Microsoft says Windows 10 April update is fit for business rollout (ok now you're ALL getting it!)

The Register ^ | Jun 15, 2018 | Simon Sharwood

[dayglored]

[Microsoft] Claims it’s the least complaint-generating Windows ever

Microsoft’s decided that Windows 10 version 1803, aka the April Update, is now fit for consumption by business users or indeed anyone or anything capable of running Windows 10.

The company’s declared the updated OS is now “fully available for all compatible devices running Windows 10 worldwide”, including business PCs.

Redmond’s advice comes after over 250 million users installed the OS and gave it a thrashing. Those efforts produced data that Microsoft said shows a twenty per “reduction in system stability issues” and the same reduction “in operating system and driver stability issues.”

The company also said “Our internal customer support teams are seeing a continued reduction in call and online support requests for Windows 10 with the April 2018 Update. Our OEMs also continue to experience reductions in monthly customer support volumes with this update.

Microsoft’s data on customer support volume Incidents in hundreds per million devices. Click to enlarge

Windows 10 1803 is therefore good to go for business users tuned in to Microsoft’s Semi-Annual Channel, should you wish to adopt the update. And for the rest of us, 1803 will just appear in Windows Update if it hasn’t already.

So brace for an update frenzy: Microsoft said Windows 10 is now “approaching 700 million monthly active devices” which leaves about 450 million now eligible for an upgrade. Do try to get them done at a convenient time, people, because the download is at least four gigabytes and Windows installs usually take at least 30 minutes and require multiple reboots! ®

[Advil000]

I’ve been doing scratch loads of 1803 for a good while now. Other than SMB1 being defaulted off, which can easily be turned back on if your network share is ancient it’s been fine.

The vast majority of real issues I see with win 10 are either from machines that have been upgraded multie times from win 7 All the way through to 10 and all it’s updated to now (a bad idea no matter what version OS you run). Or factory installs that just screw up the updates. Contrary to popular belief the preinstalled OS’s from HP, Dell or whatever frequently are anything but good. The machines I load from scratch using the MS media creation tool tend to run faster and have far fewer issues over years of use. Also, stop using the 3rd party antivirus programs. They cause more problems than they are worth.

[dayglored]

Yeah, that pretty much parallels my experience. Multiple successive in-place updates are a recipe for sadness. MacOS is the only OS I’ve had good luck with in that regard. NetBSD has generally been okay. But even Ubuntu Linux has problems doing in-place upgrades that eventually require a fresh install.

Windows has been legendary for in-place upgrade failures, since Win95. The idea that Win10 is a “forever” OS is, IMO, asking for it.

[SgtHooper]

Time for disk imaging to occur before the update.

[Wuli]

My win 10 PC’s connection is by wifi to the home hub, so I set it on that PC to “metered” so the Win 10 update has to ask if the update can be done, and for nearly a year now I just keep saying no.

[Advil000]

The metered option is one of the best ways to handle it if you are militant about delaying the updates. Generally by the time the first cumulative update comes out after a major one they fix the big issues and you should go ahead and do it.

As for win 10 being a forever OS sure the OS itself can be forever updated. ... However that has nothing to do with an install that is years old. An operating system will need a reload once in a while. Even Apples have to go through it occasionally.

[Still Thinking]

For large companies, with hundreds of critical systems and applications that must be accessed from Windows 10, many in different regions and countries, entire new staffs will need to be employed full time for testing and certification of every application and driver on the systems, complicated by new hardware as older hardware is replaced.

Especially since you don't get to decide to freeze a configuration and refuse further upgrades till YOU'RE ready for them. Every time they get something certified RedAss, er, Redmond will break all 10,000 systems again. Perpetual employment!!

[Jim W N]

Well, I’m not a high tech guy so I’m probably more easily satisfied and unaware of issues than you. But I do have to honcho their work. The guys in the back are pretty good, but communication between the front desk and the back isn’t always the greatest, so I have to ensure the back is doing what I want. For me that’s better than me trying to fix it myself.

[Still Thinking]

ok now you're ALL getting it!

Good luck with that. You should probably bring lunch. Possibly body bags.

[Eric Pode of Croydon]

Microsoft's Windows 10 LTSB

I've been testing the 2016 version of LTSB in a virtual machine for a week or so now. Seems to work fine with every business and internet app that I use, so I may stick with it.

It's really a pleasure to work with a Win 10 desktop that lools and feels like an adult's computer rather than a middle schooler's electronic media teat.

[Dalberg-Acton]

I’m running version 18.3. Haven’t seen any Windows 10 updates yet.

[Wuli]

I am of the “if it ain’t broke, no need to fix it school”. My Antivirus and firewall updates have always over the years protected my desktop even against the “security” loop holes MS insisted must be patched.

I am a very basic user in most regards - word, excel, powerpoint, access, visio, some old games, firefox, and thunderbird.

Even my old Win 98 machine remained bug and spyware free and only got replaced when the firewalls and antivirus updates insisted on nothing less than win 7. I still keep the win 7 PC as it and it was only a newer Laptop bought as a Win 8 that allowed to get a Win 10 update, regretably.

[Paladin2]

18.2 with XP Pro in a VirtualBox.

[Revel]

This update screwed up my HP fax software. Now when you go to send a fax it takes it about two minutes before it actually dials. It used to be instant.

[adorno]

Linux Mint 19 will be out soon.....

And Linux will still have between 1 to 2% of users, who will all still be using Windows along the way for something or other.

[max americana]

F NO. I have at least 4 laptops running 7...including the one Im typing on.

[Paladin2]

20 years ago our fam was 100% M$.

Now everyone but me is 100% Apple and I now use Apple (hand me down iPhone with no phone connection), Android(Tablet), Win7( now, an “old” laptop), and Linux (with some older Wins in VMs on multiple Desktops).

[adorno]

20 and even 30 years ago, my family (and I) used Microsoft. I even dabbled into Linux. Yet, 30 years later, my preference is still MS with Windows.

Why? It’s compatible with just about every application ever written, and it’s compatible with just about everything everybody else does with their PCs, and, there are more developers for Windows machines than for just about anything else around.

Can’t go wrong with going with MS Windows. Problems and all, which, btw, have been very minor and easily fixable.

[Paladin2]

I dabbled with Win10 in a VirtualLockBox. Found no attraction.

I have found that using Wins in a VB is great. If the VM hoses itself, a backup clone can take its place in minutes. No need to reload everything and reboot for hours....

[adorno]

Yet, the vast majority of Windows users have no problems, even those who are not tech-savvy.

Wonder why some seem to encounter so many problems when most others just chug along as it’s second nature to them.

BTW, I’ve never had a “blue screen of death” or the current equivalent. I must not be doing things wrong enough times.

[Paladin2]

"BTW, I’ve never had a “blue screen of death” or the current equivalent."

You live a very sheltered life. Given all of the hardware, hardware combinations, firmware, drivers, OS's, applications, application versions, notworking, wireless variability and the order of changes to the previous over time for a given machine, it's amazing that things work as well as they do.