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June’s Patch Tuesday updates, released on June 14, address 55 vulnerabilities in Windows, SQL Server, Microsoft Office, and Visual Studio (though there are oo Microsoft Exchange Server or Adobe updates this month). And a zero-day vulnerability in a key Windows component, CVE-2022-30190, led to a “Patch Now” recommendation for Windows, while the .NET, Office and SQL Server updates can be included in a standard release schedule.

You can find more information on the risk of deploying these Patch Tuesday updates in this infographic.

Key testing scenarios

Given the large number of changes included in this June patch cycle I have broken out the testing scenarios for high risk and standard risk groups.

These high-risk changes are likely to include functionality changes, may deprecate existing functions, and will likely require new testing plans. Test your signed drivers using physical and virtual machines, (BIOS and UEFI) and across all platforms (x86, 64-bit):

• Run applications that have binaries (.EXE and .DLL) that are signed and unsigned.
• Run drivers that are signed and unsigned. Unsigned drivers should not load. Signed drivers should load.
• Use SHA-1 signed versus SHA-2 signed drivers.

Each of these high-risk test cycles must include a manual shut-down, reboot, and restart. The following changes are not documented as including functional changes, but will still require at least “smoke testing” before general deployment:

• Test remote Credential Guard scenarios. (These tests will require Kerberos authentication, and may only be used with the RDP protocol.)
• Test your Hyper-V servers and start/stop/resume your Virtual Machines (VM).
• Perform shadow copy operations using VSS-aware backup applications in a remote VSS deployment over SMB.
• Test deploy sample applications using AADJ and Intune. Ensure that you deploy and revoke access as part of your test cycle.

In addition to these standard testing guidelines, we recommend that all core applications undergo a testing regime that includes self-repair, uninstall, and update. This is due to the changes to Windows Installer (MSI) this month. Not enough IT departments test the update, repair, and uninstall functions of their application portfolio. It’s good to challenge each application package as part of the Quality Assurance (QA) process that includes the key application lifecycle stages of installation, activation, update, repair, and then uninstall.

Not testing these stages could leave IT systems in an undesirable state — at the very least, it will be an unknown state.

Known issues

Each month, Microsoft includes a list of known issues that relate to the operating system and platforms affected this cycle. This month, there are some complex changes to consider, including:

• After installing this June update, Windows devices that use certain GPUs might cause applications to close unexpectedly or cause intermittent issues. Microsoft has published KB articles for Windows 11 (KB5013943) and Windows 10, version 21H2, all editions (KB5013942). No resolutions for these reported issues yet.
• After installing this month’s update, some .NET Framework 3.5 apps might have issues or fail to open. Microsoft said you can mitigate this issue by re-enabling .NET Framework 3.5 and the Windows Communication Foundation in Windows Features.

As you may be aware, Microsoft published an out-of-band update (OOB) last month (on May 19). This update affected the following core Windows Server based networking features:

The security vulnerabilities addressed by this OOB update only affects servers operating as domain controllers and application servers that authenticate to domain controller servers. Desktop platforms are not affected. Due to this earlier patch, Microsoft has recommended that this June’s update be installed on all intermediate or application servers that pass authentication certificates from authenticated clients to the domain controller (DC) first. Then install this update on all DC role computers. Or pre-populate CertificateMappingMethods to 0x1F as documented in the registry key information section of KB5014754 on all DCs. Delete the CertificateMappingMethods registry setting only after the June 14 update has been installed on all intermediate or application servers and all DCs.

Did you get that? I must note with a certain sense of irony, that the most detailed, order-specific set of instructions that Microsoft has ever published (ever), are buried deep, mid-way through a very long technical article. I hope everyone is paying attention.

Major revisions

Though we have fewer “new” patches released this month, there are a lot of updated and newly released patches from previous months, including:

• CVE-2021-26414: Windows DCOM Server Security Feature Bypass. After this month’s updates are installed, RPC_C_AUTHN_LEVEL_PKT_INTEGRITY on DCOM servers will be enabled by default. Customers who need to do so can still disable it by using the RequireIntegrityActivationAuthenticationLevel registry key. Microsoft has published KB5004442 to help with the configuration changes required.

• CVE-2022-23267: NET and Visual Studio Denial of Service Vulnerability. This is a minor update to affected applications (now affecting the MAC platform). No further action required.

• CVE-2022-24513: Visual Studio Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. This is a minor update to the list of affected applications (now affecting the MAC platform). No further action required.

• CVE-2022-24527: Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager Elevation of Privilege. This major update to this patch is a bit of a mess. This patch was mistakenly allocated to the Windows security update group. Microsoft has removed this Endpoint manager from the Windows group and has provided the following options to access and install this hot-fix:

1. Upgrade to Configuration Manager current branch, version 2203 (Build 5.00.9078), which is available as an in-console update. See Checklist for installing update 2203 for Configuration Manager for more information.
2. Apply the hotfix. Customers running Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, versions 1910 through versions 2111 who are not able to install Configuration Manager Update 2203 (Build 5.00.9078) can download and install hot-fix KB12819689.

• CVE-2022-26832: .NET Framework Denial of Service Vulnerability. This update now includes coverage for the following affected platforms: Windows 10 version 1607, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation). No further action required.

