Microsoft Details Deprecated and Removed Features in Windows 10 Version 2004

As it does for each feature update, Microsoft has documented the features it’s removed and deprecated in Windows 10 version 2004.

“Each version of Windows 10 adds new features and functionality; occasionally we also remove features and functionality, often because we’ve added a better option,” a Microsoft support document related to deprecated features—that is, features that the firm is no longer developing and will later drop—notes.

Deprecated features include:

Companion Device Framework. The Companion Device Framework is no longer under active development.

Microsoft Edge. The legacy version of Microsoft Edge is no longer being developed.

Dynamic Disks. The Dynamic Disks feature is no longer being developed. This feature will be fully replaced by Storage Spaces in a future release.

Removed features include:

Cortana. Cortana has been updated and enhanced in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update. With these changes, some previously available consumer skills such as music, connected home, and other non-Microsoft skills are no longer available.

Windows To Go. Windows To Go was announced as deprecated in Windows 10 version 1903 and is removed in this release.

Mobile Plans and Messaging apps. Both apps are still supported but are now distributed in a different way. [PC makers] can now include these apps in Windows images for cellular-enabled devices. The apps are removed for non-cellular devices.

Microsoft previously documented the deprecated and removed features in Windows 10 versions 1909, 1809, 1803, 1703, and other versions.

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Conversation 25 comments

  • reefer

    28 May, 2020 - 3:55 pm

    <p>The removal of dynamic disks is a pretty big thing. First introduced in Windows 2000 so it has lot of mileage since then. A little of the same with Windows to go, although not as old as the previous mentioned product and i have never seen much use of it in the companies that i have worked in. </p>

  • bogdan

    28 May, 2020 - 4:12 pm

    <p>I don't quite get the Companion Device Framework removal and its ties to Windows Hello feature. Is my usb based fingerprint reader dead as a product? Would somebody explain this?</p>

    • Patrick3D

      28 May, 2020 - 10:45 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#543419">In reply to bogdan:</a></em></blockquote><p>It's no longer being worked on but not being removed with 2004.</p>

      • madthinus

        Premium Member
        29 May, 2020 - 2:55 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#543553">In reply to Patrick3D:</a></em></blockquote><p>I read that as no one is interested in this from partners.</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      29 May, 2020 - 8:26 am

      This provides a partial explanation:

      https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/device-experiences/windows-hello-companion-device-framework

      Basically, it seems that this wasn’t a generally-available solution and that it required hardware makers to get the permission of Microsoft to do use it.

    • jwpear

      Premium Member
      29 May, 2020 - 9:18 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#543419">In reply to bogdan:</a></em></blockquote><p>I'm unsure also, even with the article Paul shared. Are there other frameworks that support Windows Hello? It looks like it is the Windows Biometrics API.</p><p><br></p><p>I use a Logitech Brio with Windows Hello support. Does that device stop supporting Window Hello after Companion Device Framework is removed? Does the fingerprint reader on my Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID stop working too? Does the Windows Hello camera on my Surface Book 2 stop working? These are all expensive investments in Windows Hello, which I enjoy because they streamline my PC use workflow. </p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft needs to clarify how this will impact users with such devices.</p>

  • dftf

    28 May, 2020 - 4:32 pm

    <p>If you do a clean install of 2004 right now, the legacy Edge is the one it ships with: the new (Chrome-based) Edge has to be downloaded separately. When will Chrome-Edge ship as part of the install image — 20H2 or 21H1 — do you think?</p><p><br></p><p>Also, kind of sad to see Windows to Go… er, go… as it was a really neat idea, though I do struggle to think of any company which actually used it (short of perhaps using it in an IT Department to make a bootable Windows 10 OS for troubleshooting purposes).</p><p><br></p><p>I wonder when WEP/WPA1 support will finally go?</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      29 May, 2020 - 8:24 am

      Yeah I have to think this happens in 20H2.

    • compuser

      02 June, 2020 - 5:28 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#543430">In reply to dftf:</a></em></blockquote><p>You're right. I successfully upgraded a desktop and two laptops to Windows 2004, and ChromiumEdge installed with those upgrades. But after upgrading my Windows tablet, I could no longer log on to it, and it required a clean install to fix. The clean install did not include ChromiumEdge. Even using the exact same installation disk for all the upgrades and the clean install. But the first time I launched Edge on the tablet, it didn't open to my default home page, but instead opened to a tab that recommended downloading and installing the upgrade to ChromiumEdge. It only took a minute or so to complete, but then the newly installed ChromiumEdge required a second update to get it to the same version that installed with the Windows 2004 upgrades on the other computers. Unfortunately, after completing all the upgrades, I have to say I still don't like Edge. It still doesn't let me customize the Favorites Bar size and location like I could with IE, and it's basically Chrome. If I wanted to use Chrome, I'd use Chrome. You can't tell them apart, except one says Microsoft on the default home page while the other says Google. For me, since there are so many web sites that don't play nice with IE anymore (thurrott.com being one of them), Firefox is the way to go.</p>

