Windows 10 Version 1903 is Finally Reliable Enough for Everyone

Five months after it was released, Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 version 1903 is finally ready for “broad deployment.” The announcement comes on the eve of the release of its successor, Windows 10 version 1909, which will presumably hit a similar quality milestone sometime in early 2020.

“Windows 10 version 1903 is designated ready for broad deployment for all users via Windows Update,” the Windows Update account on Twitter tweeted this week, pointing to the Windows 10 version 1903 release information page on the Microsoft Docs website.

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“As [PCs] running the Home, Pro, and Pro for Workstation editions of Windows 10 version 1803 will reach end of service on November 12, 2019, we are broadly updating these [PCs], as well as those running earlier versions of Windows 10 that are past end of service, to keep these [PCs] both supported and receiving monthly updates,” the site notes. “If you are not offered the Windows 10 version 1903 feature update, please check for known issues and safeguard holds that may affect your [PC].”

Looking over the list of known issues in this release, one can see that Microsoft has indeed fixed many of them. A few, however, are listed as being “investigated” by Microsoft, such as updates that fail to install with Error code 0x80073701 and the infamous disappearing dGPU on Surface Book 2 issue. So even though Windows 10 version 1903 has apparently passed Microsoft’s quality bar, it still has some showstoppers, depending on your situation. That the Surface Book 2 dGPU issue dates back to July is particularly disheartening.

But whatever: Windows 10 version 1909 is steaming down the tracks and could be finalized as soon as this coming week. So hang onto your butts, as the treadmill never ends.

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Conversation 23 comments

  • BoItmanLives

    28 September, 2019 - 2:43 pm

    <p>"This time we really fixed everything" — yarite. </p><p><br></p><p>Knock yourself out, Paul. Personally I"ll wait another 6 months for Microsoft to patch the patches. Been burned too many times during MS's grand Windows 10 experiment. 6-12 months minimum before I update.</p>

  • madthinus

    Premium Member
    28 September, 2019 - 3:08 pm

    <p>Rather cover your privates…?</p>

  • MikeGalos

    28 September, 2019 - 4:21 pm

    <p>No. It means the bugs in 3rd Party drivers have finally been fixed by those 3rd Parties.</p><p><br></p>

    • nbplopes

      29 September, 2019 - 6:26 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#471802">In reply to MikeGalos:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Yup. Microsoft school.</p><p><br></p><p>Blame someone else. Its a bit like "you are holding it wrong" yet more cryptic and low level so even less people get it, hard science problems. It worked before. </p>

      • dontbeevil

        29 September, 2019 - 7:14 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#472059">In reply to nbplopes:</a></em></blockquote><p>they learned form the best in brainwashing marketing … let's go take a look at ios 13 bugs</p>

        • saint4eva

          02 October, 2019 - 3:35 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#472066">In reply to dontbeevil:</a></em></blockquote><p>????????</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      29 September, 2019 - 9:18 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#471802">In reply to MikeGalos:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yep. It's never Microsoft's fault. </p><p><br></p><p>Ah boy.</p>

      • MikeGalos

        29 September, 2019 - 7:37 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#472082">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>Sorry but that's how the world works when you support all the OEMs in the world rather than just your own hardware. </p><p><br></p><p>I know this isn't news.</p>

        • BoItmanLives

          30 September, 2019 - 1:37 am

          <blockquote><a href="#472291"><em>In reply to MikeGalos:</em></a><em> </em>Sorry but that's how the world works when you support all the OEMs in the world rather than just your own hardware.</blockquote><p>Sorry but supporting OEMs wasn't something that only began with Windows 10. Nevermind Windows 7 still supports all the same modern hardware just fine without all the W10 patch blundering. 9900k + 2080Ti + NVMe drive are flawless on W7 Pro.</p><p><br></p><p>Like holy shit you don't even try to hide your MS astroturfing.</p>