• CVE-2022-30190: Microsoft Windows Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This patch is personal — we were affected by this issue with massive server performance spikes. If you are having problems with MSDT, you need to read the MSRC blog post, which includes detailed instructions on updates and mitigations. To solve our issues, we had to disable the MSDT URL protocol, which has its own problems.

I think that we can safely work through the Visual Studio updates, and the Endpoint Configuration Manager changes will take some time to implement, but both changes do not have significant testing profiles. DCOM changes are different — they are tough to test and generally require a business owner to validate not just the installation/instantiation of the DCOM objects, but the business logic and the desired outcomes. Ensure that you have a full list of all applications that have DCOM dependencies and run through a business logic test, or you may have some unpleasant surprises — with very difficult-to-debug troubleshooting scenarios.

Mitigations and workarounds

For this Patch Tuesday, Microsoft published one key mitigation for a serious Windows vulnerability:

• CVE-2022-30136: Windows Network File System Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This is the first time I have seen this, but for this mitigation, Microsoft strongly recommends you install the May 2022 update first. Once done, you can reduce your attack surface area by disabling NFSV4.1 with the following PowerShell command: “PS C:\Set-NfsServerConfiguration -EnableNFSV4 $false”

Making this change will require a restart of the target server.

Each month, we break down the update cycle into product families (as defined by Microsoft) with the following basic groupings:

• Browsers (Microsoft IE and Edge);
• Microsoft Windows (both desktop and server);
• Microsoft Office;
• Microsoft Exchange;
• Microsoft Development platforms (ASP.NET Core, .NET Core and Chakra Core);
• Adobe (retired???, maybe next year).

Browsers

We are seeing a welcome trend of fewer and fewer critical updates to the entire Microsoft browser portfolio. For this cycle, Microsoft has released five updates to the Chromium version of Edge. They are all low risk to deploy and resolve the following reported vulnerabilities:

A key factor in this downward trend of browser related security issues, is the decline and now retirement of Internet Explorer (IE). IE is officially no longer supported as of this July. The future of Microsoft’s browsers is Edge, according to Microsoft. Microsoft has provided us with a video overview of Internet Explorer’s retirement. Add these Chromium/Edge browser updates to your standard application release schedule.

Windows

With 33 of this month’s 55 Patch Tuesday updates, the Windows platform is the primary focus — especially given the low-risk, low-profile updates to Microsoft Browsers, Office, and development platforms (.NET). The Windows updates cover a broad base of functionality, including: NTFS, Windows networking, the codecs (media) libraries, and the Hyper-V and docker components. As mentioned earlier, the most difficult-to-test and troubleshoot will be the kernel updates and the local security sub-system (LSASS). Microsoft recommends a ring-based deployment approach, which will work well for this month’s updates, primarily due to the number of core infrastructural changes that should be picked up in early testing. (Microsoft has published another video about the changes this month to the Windows 11 platform, found here.)

Microsoft has fixed the widely-exploited Windows Follina MSDT zero-day vulnerability reported as CVE-2022-30190, which given the other three critical updates (CVE-2022-30136, CVE-2022-3063 and CVE-2020-30139) leads to a “Patch Now” recommendation. 

Microsoft Office

Microsoft released seven updates to the Microsoft Office platform (SharePoint, Excel, and the Office Core foundation library), all of them rated important. The SharePoint server updates are relatively low risk, but will require a server reboot. We were initially worried about the RCE vulnerability in Excel, but on review it appears that the “remote” in Remote Code Execution refers to the attacker location. This Excel vulnerability is more of an Arbitrary Code Execution vulnerability; given that it requires user interaction and access to a local target system, it is a much-reduced risk. Add these low-profile Office updates to your standard patch deployment schedule.

Microsoft Exchange Server

We have a SQL server update this month, but no Microsoft Exchange Server updates for June. This is good news.

Microsoft development platforms

Microsoft has released a single, relatively low-risk (CVE-2022-30184) update to the .NET and Visual Studio platform. If you are using a Mac (I love the Mac version of Code), Microsoft recommends that you update to Mac Visual Studio 2022 (still in preview) as soon as possible. As of July (yes, next month) the Mac version of Visual Studio 2019 will no longer be supported. And yes, losing patch support in the same month as the next version is released is tight. Add this single .NET update to your standard development patch release schedule.

Adobe (really, just Reader)

There are no Adobe Reader or Acrobat updates for this cycle. Adobe has released a security bulletin for their other (non-Acrobat or PDF related) applications — all of which are rated at the lowest level 3 by Adobe. There will be plenty of work with printers in the coming weeks, so this is a welcome relief.

Digital twins are being created in factories and cities, and we even have an Earth 2 effort that attempts to create a digital twin of the planet.

But the most important of these will be human digital twins, which many of us thought were still years away. Well, Merlynn, an AI-centric tech firm, has already begun marketing a human “digital twin” that might initially improve productivity but could eventually lead to the elimination of human employees in many companies.

I want to talk about the initial benefits companies could gain from this technology and the eventual problems that will result if we don’t think through what’s coming and move aggressively to protect the viability of human workers.

The promise of a digital twin

Merlynn has created a tool that will allow an employee to easily create and train a digital twin. Depending on training, this twin will be able to do the repetitive tasks an employee usually does (and hates). This might include attending meetings and taking notes, while being able to answer an increasing number of questions the twin has been trained to answer. Then it could summarize what it observed and how it responded so its human counterpart would be up to speed with a far lower time commitment. 

