It’s Patch Tuesday, and you know what that means: Right, I spent the day driving to Pennsylvania. Oh, and Microsoft updated the shipping versions of Windows 10 too.
One odd note: Even though Microsoft stopped supporting the initial version of Windows 10 (version 1507), it actually updated that version today, too. There’s no official word on why, but one has to imagine it’s tied to recent nation state and ransomware attacks. Regardless, this means that all versions of Windows 10—1507, 1511, 1607, and 1703—were updated today with quality (non-feature) updates.
Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!
"*" indicates required fields
Here’s what Microsoft changed in Windows 10 version 1703 (the Creators Update), incrementing the build number to 15063.483.
As always, you will find an update waiting for you in Windows Update no matter which Windows 10 version you’re using. And yes, you will need to reboot.
skane2600
<p>MS keeps prompting me to upgrade to Creators Update but installation fails on my PC every time. I guess If I want to be up-to-date I'll have to buy a new PC. I suspect that upgrading from Win7 to Win10 wasn't such a great idea (my kids' laptops with W10 preinstalled work fine). Unfortunately I missed the Window for going back to 7. There's probably some way to fix it or go back to 7, but I'm long over messing with Windows installation issues, it's just a tool to me now. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143068"><em>In reply to warren:</em></a></blockquote><p>A couple businesses have no IT departments relying solely on this update service, which undermined their business continuity, which led to thousands of dollars on hiring our team to remedy their outage. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#142756"><em>In reply to Win74ever:</em></a></blockquote><p>Today, that program is a godsend to many. We routinely install it, configure it, and provide complete support for W7 installs.</p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143876"><em>In reply to warren:</em></a><em> Our customer base dictates our market, not MS. </em></blockquote>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143912"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>The IT industry will determine whether that deadline changes. MS cannot afford to lose its governmental base, manufacturing base, nor any of the base that refuses to buy into W10.</p><p><br></p><p>We service various official activities that tried W10, and the repair bill alone convinced them to stay with W7.</p><p><br></p><p>Here's a market statement…</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Windows 7, now grandfathered by Windows 8.x and Windows 10 has seen a full percent jump in its market share to 48.41 percent (+1.21) giving it its highest cut of the market since last June.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="ql-cursor"></span>Windows 10 on 25.19 (-0.11 – yes, down slightly!) is actually bigger than it appears.</span></p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#142815"><em>In reply to Sylvala:</em></a></blockquote><p>Interesting. You'd think that checking a PC to determine if it has sufficient free space for the update would be step 0 in any update.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#143137"><em>In reply to Sylvala:</em></a></blockquote><p>I didn't mean the user should check, I meant the update process itself should check.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#142851"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>Thanks, but I already tried that.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#142879"><em>In reply to FalseAgent:</em></a></blockquote><p>That might very well be the case if Creators update introduced some incompatibility with my PC. Since such problems will undoubtedly occur on some PCs, the responsible thing for MS to do is to track the success or failure of updates and if an update fails repeatedly on a particular PC to display a message indicating the failure and stop prompting the user to install an update the will inevitably fail. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#142879"><em>In reply to FalseAgent:</em></a><em> New systems toting W10 are having issues, such as disappearing apps after updates, data missing or unavailable, all issues related to MS coding. </em></blockquote>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#143456"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>I appreciate you trying to help, but don't go to any trouble. The update isn't important enough to me to risk bricking my PC.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#143603"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>I suspect you're right. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143846"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>Good advice if you're talking about one computer. Horrible advice if you're speaking to small businesses on fixed budget, and down time is not an option. </p>
Richard Beers
<p>Another perfect example why Windows 10 was released to the public as a free product – it wasn't ready then, and is still undergoing revisions. What they [Microsoft] will not admit is without the roll-out of W10, the company was facing the real threat of laying off staff. By giving-away W10 in its unfinished state, to consumers and packaging it with new systems, they were able to save their market. At what expense? Consumers were duped into believing W10 was stable. </p><p><br></p><p>Fact is, Windows 7 is the most stable product released, and still preferred by majority of industries very satisfied with its performance. </p><p><br></p><p>Majority of my customers are those wanting to return to W7PRO-64BIT</p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143457"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>True. However, majority of customers are using systems older than the preferred OS requirements. The roll-out was sent to everyone with a older OS and systems not fully compatible. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143982"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>There are two camps regarding this, as you know, and ignoring this fact doesn't mitigate it. Camp one is new equipment, drivers built to spec. This accounts for huge investment for medium to large corporations in bending to the upgrade offered. Camp two is the majority of the market, where IT support activities are still profitable in both maintenance and servicing W7 versions. Those carrying water for W10 is still the minority. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143999"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>Classical rhetoric that I've seen many times, in many forums, circles, and think tanks. With nearly 30 years in the industry, several degrees, in varying capacities from engineer to CIO [currently], your paradigm is limited to your experience. Long after this column ends, at the end of the day, what consumers buy and maintain boils down to their personal experience, good or bad, the market will always endure, and IT support will always remain. </p><p><br></p><p>Bottom line is W10 is not stable for our clients, customers, and contracts. