windows 10

The September 2016 Patch Tuesday has arrived and with it Knowledge Base Article KB3189866 is providing several security updates and quality improvements.   This update bring’s Windows 10 version 1607 to build 14939.187, here’s the low down on what was changed.  Windows 10 Anniversary updated began rolling out on August 2nd however some users still might not receive the latest version for another couple months.  ZDNet’s Mary jo Foley noted a foot note in a mass email from Microsoft on September 1st.

The Anniversary Update will download and install via Windows Update. The download is automatically available to you. It will begin rolling out on 2 August 2016 and may take up to 3 months to reach all users. Internet access fees may apply.

By the way, quality improvements, is Microsoft update speak for bug fixes.

Although the KB3189866 article is not yet online, and it usually isn’t this quickly after the updates are released anyway, you can find the update summary over on the Windows 10 Update History page.

Here is a rundown on the system issues this update addresses:

  • Improved reliability of Windows Shell, map apps, Internet Explorer 11, and Microsoft Edge.
  • Addressed issue causing push-button reset to not work correctly and roll back on devices with language set to any of the Unicode languages.
  • Addressed issue causing devices to crash after disconnecting an e-reader that was attached to the device. 
  • Addressed issue causing devices to not recognize a Secure Digital (SD) card if it is inserted and removed multiple times.
  • Addressed issue causing some apps to not respond to the commands in the app bar in Windows 10 Mobile.
  • Addressed issue that sometimes blocks alarm notifications in Windows 10 Mobile.
  • Improved support for using the camera app in Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise.
  • Addressed additional issues with rendering 4K resolution, missing Start menu tiles when running on battery, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge, Bluetooth compatibility, graphics, display rotation, app compatibility, Wi-Fi, Feedback Hub, Miracast, Windows Shell, revised daylight saving time, and USB.
  • Security updates to Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows kernel, and Adobe Flash Player.

Users have reported issues with Windows 10 freezing, Amazon Kindle Paperwhites triggering BSOD errors, and webcams not working. Microsoft has already tackled the freezing issues with the latest cumulative update for Windows 10. But the rollout of the Anniversary Update has certainly been bumpy for a considerable number of users.

Those who still haven’t received the Anniversary Update can manually trigger the update process. But on the other hand, there may be good reason to wait for Microsoft to push the Anniversary Update to your machine.

If Microsoft is controlling the release of Anniversary Update to help mitigate problems, it might be the worth the ounce of prevention to wait for the update given the list of issues that has arisen already since August 2nd.

Still, three months is a long time to roll out an update which was signed off as ready for general release. Hopefully, Microsoft is learning from the experience to improve future rollouts as the company continues its transition to treating Windows-as-a-Service.

Source: WinBeta, ZDNet,  Microsoft