Things like generating activity reports, responding to emails, taking and summarizing meeting notes, and even answering the phone by a capable digital clone are all possible near-term. Imagine being able to pass on many, if not most, of the tasks you dislike to your twin — enabling you to step away from work and enjoy your personal time.

This is the ideal use of artificial intelligence (AI) — to supplement rather than supplant an employee. That allows the employee to spend more time on work that engages them, and away from the painful, repetitive bureaucratic tasks most every job include. The employee is happier, and the company ends up with better productivity.

But technology does not stand still, and as the digital twin advances, a problem will emerge.

The problem with advanced digital twins

As this digital twin advances, it could well evolve into an outright replacement. When competing with humans, the digital twin has several big advantages long term. It can work continuously with no need for breaks or time off. It can work at machine speeds. And clones could be trained nearly instantly, making it easier to move to a fully autonomous operation.

So, an employee who does a fantastic job training his or her digital twin could find that not only do they become redundant, but so will anyone else doing the same job. The TV show “The Twilight Zone” explored this decades ago and the ending was both ironic and now, evidently, prophetic.

Consider the long-term implications

The question of who owns the digital twin you create, and whether it can be used to replace you, will need to be definitively answered. Otherwise, employees might not be so willing to train them. After all, few workers want to train a replacement who’s going to take their job.

While the need to confront this problem is likely years away, unions should flag this early on, as they flagged autonomously driven trucks. That move has significantly reduced the ability to deploy this increasingly valuable technology.

My sense is that there should be some residual ownership by the employee of the digital twin they create, allowing for a long-term revenue stream to that employee for each of the digital twins emulating them. This would help ensure employees’ income over time and promote their aggressive training of their twin. Because, even if the twin eventually replaces them, their income will be safe.

Long term, figuring out how to balance the corporate desire to automate with employees’ need to earn a living wage will become a major factor in the use and success of this technology.

The UK government has launched a new digital and data strategy, outlining plans to transform government digital services, upskill civil servants and streamline online processes by 2025.

The 21-point roadmap, titled ‘Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data’, is being overseen by the Central Digital and Data Office, a department that leads the digital, data and technology function of government.

The strategy’s main pledge is that by 2025, at least 50 of the most used government services will be upgraded to ensure they are efficient, easy to use and accessible on mobile devices.

One Login, a single account for citizens to prove their identity and access services that the UK government has long been trying to make happen, is also central to this new strategy. According to the strategy paper, all government departments will need to confirm an adoption strategy and roadmap for One Login for Government by April 2023 and begin onboarding by 2025.

The government claims it will save over £1 billion by 2025 due to the streamlining of processes and elimination of paper-based services.

In comments published alongside the strategy, Paul Willmott, executive chair of the  Central Digital and Data Office, said the roadmap is an ambitious statement of intent that represents a new era of collaboration on digital transformation and marks a step-change in the digital and data agenda.

“Written collaboratively, it sets out a collective vision under-pinned by real, tangible commitments and actions, to be delivered by all government departments,” Willmott said.

How the UK’s digital strategy will play out

The strategy states that this roadmap is ‘designed to be different’, due to the creation of the Central Digital and Data Office and the collaboration between Permanent Secretary leadership.

Furthermore, in order to ‘reach [its] vision for 2025’, the government has divided the 21 points that make up the overarching strategy into six cross-government missions:

• Mission One – Transformed public services that achieve the right outcomes
• Mission Two – One Login for government
• Mission Three – Better data to power decision making
• Mission Four – Secure, efficient and sustainable technology
• Mission Five – Digital skills at scale
• Mission Six – A system that unlocks digital transformation

Each mission is led by a permanent secretary-level sponsor and will be governed by a dedicated steering committee of government tech leaders that includes CDIOs, CTOs and CDOs. A ‘forum of permanent secretaries’ that make up a newly formed Digital and Data Board will oversee the delivery of the plan and review its progress every six months.

Digital transformation within government has long been promised by the Conservative Party since it was elected in 2010. As a result, some of the pledges outlined by this new strategy are likely to sound somewhat familiar.

The strategy notes that in a report published by the National Audit Office (NAO) last year, previous attempts at digital transformation in government have had mixed success. The NAO blamed a lack of strong leadership and weak understanding of digital change management among senior decision-makers, for a ‘consistent pattern of underperformance’ among UK government digital transformation projects.

In his written comments, Willmott acknowledges these issues, stating: “The barriers that the government faces in achieving digital transformation are significant, however the opportunity it presents is immense, and will ensure UK society reaps the benefits for decades to come.”

Apple, at its developers conference this week, unveiled a digital whiteboard app to support real-time collaboration among users. The slick-looking app, named Freeform, was among the highlights offered up by Apple execs during the WWDC keynote; they described it as a collaboration tool that could be easily used for project planning or brainstorm sessions.

But could its limited reach keep Freeform from gaining traction in the enterprise, much as Apple’s FaceTime video app — unlike Zoom and Microsoft Teams — failed to reach a broad audience during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Freeform can be opened from FaceTime: from there, users can access a shared whiteboard space for note taking and drawing (there’s support for Apple Pencil), and share content such as video and PDF files.

Mouse cursors are visible to all participants, indicating in real-time where other users are focused. You can also tap on a user’s icon to quickly jump to what they’re working on — which can be useful when boards are sprawling with information.  

