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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMicrosoft Admits Normal Windows 10 Users Are 'Testing' Unstable Updates
Dec 12, 2018, 06:49am
Jason Evangelho
Remember when Microsoft's disastrous Windows 10 October Update removed entire user folders like documents and photos? Or the Surface Book 2 owners who had their systems rendered useless from update KB4467682? This happened because users were manually checking for updates and not waiting for the update to get automatically triggered. Why is this a big deal? Because the average Windows user believes that's a safe way to get their system updates as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it's the exact opposite, and Microsoft's Corporate President for Windows has admitted it in a recent blog post.
A Windows 10 user's default expression in 2018.
GETTY
First a brief explainer on the release cadence of Windows Updates. Each month Microsoft releases three batches of updates. The second Tuesday of each month (also known as "Patch Tuesday" ) is a quality update that includes security and non-security fixes. Microsoft labels these as "B" releases.
However, Microsoft also issues optional updates during the third and fourth weeks of each month. These are known as "C" and "D" releases. Here's Michael Fortin, Corporate Vice President, Windows, to explain those for you:
"These are preview releases, primarily for commercial customers and advanced users seeking updates. These updates have only non-security fixes. The intent of these releases is to provide visibility into, and enable testing of, the non-security fixes that will be included in the next Update Tuesday release. Advanced users can access the C and D releases by navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and clicking the Check for updates box."
Wait, what?
...
More at link.
better
(884 posts)Ended up blowing away the whole thing (after salvaging his data) and installing Linux for him, and he's much happier. I for one will not ever be installing (or keeping) Windows 10 on any of my own devices. I'm already in the process of retiring Windows 7 and replacing it with the Zorin OS distribution of Linux for my workstations, and I long ago abandoned Windows Server in favor of Ubuntu and CentOS.
If any of you are nearing the point of being ready to jump ship from MS (or Apple, for that matter), I highly recommend checking out Zorin. It's based on Ubuntu, so support and applications are widely available, and perhaps the best feature of this particular distro is that it can be very easily configured to look and feel like either Mac, Windows, or Ubuntu, so the transition is quite easy and intuitive for users familiar with any of the above.
http://zorinos.com
MineralMan
(146,341 posts)how to get my PC running after I did what you told me on the phone...I must have made a mistake in following your instructions.
better
(884 posts)Step 1 - Delete Windows.
Step 2 - Install a good operating system!
Obviously that's a bit of , don't delete Windows before backing up your important data! Fortunately, my friend lives 8 miles away and I have plenty of networked drive space that I could use to back up his data and restore it on his new OS.
MineralMan
(146,341 posts)Windows 10 works fine where I am.
better
(884 posts)I assumed you were making a joke about the scam MS support calls. Glad it's working out for you, though. For me, it's a consistent PITA everywhere I have to support it. I actually kinda like Windows 7, but everything they've done since then, I can't stand, and at this point Linux does pretty much everything I actually care about better, and it's easier for me to keep running well.
Mainly, I just wanted to let any who share my frustration with MS know about Zorin because it's no/low cost and a pretty painless transition for the average user.
MineralMan
(146,341 posts)Most people actually like Windows just fine.
MineralMan
(146,341 posts)who called me the other day:
"I am being Mike, with Microsoft Technical Security Support. I can fix your Microsoft. Just do as I tell you."
Once my Windows PC finally reboots, I can get off my tablet and get back to work.
hueymahl
(2,510 posts)Seriously? It is one continuous bug ridden mess, with fleeting moments of stability just to tease you.
I abandoned them long ago, but I still regularly help family members with this garbage OS. Nothing has changed.
Mosby
(16,395 posts)Where you can roll back "builds" which is whatever latest version your computer has installed.
I haven't had any problems with 10.
hunter
(38,339 posts)I use Linux on my own machines. It just works for me. I also have a very inexpensive Chromebook, which is a fine machine for web browsing and writing.
People complain about Microsoft but then they don't do anything about it.