Articles about Windows Update

Ahead of September's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has released a preview of the KB5005103 update for Windows 10.

This non-security update addresses a number of issues, most notably fixing a problem which prevented certain MP4 files from playing. A second key fix sees Microsoft addressing a problem that reset syncing for Microsoft OneDrive to "Known folders only" after installing an update for Windows.

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The PrintNightmare vulnerability continues to cause headaches for Windows users and Microsoft alike. Similarly, Microsoft's seemingly endless stream of problematic updates continues to lead to frustration -- and August's Patch Tuesday updates have not broken the cycle.

Windows 10 users who have installed the KB5005033 update that was supposed to fix the PrintNightmare security flaw are reporting unwanted side effects. Among the problems being reported are issues with reduced performance, particularly in games.

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It's time for Windows 10 users to gamble with another update. With the release of the KB5004296 update, Microsoft addresses a longstanding problem with game performance under Windows 10.

KB5004296 does not include any security fixes but the promise of boosting game performance is a major highlight. Microsoft says that the update "addresses an issue that prevents power plans and Game Mode from working as expected", pointing out that this has been causing "lower frame rates and reduced performance while gaming".

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Last week, we told you that Microsoft had released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.100. Was that exciting news? Meh, not really. I mean, look, Microsoft releases a lot of pre-release versions of Windows to its Insiders (aka unpaid testers) so it isn't exactly thrilling anymore. With that said, some people are very enthusiastic about the upcoming Windows 11, so I suppose any news about the operating system is significant right now.

Of course, Windows 11 reaching a major milestone is undoubtedly worth celebrating, and today, that is exactly what has happened. You see, the next version of Windows has officially achieved Beta status! No, it is isn't an entirely new build. Actually, the aforementioned Preview Build 22000.100 has simply been released to the Beta channel.

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There have been a spate of problems with printing in Windows recently, including issues introduced by updates from Microsoft.

The most recent problems came for people who installed updates released this Patch Tuesday. Some found they were unable to print or scan after installing the updates, and now Microsoft has released a couple of out-of-band patches -- KB5005394 for Windows 10 and KB5005392 for Windows 7.

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Keeping Windows up-to-date has always been important, from a security point of view. While patches and updates can be released at any time they are needed, Microsoft uses the monthly Patch Tuesday to roll out updates on a regular basis -- so-called 'B releases'.

With Windows 10, the company has long-issued previews of these updates in the form of 'C releases'. Now Microsoft has confirmed that this is something that will continue with Windows 11.

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When Microsoft announced Windows 11, the company made a few references to the process of updating the operating system. Windows Updates will work in much the same way as for Windows 10, but steps have been taken to not only reduce the size of downloads to helps speed things up, but also to ensure they will cause less disruption thanks to background installation.

But this does not mean that you'll never need to restart Windows 11 after downloading an update, but Microsoft has made an important change that will help you to decide whether to restart immediately or save the reboot for later.

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Windows 11 is going to be unveiled tomorrow, but in the meantime, Microsoft has not forgotten about Windows 10. It's now a few months since the company released Windows 10 version 21H1, but it has been a staggered rollout.

Now Microsoft is stepping things up a gear and is starting to push the update to more devices. 21H1 is being rolled out to more users as an automatic update, after a period of machine learning training in which potential issues were identified.

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The attention surrounding Windows right now is very much focused on what Microsoft is going to have to say about Windows 11 later this week. But in the meantime, there are still millions of users running Windows 10 and contending with its various problems.

Now, having tested it with Windows Insiders on the Beta or Release Preview channels, Microsoft is giving the KB5003690 update a wider release. The cumulative update is now available for Windows 10 versions 20040, 20H2 and 21H1, fixing various issues including poor gaming performance, blurry text, and more.

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Windows Insiders are among the first to get fixes for various issues with Windows 10 as Microsoft releases KB5003690 to address, among other things, problems with blurry text.

The KB5003690 update (Windows 10 build 19043.1081) is now available for anyone signed up for the Beta or Release Preview channels running Windows 10 21H1. Other fixes in this significant update include addressing poor game performance after installing KB5000842 or later.

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There have been many reasons to move away from the now-ancient Windows 7 for some time, and now there is another one. Microsoft will no longer offer driver updates via Windows Update for this version of the operating system.

The change comes a year and a half after support for Windows 7 came to an end, and also the expiry of the SHA-1 Trusted Root Certificate Authority for Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 last month. It is a slightly different story for anyone signed up for an Extended Security Update (ESU) program, however.

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Most people are familiar with the idea of using Windows Update to... well... keep Windows up-to-date. But there is also Microsoft Update which is used to keep other Microsoft software updated, and it can now be used to update PowerShell.

The announcement from Microsoft that PowerShell updates will be delivered through Microsoft Update will be welcome by anyone who dislikes the process of checking and updating the software via GitHub.

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Ahead of next month's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has released a preview of the KB5003698 update for Windows 10. The patch takes the operating system up to build 18363.1645, and although it is a non-security update it still addresses numerous issues that users have been experiencing.

Key among the improvements is a fix for the blurry text issue introduced by the KB5001391 update earlier this month. Other changes include addressing a problem with AppLocker, VPN issues, and fixing a problem that caused playback issues with FLAC files after editing metadata.

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Microsoft has issued an off-schedule update for Windows 10 that addresses 0x80073D26 and 0x8007139F errors in versions 20H1, 20H2 and 21H1 of the operating system.

The KB5004327 update is aimed at systems that have experienced problems installing or opening Xbox Games Pass Games. Anyone affected by the issue is redirected to the Microsoft Store page for Gaming Services when the errors occur.

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This month's Patch Tuesday updates are proving problematic once again. Yesterday we wrote about KB5003637 causing problems for apps accessing event logs, and now it appears that this very same update is causing problems with not only printing, but also the updated taskbar in Windows 10. Affected users complain of broken, vanishing and corrupt icons in the taskbar and notification area.

If all of this sounds a little familiar, it's because it is very much the same problem caused by KB5003214 last month. There's a key difference this time around, however. While KB5003214 was an optional update, KB5003637 is one that is automatically installed.

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