Freeform, which is slated to arrive later this year, will compete with numerous collaborative whiteboard apps aimed at use in the workplace. Mural and Miro are two popular standalone whiteboard apps, while Microsoft relaunched its Whiteboard app last year. Google, Zoom, ClickUp and Box are among the other software vendors that have incorporated whiteboards into their products of late.

 “With support for both real-time and asynchronous collaboration, whiteboard tools play an increasingly important role in enabling teams to innovate, brainstorm and co-create when they can’t be together — evidenced by the continued growth of startups like Miro,” said Angela Ashenden, principal analyst at CCS Insight. “By leveraging the group messaging features in iOS/iPadOS/iMacOS and allowing users to invite whole groups to collaborate, Apple seeks to remove the friction of shifting between apps and thereby improve adoption of its newer tools.”

While Freeform is comparable in functionality to other digital whiteboard tools on the market, the app’s availability only on Apple devices means it won’t have as broad a reach, said Irwin Lazar, president and principal analyst at Metrigy.

“I could see this being useful for individuals or among small teams who are all on Apple’s OS, but I don’t see it having the widespread appeal of more robust tools that are supported across iOS, Mac, and Windows,” said Lazar.

Ashenden agreed — to a point. “The catch is that of course all collaborators must be Apple users — but that is the same for all the iWork apps and we still see consistent adoption of these tools by around 5-6% of all employees in CCS Insight’s surveys,” she said.

Freeform will be available on iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and MacOS Ventura when it is released.

Microsoft today said the shipping version of Windows 11 22H2 has been released to its Insider channel, signifying that the release to manufacturing (RTM), will be generally available later this year.

In the meantime, corporate IT departments can get a jump on testing out the version — Build 22621 — from the Windows Insider Preview Downloads website and begin validating it on systems with the proper hardware requirements.

Commercial devices enrolled in the Windows Insider Program for Business within the Release Preview Channel will automatically be offered Windows 11 22H2 as an optional update. Non-commercial Windows Insider devices can manually seek out Build 22621 via Settings > Windows Update.

Once an Insider channel subscriber updates a PC to version 22H2, it will continue to automatically receive new servicing updates through Windows Update (the typical monthly update process). Microsoft provides instructions on how to join the Windows Insider Program and join a PC to the Release Preview Channel.

In addition to commercial pre-release availability, Microsoft is also offering free support for organizations running the build, meaning IT shops can test the release, and their preferred deployment methods, while continuing to get support prior to availability. Microsoft has not specified when the next version of Windows 11 will arrive, though major updates have traditionally rolled out in October or November.

Steve Kleynhans, research vice president for Digital Workplace Infrastructure and Operations at Gartner, said the latest build of Windows 11 isn’t the “final release” in any real sense.

“This is a broader preview of the current build of the 22H2 codebase,” he said. “It is probably close to complete, but there is still likely to be some polishing and refinement in the coming months. Additionally, there are still some features that haven’t been released (like the Windows 365 pieces discussed back in April). Microsoft has a lot more flexibility in how it can deliver changes to the user experience without necessarily shipping a new build.”

It is interesting, Kleynhans said, “that Microsoft chose to move 22H2 to a broad preview this early — likely four months before it will be formally released. I suspect the hope is that enterprises will do some testing over the summer and potentially be ready to start broad deployments a little earlier than they currently plan.

“Most enterprises aren’t planning to do rollouts until well into 2023 — likely almost a year from now,” he said. “I suspect Microsoft would like to pull that forward to 1Q if at all possible.”

All that said, the current preview is “quite solid: and a lot more polished than the current 21H2 version, and because Microsoft is making it widely available, it shows a level of confidence on the company’s part that might entice some early adopters to take the plunge,” Kleynhans said.

In recent months, Windows 11 adoption rates have tapered off to a trickle, according to recent data from computer monitoring software provider AdDuplex and others.

Released in October 2021, Windows 11 reached an “overall usage” of 19.7% in April, an increase of more than 10% since the beginning of December 2021. An additional 0.6% of users are on a Windows 11 Insider build, according to the latest data from AdDuplex.

The usage share of Windows 11 grew by less than 0.4% in April. That’s on top of less than 0.2% growth in March, according to AdDuplex.

While Windows 11 isn’t growing, Windows 10 21H2 added another 6.5%.

Microsoft has pushed to get users to upgrade to Windows 11, but the overwhelming majority have chosen to remain on the previous edition, which will continue to receive support until 2025.

Of the 80% using Windows 10, the largest number of users are on the two most recent updates, Windows 10 N21U (21H2), released in November 2021 (28.5%) and Windows 10 M21U (21H1), released in March 2021, (26.5%).

The remaining 25% are on five older iterations of Windows 10.

“For the most part, commercial customers are not really diving into the new OS, and we don’t expect to see much uptake there until 2023,” Kleynhans said.

“For most consumers who aren’t PC enthusiasts in some way, this is not really a high priority, and they won’t actively seek out the upgrade,” he said. “Until Microsoft starts forcing the upgrade, or at least more aggressively marketing it to users on eligible machines, things are bound to stall out a bit. I suspect we will see Microsoft start marketing the update more aggressively over the next few months and really start to push it in the fall.”