  • Chris_Kez

    Premium Member
    28 May, 2020 - 5:04 pm

    <p>I love the accompanying photo! It just makes me chuckle and I have no idea why.</p>

    • madthinus

      Premium Member
      29 May, 2020 - 2:53 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#543451">In reply to Chris_Kez:</a></em></blockquote><p>These features are being social distancing. </p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      29 May, 2020 - 8:23 am

      🙂

  • m_p_w_84

    28 May, 2020 - 5:23 pm

    <p>after years of 'M<span style="color: rgb(95, 99, 104);">icrosoft's home</span><span style="color: rgb(77, 81, 86);">&nbsp;of the&nbsp;</span><span style="color: rgb(95, 99, 104);">future</span><span style="color: rgb(77, 81, 86);">' presentations why is MS absent from the smart home market?</span></p>

    • Daishi

      Premium Member
      28 May, 2020 - 5:44 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#543459">In reply to m_p_w_84:</a></em></blockquote><p>Because 2020 Microsoft isn’t interested in anything that doesn’t have a business or education angle.</p>

      • shameermulji

        28 May, 2020 - 7:00 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#543476">In reply to Daishi:</a></em></blockquote><p>You forgot gaming. And to add to your comment, Steve Jobs once said focus isn't about saying yes, it's about saying No. MS' strength is in business, education, gaming, and cloud. So it makes sense to pour their energies there.</p>

      • rkpatrick

        29 May, 2020 - 5:16 am

        <blockquote><a href="#543476"><em>In reply to Daishi:</em></a><em>MS' consumer offerings have very often been terrible (Xbox excluded)…the bar for what consumers will put up with is a lot lower as long as it has some kind of "cool" (distracting) feature.Business has *always* been their strong suit (and education as well, really….MSDN has been fostering student developers for a while now). </em></blockquote><p><br></p>

    • m_p_w_84

      29 May, 2020 - 7:04 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#543459">In reply to m_p_w_84:</a></em></blockquote><p>I just think its a shame I can't switch my lights on and off on my computer. An MS Open Source Apple HomeKit-esque app would be great. </p>

  • anderb

    Premium Member
    28 May, 2020 - 6:13 pm

    <p>Additional removed features:</p><ul><li> compatibility with the latest Surface devices </li></ul>

  • IanYates82

    Premium Member
    28 May, 2020 - 8:09 pm

    <p>Fun how they've removed things from cortana but phrase it as being updated and enhanced </p>

  • red77star

    28 May, 2020 - 9:02 pm

    <p>Storage Spaces is just pile of junk. Why would they stop working on Dynamic Disks? Microsoft is going to kill ton of things in Windows and replace it with the junk or not replace it at all.</p>

    • silversee

      29 May, 2020 - 12:25 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#543545">In reply to red77star:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>The UI for managing Storage Spaces in Windows client is (currently) limited, but Storage Spaces itself is excellent provided one understands how to use it. (It's not the same as RAID. It's actually got some things in common with elements of ZFS, especially so when used with ReFS). </p><p><br></p><p>It's far more powerful than dynamic disks, so this news is quite promising.</p>

    • MikeCerm

      29 May, 2020 - 11:21 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#543545">In reply to red77star:</a></em></blockquote><p>Storage spaces is a lot more flexible than Dynamic Disks. The only "good" thing Dynamic Disks could do was "soft RAID" your boot drive, but you can't even do that anymore with GPT disks (without a LOT of headache). They just need to fix Storage Spaces so you can actually boot off of it. The "default" behavior for all Windows installations should be to create a Storage Space of expandable size, that allows you to add redunancy and capacity simply by additing additional disks to the pool. Like ZFS, but better.</p>

  • sherlockholmes

    Premium Member
    28 May, 2020 - 9:36 pm

    <p>"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cortana has been updated and enhanced" lol. Good one. </span></p>

  • erichk

    Premium Member
    29 May, 2020 - 4:55 pm

    <p>I used Cortana the other day. I wanted to play Asphalt 8, so I grabbed my Xbox 360 controller and sat down, and realized, I have to launch the game don't I? So I said, "Cortana, launch Asphalt," and bing-bang-boom, she did! ;-)</p><p><br></p><p>I really don't mind having her as an assistant on my PC where I can ask the occasional question. Personally I hope it doesn't go away completely.</p>

  • JoePaulson

    29 May, 2020 - 10:04 pm

    <p>I had no idea that Messages was for devices with WLAN cards. Interesting. </p>

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