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#144368"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Then you'll appreciate judging others based on their avatar, claims they haven't a clue about IT, oh and let's not forget the comment about being out of business are equally off topic… They're stated to derail the real issue, lack of understanding, and an attempt to beat on one's chest. </p><p><br></p><p>You've been trolling and this is what happens. I question your experience based on poor use of English language on the above points. </p><p><br></p><p>And before you get bent out of shape, YOU HAVE BEEN TROLLED… </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#144426"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>An apology? Sure. Reread where this topic went off topic… Who derailed it, take a long look. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#144446"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>10 replaces 7, fact. </p><p><br></p><p>I'll apologize for pointing out 7 is stable. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143994"><em>In reply to W7PRO_JUST_WORKS:</em></a></blockquote><p>Your first example makes no sense because… new hardware is always developed for the current version of Windows, not the older one.</p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">False. Numerous manufactures we do business with provide newer platforms based on our customers needs. </p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft won't let a hardware manufacturer get logo certification for an older version of Windows while a newer one has been released. In fact, there's always a cutoff date for legacy certification once a new version arrives (only so many months). A manufacturer can provide logo certification on old hardware for an old version of Windows while ignoring the new version of Windows, but that also spells a compatibility disaster for customers adopting that hardware and trying to mix and match with modern hardware.</p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">I agree. However, I'm not sure where you are going with this example, seeing that the narrative is camp one is about drivers for new systems… </p><p><br></p><p>IT support focusing on only older versions of Windows has time-and-time-again proven to be a faulty proposal because the OEM's will leave them, and their clients, in the dust. </p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">Pardon me, I had to share this misconception with our IT staff…</p><p class="ql-indent-1"><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">[people shaking their heads, some laughing… ]</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>IT has be updating to the latest technologies because of 2 reasons: security, and technology innovations defeating warranty lifecycles. Security threats and manufacturing doesn't stand still. IT can't either, otherwise you will just never understand technology. </p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">Ah, one of our interns [bachelor's in computer science] wanted to ask you…. How many years have you been in this industry? What was your role? What was the composition of your assets? Please, do share…</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>IT isn't a means to an end. IT never ends because technology doesn't.</p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">I'm lost. IT is many components, and is core to the means. The end has no bearing in this narrative, or you're changing the discussion to suit a narrow paradigm? </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#144419"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>TL-DR</p><p><br></p><p>Frankly, on the topic we both abandoned to troll… </p><p><br></p><p>W7 is stable versus W10 regardless. </p><p><br></p><p>Buying W10 is an adventure. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#144444"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Years of developing business continuity solutions has paid off, our focus and a niche market. Our customers aren't interested in techno-bable, or tl-dr sermons, let alone technoneeze either. Our customers are interested in business continuity, and will pay top dollar for this service. </p><p><br></p><p>Again, before you frantically reply with a torrid of chest thumping responses, consider this is a fraction of our business solutions. There are those that migrated to 10 platform, albeit, yes… the process to which we both agree is an ongoing headache. However, our engineers and admins have tackled those, and continue to develop and build catered support products.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#144470"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Okay, now another troll fail attempt. EOL. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#144477"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I'm curious to learn what real world experience you have under your belt, and whether that is based on regurgitating MS white paper or actually worked on corporate America infrastructure. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#144419"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>We're discussing one fraction, albeit a cashcow for the foreseeable future, of our business model. You've made good points, stick to the topic in the future instead of trolling. It would be easier on everyone involved. </p><p><br></p><p>We have ongoing plans and support schedules for W10 products from end-users to server-side side clients. [lol] I'm shocked when people assume all we do is what they think we do and troll. </p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143855"><em>In reply to W7PRO_JUST_WORKS:</em></a></blockquote><p>The majority of issues I've seen with compatibility had to do with out-of-date drivers. </p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">The narrative is stability, not your point on compatibility. </p><p><br></p><p>In-place upgrades generally DON'T WORK because of this. And this is the reason why Microsoft has traditionally supported enterprises via a wipe-and-upgrade scenario…</p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">For enterprises? We are a full-service enterprise support activity, rarely do we wipe and upgrade systems. Using various push protocols, various imaging routines, W7 systems are routinely maintained, patched, and locked to prevent this vary draconian process. </p><p><br></p><p>The whole Microsoft Deployment Toolkit is based around that concept.</p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">YouYou ever use any other means to update a system, remotely or on-site?</p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143245"><em>In reply to W7PRO_JUST_WORKS:</em></a></blockquote><p>Stability problems aside, Windows 10 has better support for newer hardware.</p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">Stability problems aside? </p><p class="ql-indent-1"><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1">That's the central issue for end-user.</p>
Richard Beers
<blockquote><a href="#143578"><em>In reply to William_Kempf:</em></a></blockquote><blockquote>During the initial offering of W10 customers frequently [daily] inquired whether or organization recommended accepting the upgrade. Our reply is based on majority of our walk in and contract customers – that to accept W10 is also to accept additional fees for repairs. Majority of our contract customers are staying with what just works and have saved thousand of dollars in support fees that others have incurred since the roll-out. </blockquote>