For its part, Microsoft said it has seen strong demand for Windows 11 with people accepting the upgrade offer to the OS at twice the rate the company saw for Windows 10, according to a January blog post by Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer for Windows and Devices.

Microsoft never sleeps. In addition to its steady releases of major and minor updates to the current version of Windows 10, the company frequently rolls out public preview builds to members of its Windows Insider Program, allowing them to test out — and even help shape — upcoming features.

Microsoft numbers Windows 10 releases using a YYH1/YYH2 format, with the YY standing for the last two numbers of the year and H1 or H2 referring to the first or second half of the year. So the most recent version of Windows 10 is officially referred to as Windows 10 version 21H1, or the May 2021 Update. The next feature update, due in the fall of 2021, will be version 21H2.

Windows Insiders can choose to receive preview builds in one of three channels. The Dev Channel is where new features are introduced for initial testing, regardless of which Windows release they’ll eventually end up in. The Beta Channel lets you test more polished features that will be deployed in the next major Windows release. Insiders in the Dev and Beta Channels are now testing Windows 11 builds (see “Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build?”).

The Release Preview Channel typically doesn’t see action until shortly before a new feature update is rolled out; it’s meant for final testing of an upcoming release and is best for those who want the most stable builds. This is the only Insider channel that is currently receiving Windows 10 builds. If you were in the Dev or Beta Channel but your PC doesn’t meet Windows 11 requirements, you have been moved to the Release Preview Channel for Windows 10 builds.

Use the links below to find information about recent Windows 10 preview builds:

For each build, we’ve included the date of its release, which Insider channel it was released to, a summary of what’s in the build, and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. After that you’ll find summaries of the preview builds that led up to earlier Windows 10 feature updates.

Note: If you’re looking for information about updates being rolled out to all Windows 10 users, not previews for Windows Insiders, see “Windows 10: A guide to the updates.”

Releases for Windows 10 version 21H2

Windows 10 Build 19044.1741 (21H2)

Release date: June 2, 2022

Released to: Release Preview Channel

The build fixes one bug, which prevented the file system control code (FSCTL_SET_INTEGRITY_INFORMATION_EX) from handling its input parameter correctly.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19044.1741.)

Windows 10 Build 19044.1739 (21H2)

Release date: May 23, 2022

Released to: Release Preview Channel

The build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that failed to display the Application Counters section in the performance reports of the Performance Monitor tool, a memory leak issue that affected Windows systems that are in use 24 hours each day of the week, and one that caused file copying to be slower.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19044.1739.)

Windows 10 Build 19044.1679 (21H2)

Release date: April 14, 2022

Released to: Release Preview Channel

The build adds improvements for servicing the Secure Boot component of Windows and fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused a remote desktop session to close or a reconnection to stop responding while waiting on the accessibility shortcut handler (sethc.exe); another that caused the news and interest panel to appear when you haven’t clicked, tapped, or moused over it; and another that caused Windows to stop working when you applied a Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policy that doesn’t require a restart.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19044.1679.)

Windows 10 Build 19044.1618 (21H2)

Release date: March 14, 2022

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build introduces search highlights, which display notable moments about each day, including holidays, anniversaries, and other events globally and in your region. To see more details at a glance, hover or click on the illustration in the search box.

There are also a variety of small new features, including a new policy that expands an app’s top three notifications by default in the Action Center for apps that send notifications using Windows notifications. It displays multiple notifications that you can interact with simultaneously.

In addition, there are a wide variety of bug fixes, including for one that stopped Microsoft Outlook’s offline search from returning recent emails, and another that prevented the User Account Control (UAC) dialog from correctly showing the application that is requesting elevated privileges

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19044.1618.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1499 (21H2)

Release date: January 14, 2022

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that prevented the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) localhost relay from starting when Fast Startup is enabled, another that prevented certain surround sound audio from playing in Microsoft Edge, and another in Microsoft UI Automation that could cause Microsoft Outlook to stop working.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1499.)

Windows 10 Build 19044.1381 (21H2)

Release date: November 18, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build includes all the changes in Windows 10 Build 19044.1379 (21H2) and also fixes an additional bug that affected devices that use Windows Hello for Business and are joined to Azure Active Directory (AD). These devices had issues when they accessed on-premises resources, such as file shares or websites.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19044.1381.)

Windows 10 Build 19044.1379 (21H2)

Release date: November 16, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that failed to apply machine Group Policy objects automatically at startup or in the background to devices on a domain that have certain processors, and another that incorrectly renders some variable fonts.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19044.1379.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1320 (21H2)

Release date: October 26, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build includes all the features from Build 19044.1319 and also fixes a bug that prevented the successful installation of printers using the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP).

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1320.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1288 (21H2)

Release date: October 21, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel and via ISO

Microsoft says that it believes “Build 19044.1288 is the final build for the November 2021 Update.” Insiders in the Release Preview Channel can go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and choose to download and install Windows 10, version 21H2. It can also be downloaded via ISO. Microsoft didn’t announce any new features or bug fixes in this build.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1288.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1319 (21H2)

Release date: October 19, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that prevented subtitles from displaying for certain video apps and streaming video sites, and another in which the use of App-V intermittently caused black screens to appear when signing in on the credentials page.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1319.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1263 (21H2)

Release date: September 23, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes several dozen bugs, including one that caused News and Interests to appear in the context menu even when you have disabled it on a device, and another that caused distortion in the audio that Cortana and other voice assistants capture.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1263.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1202 (21H2)

Release date: August 31, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes a bug that caused the Windows Update settings page to stop responding after you download an optional update.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1202.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1200 (21H2)

Release date: August 18, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel (only for Insiders who were moved from the Beta Channel to the Release Preview Channel because their PC did not meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11)

Note: This build is only available for those who seek it out by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and choosing to download and install 21H2.

