Windows 10 updates: what’s in them? Nobody knows
Microsoft releases third Windows 10 patch, but leaves users in the dark as to what's being fixed
Microsoft has released its third set of patches for Windows 10 since the operating system’s launch at the end of July – but nobody really knows what’s in them. Windows 10 saw Microsoft move to a regime of rolling updates, with patches applied automatically on all Windows 10 Home machines. However, Microsoft doesn’t seem very keen to let people know what’s being fixed.
The third cumulative update for Windows 10 was released on Friday, and replaced the update from August 11 which left some machines in an endless reboot cycle. Although Microsoft’s support page for the latest update stipulates which files have been altered, it doesn’t inform users which bugs are being fixed in the process, leaving Windows 10 users in the dark about whether a known bug has been fixed until they actually install the patch.
So-called changelogs are common for most operating systems and applications, detailing what bugs have been fixed or which new features have been added. Yet, as far as we can make out, there’s no way easy way for users to determine what is being delivered in Windows 10 patches before they’re installed.
Update KB3081424, which was issued at the beginning of last week, left some machines stuck in an endless reboot cycle, where the update failed to install properly, before rolling back to the previous state and then attempting to reinstall the broken patch once more.
Only users of Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise versions of the operating system are allowed to defer updates to the operating system. They are now mandatory for Windows 10 Home users, making it even more critical that Microsoft doesn’t allow faulty updates to be released to the general public. Updates are still being tested on Windows Insiders, the beta testers who were recruited during the run-up to the release of Windows 10, before being disseminated to all users.