Microsoft Begins Rolling Out the Creators Update Today

Microsoft Begins Rolling Out the Creators Update Today

It’s a big day for Windows fans, with Microsoft starting to roll out the fourth major version of Windows 10, called the Creators Update, or Windows 10 version 1703.

There’s nothing new to say, but I’d like to remind readers of what’s happening, and what your options are.

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As you may recall, Microsoft formerly announced the Creators Update, originally codenamed “Redstone 2” at an October event in New York. At that time, it focused on the updates new 3D capabilities, Windows Mixed Reality (then still called Windows Holographic), 4K gaming and game broadcasting, and a feature called My People that was subsequently delayed to the next Windows 10 version.

We’ve been writing about the Creators Update and specific new features ever since, of course, and have documented the changes in various Windows 10 Insider Preview builds during this time as well. But you can find a nice wrap-up in my Windows 10 Creators Update Preview, and you might want to check out my Windows 10 Creators Update Review for an accurate overview of what to expect in this release.

If you wish for a more complete guide and reference for Windows 10, please consider purchasing theWindows 10 Field Guide. We are now updating it for the Creators Update, and this work will continue over the next few months.

As for the roll out, that is happening publicly via Windows Update starting today. But you may not wish to upgrade on Microsoft’s rollout schedule, which the software giant says could take “several months.”

Which is fine. Because you have choices.

If you wish to throw caution to the wind and install the Creators Update immediately, please Windows 10 Tip: Get the Creators Update as Quickly as Possible. You can upgrade today if you’d like.

If you wish to see how the upgrade goes and wait 2-4 weeks, I recommend following the advice in Windows 10 Tip: Get the Creators Update on Your Own Schedule. This is a prudent choice for average users, given the problems Microsoft had rolling out the previous Windows 10 version.

That said, I hope and expect that this feature update will roll out more reliably and quickly than the Anniversary Update. The next few weeks will tell that tale, though, as reports come in from the real world and Microsoft’s testing methodologies are again put to the test.

Cross your fingers. The Creators Update is here.

 

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Conversation 31 comments

  • Waethorn

    11 April, 2017 - 10:12 am

    <p>The Upgrade Assistant worked fine on 2 systems of mine, and several customer's machines. Mind you, I didn't try any "weird" hardware types like Atom tablets with oddball touchscreen and orientation sensors where drivers are hard to find, like Chinese models, but I'm going to be giving that a go today with Windows 10 CU on a Pipo X9. These types of systems have notoriously bad driver support. The hardware looks good, but it's a nightmare to deal with as far as software support goes because the OEM's require the use of custom version drivers that aren't identified differently from generic versions.</p><p><br></p><p>Do yourself a favour: buy a major "Western" name brand that has good support. If the company posts their drivers on Baidu Cloud, WALK AWAY!</p>

    • jeffskent

      11 April, 2017 - 5:13 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#97189"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a><em> Just for the record, the Upgrade Assistant also worked fine on my 3 year old Surface Pro. Quickly done and no issues so far.</em></blockquote><blockquote><br></blockquote><p><br></p>

      • Waethorn

        11 April, 2017 - 7:12 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#97290">In reply to jeffskent:</a></em></blockquote><p>I also noticed that it was far faster than was the 1511 and AU migrations.</p>

  • Waethorn

    11 April, 2017 - 10:50 am

    <p>I found another oddity/change from the older versions of Windows 10.</p><p><br></p><p>Previously, Windows 10 would hide drivers on the "regular" Windows Update mechanism if you had an existing driver for a component that was "working". However, you used to be able to go to Device Manager, pull a components property sheet, and manually update certain drivers using hidden driver updates that are normally reserved to the Windows Update Catalog site. You can't do that anymore. Now, you just get a message when you try to do that to "check Windows Update" with a button that takes you to Windows Update.</p><p><br></p><p>I never understood the reasoning for hiding driver updates from users in the first place. Is this better? That depends. Is Microsoft still hiding driver updates but now just reserving them exclusively to the Windows Update Catalog site making it harder to get driver updates? That remains to be seen.</p>

    • Polycrastinator

      11 April, 2017 - 1:20 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#97193">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>Remember, when Microsoft first rolled out Windows 10, they pushed driver updates willy nilly. I saw so many W10 systems that got hosed by inappropriate drivers. I far prefer that if something is working, they leave it be, unless I manually choose otherwise. If the previous driver that's installed came from WU, that's one thing, if it's OEM or something I installed myself? I want Microsoft to leave it alone.</p>