This build adds WPA3 H2E standards support for enhanced Wi-Fi security, and a new deployment method, cloud trust, which supports simplified passwordless deployments for a deploy-to-run state within a few minutes.

It includes a wide variety of bug fixes, including for one that caused an external monitor to display a black screen after hibernation and another in Windows Defender Exploit Protection that prevented some Microsoft Office applications from working on machines that have certain processors.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1200.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1147 (21H2)

Release date: July 15, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel (only for Insiders who were moved from the Beta Channel to the Release Preview Channel because their PC did not meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11)

Note: This build is only available for those who seek it out by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and choosing to download and install 21H2.

This build focuses almost solely on a wide variety of bug fixes, including for a bug that caused  File Explorer to stop working after reaching 99% completion when deleting many files on a mapped network drive, and another that caused System Integrity to leak memory.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1147.)

Releases for Windows 10 version 21H1

Windows 10 Build 19043.1381 (21H1)

Release date: November 18, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build includes all the changes in Windows 10 Build 19043.1379 (21H1) and also fixes an additional bug that affected devices that use Windows Hello for Business and are joined to Azure Active Directory (AD). These devices had issues when they accessed on-premises resources, such as file shares or websites.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19043.1381.)

Windows 10 Build 19043.1379 (21H1)

Release date: November 16, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that failed to apply machine Group Policy objects automatically at startup or in the background to devices on a domain that have certain processors, and another that incorrectly renders some variable fonts.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19043.1379.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19044.1320 (21H1)

Release date: October 26, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build includes all the features from Build 19043.1319 and also fixes a bug that prevented the successful installation of printers using the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP).

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1320.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1319 (21H1)

Release date: October 19, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that prevented subtitles from displaying for certain video apps and streaming video sites, and another in which the use of App-V intermittently caused black screens to appear when signing in on the credentials page.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1319.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1263 (21H1)

Release date: September 23, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes several dozen bugs, including one that caused News and Interests to appear in the context menu even when you have disabled it on a device, and another that caused distortion in the audio that Cortana and other voice assistants capture.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1263.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1202 (21H1)

Release date: August 31, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build fixes a bug that caused the Windows Update settings page to stop responding after you download an optional update.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1202.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1200 (21H1)

Release date: August 18, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build includes a wide variety of bug fixes, including for one that caused an external monitor to display a black screen after hibernation and another in Windows Defender Exploit Protection that prevented some Microsoft Office applications from working on machines that have certain processors.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.1200.)

Windows 10 Build 19043.1147 (21H1)

Release date: July 15, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

Note: Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on 21H1 will not receive this update. Microsoft says they will soon receive Windows 11 Insider Preview builds.

This build focuses almost solely on a wide variety of bug fixes, including for a bug that caused  File Explorer to stop working after reaching 99% completion when deleting many files on a mapped network drive, and another that caused System Integrity to leak memory.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Build 19043.1147.)

Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3740.0

Release date: June 22, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build has a single change: It fixed a bug that didn’t allow the touch keyboard to be displayed when invoked.

Microsoft is releasing only very minor changes to its Windows Feature Experience Packs for now, because it’s testing the process of distributing them. Over time, more features will be released more frequently. Eventually the packs will be delivered via Windows update the way all other updates are delivered.

(Get more info about Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3740.0.)

Windows 10 Build 19043.1081 (21H1)

Release date: June 17, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build offers a wide variety of bug fixes, including for one that caused blurry text on the news and interests button on the Windows taskbar for some display configurations, and another in which signing into Windows using a PIN failed.

(Get more info about Build 19043.1081.)

Windows 10 Build 19043.1052 (21H1)

Release date: June 8, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build includes a variety of security updates for the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Management, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Authentication, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Virtualization, Windows Kernel, Windows HTML Platform and Windows Storage and Filesystems.

For more details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about 21H1 Build 19043.1052.)

Windows 10 Build 19043.1023 (21H1)

Release date: May 21, 2021

Released to: Beta Channel and Release Preview Channel

This build includes a wide variety of small bug fixes, including one that displayed items on the desktop after they have been deleted from the desktop, and another that caused configuration problems with devices configured using mobile device management (MDM) RestrictedGroups, LocalUsersAndGroups, or UserRights policies.

(Get more info about 21H1 Build 19043.1023.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.985 (21H1)

Release date: May 11, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build includes a variety of security updates for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, the Windows Kernel, Windows Media, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, and the Windows Silicon Platform. For more details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19043.985.)

Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3740.0

Release date: April 28, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build has a single change: It removes nonfunctional hyperlinks from being displayed in the Input Method Editor (IME) candidate window.

Microsoft is releasing only very minor changes to its Windows Feature Experience Packs for now, because it’s testing the process of distributing them. Over time, more features will be released more frequently. Eventually the packs will be delivered via Windows update the way all other updates are delivered.

