 users. Among the problems fixed by the KB5006744 update preview are issues with virtual machine load balancing, and a memory leak issue in lsass.exe.

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You would be forgiven for thinking that printer problems go hand in hand with Windows update -- there have certainly been plenty of OS patches that that have caused such issues in recent times.

The recently released KB5006670 update is just the latest in a long string of updates that have led to problems for Windows 10 users. People whose systems have been negatively affected by the update report being unable to connect to network printers while seeing 0x00000709 and Element not found errors.

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The Windows updates released by Microsoft have been hitting the headlines for very much the wrong reasons for the last year or so. A seemingly endless string of problematic updates for Windows 10 did not, sadly, come to an end with the release of Windows 11.

But now Microsoft is making an important change to Windows updates. While it will not necessarily help to improve their quality and reliability, it will at least go some way to make them easier to download and install. The new approach kicks off with Windows 11 build 22478 and the arrival of Update Stack Packages.

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Ahead of Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has released a preview of its KB5005611 update for Windows 10. The patch includes numerous fixes, such as addressing Outlook crashes and the unwanted appearance of "News and interests".

Available for Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2 and 21H1, this is a non-security update but it includes various quality improvements that make it worthy of attention.

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Microsoft has performed a relatively rare Known Issue Rollback (KIR) to fix an issue caused by an update to Windows 10. The update was found to cause problems opening files and apps.

The issues followed the release of the KB5005101 update earlier this month, and several versions of Windows are affected: Windows 10 versions 21H1, 20H2, 2004, 1909 and 1809, as well as Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 and Windows Server 2019 and newer. Manual instructions to address the issue are also available.

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With another Patch Tuesday rolling around, Microsoft has released a pair of new updates for Windows 10 -- KB5005565 and KB5005566.

Serving the same purpose, KB5005566 is available for Windows 10 version 1909, and KB5005565 is available for Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2 and 21H1. These cumulative updates include security fixes, so they are important to install, but they also address non-security bugs including one affecting PowerShell.

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Ahead of a wider roll-out next week, Microsoft has released a preview version of the KB5005101 update for Windows 10 version 21H1, 20H2 and 2004. The biggest fix found in this non-security release addresses problems with USB and Bluetooth headphones, but it also patches numerous other flaws.

KB5005101 also fixes a problem that causes brightness to be reset on standard dynamic range (SDR) content on high-dynamic range (HDR) monitors in certain circumstances, as well as addressing a issue with touch gestures causing freezes.

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The system requirements for Windows 11 have been confusing from the moment they were announced, and Microsoft's changes to them has done nothing to make the situation clearer for most people

Microsoft's own PC checking tool, released to help people determine the compatibility of their system with Windows 11 was criticized and then pulled for failing to provide enough helpful information. It has since been updated, but now Microsoft has launched a new way to check whether your computer will run Windows 11 -- performing a check via Windows Update.

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