Windows 10 May 2019 Update Heads to the Release Preview Ring

Windows Insiders: It's Go Time

As promised, Microsoft has moved the Windows 10 May 2019 Update into the Release Preview Ring, where it will fester for weeks so the firm can ensure there are no quality or reliability issues.

“The May 2019 Update (Build 18362.30) is being rolled out to the Release Preview ring starting with seekers,” a new post to the Windows Experience blog announces. “The May 2019 Update will remain in the Release Preview ring for an increased amount of time in order give us additional time and signals to detect any issues before broader deployment.”

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Honestly, any amount of time in the Release Preview ring will be an improvement over the October 2018 Update, which spent exactly 0 days there; as you may recall, Microsoft jump-started the release weeks early and then had to pull it and spend an additional 6 weeks fixing the problems it created.

But this time will be different: As Microsoft revealed a week ago, it plans to let feature updates sit in Release Preview for at least a month now in order to prevent the problems that dogged the October 2018 Update.

“During this period, we are significantly expanding interaction with our ecosystem partners, including original equipment makers (OEMs) [PC makers] and independent software vendors (ISVs), which should help improve initial quality across a variety of devices, hardware and software configurations,” Microsoft’s Mike Fortin wrote at the time. “OEMs will begin manufacturing new PCs and devices with this same build, and both OEMs and ISVs will begin deployment of the May 2019 Update internally with their employees. Additionally, Microsoft will aggressively internally deploy the May 2019 Update during the Release Preview period and encourage employees to do the same on their personal devices. By carefully studying data from this expanded population and for this additional time, we will gain increased confidence in Windows quality before offering it to a broader audience later in May.”

This change also impacts any Insiders who wish to take advantage of the “magic window” and un-enroll PCs from the Windows Insider Fast ring and move them onto the shipping support train. It looks like you’ll have a few weeks before it’s too late, but if you want to do this, I recommend doing so now. Otherwise, you’ll be pushed into 20H1 development.

Windows Insiders in the Release Preview ring—I assume there are at least 3 or 4 of you—can get the May 2019 Update now by navigating to Settings (WINKEY + I) > Update & Security and selecting the “Check for updates” button. Microsoft promises to release future cumulative updates that service the resulting version of Windows 10, called 1903, and I expect that to include some updates that arrive before the public release in May.

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Conversation 17 comments

  • Boris Zakharin

    08 April, 2019 - 2:53 pm

    <p>Am I the only one who thought "fester" in this context is a bit off? I checked the definition of "fester" and sure enough:</p><ol><li><span style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);">to&nbsp;form&nbsp;pus;&nbsp;generate&nbsp;purulent&nbsp;matter;&nbsp;suppurate.</span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);">to&nbsp;cause&nbsp;ulceration,&nbsp;as a&nbsp;foreign&nbsp;body&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;flesh.</span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);">to&nbsp;putrefy&nbsp;or&nbsp;rot.</span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);">to&nbsp;rankle,&nbsp;as a&nbsp;feeling&nbsp;of&nbsp;resentment.</span></li></ol>

    • BruceR

      08 April, 2019 - 4:17 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#419155">In reply to bzakharin:</a></em></blockquote><p>No, it's not just you. I was about to comment in a similar manner about "become worse, through neglect" being totally inappropriate in these circumstances.</p>

    • LocalPCGuy

      08 April, 2019 - 4:26 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#419155">In reply to bzakharin:</a></em></blockquote><p>I think "percolate" is an appropriate word to use, instead of "fester".</p>

    • John Jackson

      09 April, 2019 - 4:10 am

      <blockquote>I like 'transmogrify to 1905': a magical transformation and a label indicating we've noticed its 2 months late.</blockquote><p><br></p>

  • warren

    08 April, 2019 - 4:33 pm

    <p>The other big news here is that everyone in "Skip Ahead" is being moved to the "Fast" ring, and "Fast" is where 20H1 development will happen. </p><p><br></p><p>Where are 19H2 builds going to be released?</p><p><br></p><p>They wrote "<em>We will begin releasing 19H2 bits to Insiders later this spring and will talk more about what that will look like in the near future.</em>" which makes me think that they've got a totally different approach in mind for the late-2019 release.</p>

    • Thomas Parkison

      08 April, 2019 - 4:41 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#419213">In reply to warren:</a></em></blockquote><p>That tells me that 1909 will be a much smaller update than we've had in the past. Hell, it may even be cancelled if the update doesn't do much.</p>

      • warren

        08 April, 2019 - 5:31 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#419214">In reply to trparky:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Very unlikely that they would cancel 19H2. The "second half" releases are the ones with the longer support timeline.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • Daekar

    08 April, 2019 - 5:00 pm

    <p>Fester? Damn, Paul, this WaaS stuff must still be burning your biscuits pretty badly… </p>

    • wolf

      Premium Member
      10 April, 2019 - 3:03 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#419229">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yeah.&nbsp; When the last two major releases came out, everyone was screaming about how MS moved to fast and released poorly&nbsp;tested builds.&nbsp; Now they set up a reasonable soak period in Release Preview and it's festering.&nbsp; What gives?</p>

  • NoFlames

    08 April, 2019 - 5:36 pm

    <p>I think 2nd half releases will be all about hardware enablement and bug fixing and the first half release will have new feature focus. I think people forget that each new CPU/graphics/chipset change requires some new software bits. This will enable OEM's to release new hardware products on two different Windows release schedules, yet not introduce too much instability for the ever critical Q4 when a large percentage of consumer PC's are purchased.</p>

  • dxtremebob

    Premium Member
    08 April, 2019 - 5:44 pm

    <p>I can't get Virtual Com Ports to work in this release.</p>

  • jsarieh

    08 April, 2019 - 10:14 pm

    <p>Anyone know how to get the iso to do a clean install?</p>

    • Dan1986ist

      Premium Member
      09 April, 2019 - 10:14 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#419277">In reply to jsarieh:</a></em></blockquote><p>The iso for 1903 won't be able through the Media Creation Tool, MSDN or other means until after 1903 has gone through testing in Release Preview ring. </p>

    • Kevin Costa

      09 April, 2019 - 3:43 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#419277">In reply to jsarieh:</a></em></blockquote><p>One way to get the ISO is to install through Insider Program, clean and Sysprep it, Capture a WIM/ESD image and make a bootable ISO file.</p>

  • teffinmark

    09 April, 2019 - 7:44 am

    <p><span style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);">They wrote "</span><em style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);">We will begin releasing 19H2 bits to Insiders later this spring and will talk more about what that will look like in the near future.</em><span style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);">" which makes me think that they've got a totally different approach in mind for the late-2019 release. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">More information in </span><a href="http://www.mayvillestate.org&quot; target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">mayvillestate</a><a href="http://www.mayvillestate.org&quot; target="_blank">.</a></p>

  • chevalier

    09 April, 2019 - 1:16 pm

    <p>My update is actually 1903 b18362.53 which is a slight change from that which you have reported.</p>

  • epguy40

    18 April, 2019 - 7:56 pm

    <p>I know I'm late in responding to this, but even though the May 2019 Update made it into the Release Preview ring, MSDN subscribers are now getting the 1903 ISOs which have build 18362.30</p><p><br></p><p>this story on ZDNet just came out earlier today of the May 2019 Update being released to MSDN</p><p>www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-makes-windows-10-1903-available-on-msdn/</p>

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