(Get more info about Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3740.0.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.962 (21H1)

Release date: April 19, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build offers new personalization options for news and interests on the taskbar. A new button links to a page that lets you choose specific topics that you’re interested in. You can search for topics or publishers you want to follow, and also browse through more than a dozen categories, including different types of news, entertainment, and sports.

There are also a wide variety of bug fixes, including for one that caused blank tiles to appear on the Start menu with names such as “ms-resource:AppName” or “ms-resource:appDisplayName,” and another that caused Azure Active Directory authentication to fail after signing in on Windows Virtual Desktop machines.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19043.962.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.928 (21H1)

Release date: April 13, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build includes a variety of security updates for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Apps, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Office Media, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Cryptography, the Windows AI Platform, Windows Kernel, Windows Virtualization, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media. For more details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide website.

There are several security updates in addition to those, including fixing a potential elevation of privilege vulnerability in the way Azure Active Directory web sign-in allows arbitrary browsing from the third-party endpoints used for federated authentication.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19043.928.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.899 (21H1)

Release date: March 15, 2021

Released to: Beta Channel

This update fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused Remote Desktop sessions to end unexpectedly, another that caused systems to stop working when no Trusted Platform Module (TPM) was present, and another that froze devices if files or folders that OneDrive syncs were deleted.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19043.899.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.867 (21H1)

Release date: March 9, 2021

Released to: Beta Channel

This update includes a wide variety of security updates for the Windows Shell, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Management, Windows Apps, Windows User Account Control (UAC), Windows Virtualization, the Windows Kernel, the Microsoft Graphics Component, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge Legacy, and Windows Media. For details, see the Microsoft Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19043.867.)

Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3030.0

Release date: February 23, 2021

Released to: Beta Channel

This build has a single change: It improves the reliability of the handwriting input panel.

Windows Feature Experience Pack updates are delivered to Insiders in the Beta Channel via Windows Update just like builds and cumulative updates. If you want to install one, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates. You’ll have to reboot to enable it. To check your Windows Feature Experience Pack version, go to Settings > System > About.

(Get more info about Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3030.0.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19043.844 (21H1)

Release date: February 17, 2021

Released to: Beta Channel

This build is the first version of the next Windows 10 feature update, version 21H1. In order to get it, Insiders in the Beta Channel need to go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and choose to download and install 21H1. Once you’ve installed 21H1, you’ll receive preview builds for 21H1 moving forward; those who don’t install it will continue to receive 20H2 builds for the time being.

The build includes all the fixes in Insider Build 19042.844 for version 20H2 as well as several minor bug fixes and tweaks. Bug fixes include resolving an issue that caused a one-minute or more delay when you opened a Microsoft Defender Application Guard (WDAG) Office document. Feature tweaks include having Windows Hello multicamera support set the default as the external camera when both external and internal Windows Hello cameras are present.

For more details about 21H1, see this blog post from John Cable, Vice President, Program Management, Windows Servicing and Delivery.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19043.844.)

Releases for Windows 10 version 20H2

Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3740.0

Release date: June 22, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build has a single change: It fixed a bug that didn’t allow the touch keyboard to be displayed when invoked.

Microsoft is releasing only very minor changes to its Windows Feature Experience Packs for now, because it’s testing the process of distributing them. Over time, more features will be released more frequently. Eventually the packs will be delivered via Windows update the way all other updates are delivered.

(Get more info about Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3740.0.)

Windows 10 Build 19042.1081 (20H2)

Release date: June 17, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build offers a wide variety of bug fixes, including for one that caused blurry text on the news and interests button on the Windows taskbar for some display configurations, and another in which signing into Windows using a PIN failed.

(Get more info about Build 19042.1081.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build (20H2) Build 19042.1023

Release date: May 21, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build, for Insiders on 20H2, includes a wide variety of small bug fixes, including one that displayed items on the desktop after they have been deleted from the desktop, and another that caused configuration problems with devices that were configured using mobile device management (MDM) RestrictedGroups, LocalUsersAndGroups, or UserRights policies.

(Get more info about (20H2) Build 19043.1023 (KB5003214).

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.962 (20H2)

Release date: April 19, 2021

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build offers new personalization options for news and interests on the taskbar. A new button links to a page that lets you choose specific topics that you’re interested in. You can search for topics or publishers you want to follow, and also browse through more than a dozen categories, including different types of news, entertainment, and sports.

There are also a wide variety of bug fixes, including for one that caused blank tiles to appear on the Start menu with names such as “ms-resource:AppName” or “ms-resource:appDisplayName,” and another that caused Azure Active Directory authentication to fail after signing in on Windows Virtual Desktop machines.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.962.)

Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3030.0

Release date: February 23, 2021

Released to: Beta Channel

This build has a single change: It improves the reliability of the handwriting input panel.

Windows Feature Experience Pack updates are delivered to Insiders in the Beta Channel via Windows Update just like builds and cumulative updates. If you want to install one, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates. You’ll have to reboot to enable it. To check your Windows Feature Experience Pack version, go to Settings > System > About.

(Get more info about Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3030.0.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.844 (20H2)

Release date: February 17, 2021

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This update fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused video playback to flicker when rendering on certain low-latency capable monitors, and another that prevented certain Win32 apps from opening as a different user when you use the runas command.