      • Narg

        11 April, 2017 - 3:19 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#97227"><em>In reply to Polycrastinator:</em></a></blockquote><p>Except Micrsoft's release of drivers is usually directly from the OEM going through Microsoft's update service. And many updates are done for security reasons. So what's your concern again?</p>

        • BoItmanLives

          11 April, 2017 - 9:35 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#97242"><em>In reply to Narg:</em></a></blockquote><p>Found the Microsoft employee. </p><p><br></p><p>Sorry but losing access to manually changing a driver is bullshit. Guess I'll be staying put on 7 and 8.1 if they're going to turn it into a nanny OS. </p>

      • Waethorn

        11 April, 2017 - 4:41 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#97227">In reply to Polycrastinator:</a></em></blockquote><p>False alarm. Seems it's working now. Maybe they had shut it off before the release to Windows Update, but I just did a couple Atom systems with Intel Thermal Framework drivers the old method, and it still works.</p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    11 April, 2017 - 11:42 am

    <p>Why do they bother with the YYMM labeling? 1703 released more than a week into April. Too expensive to change preprinted marketing materials to 1704?</p>

    • Waethorn

      11 April, 2017 - 12:06 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#97210">In reply to hrlngrv:</a></em></blockquote><p>It conflicts with Ubuntu's numbering system. No doubt they want to establish a disconnect between the companies before Microsoft's eventual takeover of Canonical.</p>

      • EraseYourself

        11 April, 2017 - 8:58 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#97216"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a><em> No, Insiders already got the update back in March. Why would they change the versioning because it was released as GA in April. 1704 is what is currently in testing on the X1 and would create confusion.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

        • Waethorn

          12 April, 2017 - 11:46 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#97330">In reply to EraseYourself:</a></em></blockquote><p>So? The version should be based on GA, not the copy that goes out to the "Beta Squad". A day-zero patch for GA means the original version wasn't ready for GA either.</p>

          • hrlngrv

            Premium Member
            12 April, 2017 - 9:42 pm

            <p><a href="#97483"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></p><p>As long as there's some logic, even tortured logic, NBD other than the utter pointlessness of trying to mimic Ubuntu.</p>

    • BoItmanLives

      11 April, 2017 - 9:31 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#97210"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>It should be YMMV</p>

  • lwetzel

    Premium Member
    11 April, 2017 - 2:16 pm

    <p>Have 3 machines updated to Version 1703 (OS Build 15063.138)</p><p><br></p><p>Not a hiccup. BUT…I had opted into insiders on 2 machines then moved those 2 machines to the Release Preview and opted out of Insiders. I stayed in insider on my original Surface Pro and it was in grief about the last update it didn't want to load before today. However it straightened itself out with todays update and all is well now.</p>

  • Todd Logsdon

    11 April, 2017 - 2:30 pm

    <p>Well they did a test deploy at my work and seems with the creator update that .NET Framework v1.1 programs no longer work. Watching task manager it opens, then closes about 10-15 seconds later and nothing ever comes up on the screen. I don't recall seeing this mentioned anywhere about this update pulling support for that.</p>

    • StevenLayton

      11 April, 2017 - 3:34 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#97237"><em>In reply to Todd Logsdon:</em></a><em>not sure why someone voted your comment down. Voted it up to even that out!</em></blockquote><blockquote>Just call me the Dark Knight of the forum. Righting wrongs, lol.</blockquote><p><br></p>

    • Patrick3D

      11 April, 2017 - 5:01 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#97237">In reply to Todd Logsdon:</a></em></blockquote><p>I noticed when opening Intel's graphics properties tool it prompted to re-install .Net 2.5. It would appear this update uninstalled older versions of .Net.</p>

      • Todd Logsdon

        11 April, 2017 - 5:06 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#97285"><em>In reply to Patrick3D:</em></a></blockquote><p>They tried re-installing the .NET v1.1 install and it ran through like it worked, but still nothing happens after this when you try to run a program. I mean it doesn't even give you an error that the .NET framework needed is missing or anything. The programs just open in the background for a few seconds then close themselves without any type of notice to the user.</p>

    • BoItmanLives

      11 April, 2017 - 9:29 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#97237"><em>In reply to Todd Logsdon:</em></a></blockquote><p>Why is your IT installing perpetual beta Windows 10 at all? There are no new business features, just mobile focused shovelware for devices they aren't selling.</p>

      • Todd Logsdon

        12 April, 2017 - 11:55 am

        <blockquote><a href="#97332"><em>In reply to BoItmanLives:</em></a></blockquote><p>We are not large enough in terms of computer size that management is willing to shell out for an Enterprise licensing. So they get to test all these updates to make sure nothing breaks before it gets pushed to everyone. Also, we have to make sure our software runs fine on the newest versions of Windows as that's what a segment of our customers will use.</p>