          • kevineddy

            30 September, 2019 - 11:54 am

            <blockquote><em><a href="#472385">In reply to BoItmanLives:</a></em></blockquote><p>Windows 7 does not support all the same hardware as Windows 10. End of support for Windows 7 on new intel hardware was announced starting in 2016. There's no Windows 7 drivers available for new enterprise class desktops and laptops.</p><p>If you honestly think Windows 7 hasn't had all the same patch blundering, you haven't been paying attention.</p>

  • Tony Barrett

    29 September, 2019 - 5:49 am

    <p>Oh boy. I like the way MS deem it 'reliable enough' for everyone now. Doesn't instill confidence does it? Wasn't 1903 'released' in May? You'd assume being released meant it's ready for general use (or at least that what it used to mean). No, 'released' these days means there are still a ton of bugs, and MS wanted to see how many systems got hosed with this update first, but then they release more patches which cause more problems! We're now almost in October, a few weeks away from 1909, and MS 'deem' 1903 is ready. Windows 10 is just a complete sh*t show now. A bug ridden mess that MS force on everyone to beta test for them. If this is the future of Windows, MS had better watch out – consumer confidence in Windows is falling, and fast, and MS <em>still </em>can't get Win10 working properly on their on hardware, which says something!</p><p><br></p><p>This whole 'as a service' experiment seems to have some very big cracks in it now. My recommendation is defer these updates for as long as you can, or get off this hamster wheel altogether. So what if you're 12-18 months behind – maybe MS will actually have those versions working properly by then!</p>

    • waethorn

      29 September, 2019 - 8:01 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#472058">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote><p>Completed in March. Downloadable starting in April.</p>

    • blackcomb

      29 September, 2019 - 1:57 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#472058">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>LTSC is the way to go.</p>

  • dcdevito

    29 September, 2019 - 8:56 am

    <p>I gave up on Windows, too many updates, too many bugs and now they removed the ability to use a local account? No thanks. </p>

    • fishnet37222

      Premium Member
      29 September, 2019 - 7:15 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#472080">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote><p>Where is your evidence that you can't use a local account anymore?</p>

      • Awhispersecho

        Premium Member
        01 October, 2019 - 2:07 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#472289">In reply to fishnet37222:</a></em></blockquote><p>I actually just saw mention of the local account option missing on appauls, hothardware, and in multiple threads on reddit. </p>

    • evox81

      Premium Member
      29 September, 2019 - 11:39 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#472080">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote><p>There are plenty of reasons to dislike Windows… you don't have to make excuses up.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      30 September, 2019 - 5:37 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#472080">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote><p>I installed a dozen computers last week, all had local accounts, before being added to the domain.</p><p>As to too many updates, what are you using instead? macOS, Linux, BSD, iOS, Android et al. also require regular updates and any that affect the kernel also need a restart… And the consumer Linux distros generally need upgrading to the next version as often as Windows.</p><p>At least this time round, with 1909 being mainly a service pack for 1903, it means we can go 18 months before having to do the next major upgrade.</p>

  • Winner

    29 September, 2019 - 1:05 pm

    <p>So why are they doing releases every six months, anyway? Trying to chase Ubuntu?</p>

  • will

    Premium Member
    29 September, 2019 - 5:28 pm

    <p>I want off!!</p>

  • Greg Green

    30 September, 2019 - 7:21 am

    <p>“<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If you are not offered the Windows 10 version 1903 feature update, please check for known issues and safeguard holds that may affect your [PC].”</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Most people won’t know what version of Windows 10 they’re on or even how to find it. This brings MS back to the Win XP days where people didn’t even know Windows update existed. Soon they’ll be unsupported and not even know it.</span></p>

  • lerschcaitlina

    02 October, 2019 - 3:05 am

    <p>Thank You For Useful <a href="https://www.loansatyourdoor.co.uk/&quot; target="_blank">Information</a>.</p>

  • rayl

    19 October, 2019 - 9:51 am

    <p>Please do NOT update. I made that mistake a couple of weeks ago and my system didn't boot after the update. Got an error about some dll's missing. Thankfully I had done a full disk backup the previous night so after spending an entire weekend restoring from backup, I'm back in business. But, I will NOT update to 1903 anytime soon. 🙁 </p><p><br></p>

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