  • Salvador Jesús Romero Castellano

    11 April, 2017 - 3:23 pm

    <p> Does anyone know anything about Mobile?</p>

    • mike moller

      11 April, 2017 - 4:20 pm

      <blockquote><em>sure as hell MS don't <a href="#97244">In reply to Salvador Jesús Romero Castellano:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p>

    • RGS Consulting

      14 April, 2017 - 7:20 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#97244"><em>In reply to Salvador Jesús Romero Castellano:</em></a></blockquote><p>My Lumia 950 XL CU update went smoothly. No issues at all during or since.</p>

  • Patrick3D

    11 April, 2017 - 5:11 pm

    <p>Updated a laptop that was missing the previous cumulative update. That older update failed to install and required the Windows Update Troubleshooter tool to be run which repaired the update database. After that got sorted the creators update installed fine. </p><p>First impressions: had a warning about my OneDrive folder not being my original OneDrive folder, told it to "Try Again" and it seems to be working normally. </p><p>Drivers missing for ST Microelectronics Free Fall Sensor and ControlVault on Dell Latitude E6410, downloaded and installed from Dell to resolve. </p><p>Yellow triangle on Windows Defender is going to get annoying for anyone running 100% brightness or sleep disabled, can't wait for the tickets to start rolling in once this update goes live in our company. </p><p>Others have noticed high memory usage, this appears to be Windows setting aside memory as a cache to improve performance and can be seen in the Memory tab of Resource Monitor.</p><p>Older versions of .Net got removed during the update process. Intel graphics properties tool prompted to reinstall .Net 2.5.</p><p>Not sure about how I feel towards all of the changes to the right-click Start menu yet. At the very least it appears Microsoft is trying to push more people towards using Settings instead of the Control Panel.</p>

  • rockycpa

    11 April, 2017 - 8:35 pm

    <p>I installed it on my Surface Pro 4. The only issue I have seen is that I had to reconnect my arch touch mouse. Lastpass on Edge seems only slightly better. It has never worked correctly for me on Edge.</p>

  • Lewk

    Premium Member
    12 April, 2017 - 12:20 am

    <p>I was absolutely shocked to discover that a Laptop of mine (on production) that took 4 months to receive the Anniversary Update, received the Creators Update right away. Oddly though, it upgraded to 14393.1006 first before seeing the CU.</p>

  • shaunw122

    12 April, 2017 - 2:28 am

    <p>I updated to the creators edition on my Dell Xps 13 (late 2015 model) and it was fine. But late yesterday it downloaded a series of patches and updates and that killed my machine. It could not reboot and my only option was to refresh the pc and reinstall all my apps. I even tried rolling back to a previous restore point but that did not work. </p><p><br></p><p>To add to the frustration I could not get that gag of crap edge browser to download office. I used the Get Office option I was logged in to me account but Edge just sat there doing nothing. In the end I downloaded chrome at had no problem installing office. </p><p><br></p><p>It's really frustrating when thing don't work, my laptop is relatively new fully patched with mainly Microsoft software on it yet it gets broken by an update – disgraceful. </p><p><br></p><p>My daughter keeps taking the micky out of me sticking with Microsoft. She has a Macbook air and it just works, she never has a problem. </p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    12 April, 2017 - 2:58 am

    <p>Installed it on my Spectre x360 at home and my Fujitsu Lifebook at work last week. Everything running fine so far.</p>

  • RGS Consulting

    14 April, 2017 - 7:05 pm

    <p>I'm not editorializing on the problems here as I empathize fully, but years of similar hard knocks with multi-brand hardware and software has taught me to keep everything the same color (Such as John Deere green in front of the tractor and behind the tractor), just because everything just works and works. I installed CU on my Surface Pro 4, Surface 3, and Lumia 950XL, without a hitch. It just works and works. Everything is the same color.</p><p>I do have one One Off – a Dell Venue 8 Pro and it works just like it's Microsoft blue.</p><p>BTW, I've stopped using IE, except for some older sites that don't load well in Edge. I'm also doing something I didn't think I would do – stop using the desktop. Except with my multi-screen Pro 4 setup, I'm using Tablet Mode. Start Screen is just fine for everything, including desktop items.</p><p>We all know one thing for certain, these kinks get worked out fairly quickly.</p>

  • JHONTIGER

    14 September, 2017 - 10:28 am

    <p><span style="color: rgb(8, 14, 20);">To help businesses more broadly deploy Windows 10 Creators Update/1703, Microsoft is updating the Windows 10 1703 packages and ISOs on the Volume License Servicing Center, MSDN, Windows Update</span></p>

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