There are also a few minor feature tweaks, including enabling Windows to retrieve updated printer capabilities to ensure that users have the proper set of selectable print options.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.844.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.804 (20H2)

Release date: February 9, 2021

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This release fixes a bug and includes a variety of security updates. The bug fixed could damage the file system of some devices and prevent them from starting up after running chkdsk /f.

Security updates are provided for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Apps, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Management, Windows Authentication, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Cryptography, Windows Virtualization, Windows Core Networking, and Windows Hybrid Cloud Networking. For details, see the Microsoft Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.804.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.789 (20H2)

Release date: February 2, 2021

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This update includes all the fixes in Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.782 (20H2), plus three additional ones:

• One fixes an issue with Microsoft Exchange accounts and some Surface Hub devices that occurred after updating to Windows 10 version 20H2. The message “Something went wrong” appeared, with error code 0x80131500.
• Another fixes an issue with Windows Update scans that occurred when an authenticated proxy was used as a fallback for the sync service after the previous proxy setting fails.
• The third fixes an issue that caused an update from Windows 10, version 1703 to Windows 10, version 20H2 to fail on a Surface Hub device. The message “Getting ready…” remained on the screen indefinitely.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.789.)

Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0

Release date: January 26, 2021

Released to: Beta Channel

Microsoft says this build improves the reliability of screen snipping, particularly for apps that often access the clipboard. It also removes the ability to copy and paste a screen snip directly into a folder in File Explorer. That feature was removed because of a bug. Microsoft plans to turn the feature back on in a future update.

Windows Feature Experience Pack updates are delivered to Insiders via Windows Update just like builds and cumulative updates. If you want to install one, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates. Note that Insiders in the Beta Channel will need to have 20H2 Build 19042.662 or higher installed if they want to get it. You’ll have to reboot to enable it. To check your Windows Feature Experience Pack version, go to Settings > System > About.

This Experience Pack build contains barely any new features because Microsoft is still testing out the process of delivering new features outside of major Windows 10 feature updates. Microsoft expects to expand the scope and the frequency of releases in the future. Eventually, Windows Feature Experience Pack updates will be folded into the existing servicing process for Windows 10 and delivered through Windows Update.

(Get more info about Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.782 (20H2)

Release date: January 21, 2021

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This update includes fixes for a wide variety of bugs, including one that prevented you from opening a document on the Windows desktop and generates the error “The directory name is invalid,” another that sometimes caused Alt-Tab to switch to the wrong window, and another that caused the upload of diagnostic logs to a management service, such as Microsoft Intune, to fail.

It also includes a few minor new features, including one that allows administrators to disable standalone Internet Explorer using a Group Policy while continuing to use Microsoft Edge’s IE Mode, and another that lets you configure certain policies that support Microsoft Edge IE Mode using mobile device management (MDM).

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.782.)

Windows 10 Build 19042.746 (20H2)

Release date: January 12, 2021

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build fixes a variety of security vulnerabilities, including one with HTTPS-based intranet servers, and a security bypass vulnerability in the way the Printer Remote Procedure Call (RPC) binding handles authentication for the remote Winspool interface.

There are also security updates to Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Media, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Kernel, Windows Cryptography, Windows Virtualization, Windows Peripherals, and Windows Hybrid Storage Services. For details, see the Microsoft Security Update Guide.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Build 19042.746.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.685 (20H2)

Release date: December 8, 2020

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This build fixes a security vulnerability by preventing applications that run as a SYSTEM account from printing to “FILE:” ports. It also has security updates for the legacy version of Microsoft Edge, the Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Media, Windows Fundamentals, and Windows Virtualization. For details, see the Microsoft Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.685.)

Windows 10 Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.1070.0

Release date: November 30, 2020

Released to: Beta Channel

This is the first build of a Microsoft Experience Pack, which offers a set of new features to Windows users outside the normal twice-yearly Windows 10 feature updates. This first early build was done more to test the process of releasing experience packs than to add any significant new features. Microsoft notes, “By testing this process first with Windows Insiders, we hope to expand the scope and the frequency of releases in the future.”

There are only two, minor new features in the build:

• You can now use Windows 10’s built-in screen snipping tool (press Windows key + Shift + S) to create a screenshot and save it in the folder you choose in File Explorer.
• Split keyboard mode is now supported when you use the touch keyboard in portrait orientation on a 2-in-1 touch device.

To receive this update, Insiders in the Beta Channel must have 20H2 Build 19042.662 installed. To get the update, they’ll have to go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates. Once they’ve installed the update, they’ll have to reboot to turn on the new features. They can check their Windows Feature Experience Pack version by going to Settings > System > About.

(Get more info about Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.1070.0.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.662 (20H2)

Release date: November 23, 2020

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This build has a wide variety of minor bug fixes and updates, including fixing an issue that caused a system to stop working during startup when the CrashOnAuditFail policy is set to 1 and command-line argument auditing is turned on, and fixing another issue that caused the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Group Policy application to stop working when you are editing the Group Policy Security settings.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.662.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.630 (20H2)

Release date: November 10, 2020

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This build updates the 2020 DST start date for the Fiji Islands to December 20, 2020 and includes security updates to the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Input and Composition, Microsoft Graphics Component, the Windows Wallet Service, Windows Fundamentals, and the Windows Kernel. For details see the release notes for November 2020 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.630.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.610 (20H2)

Release date: October 29, 2020

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This update for insiders on the 20H2 Windows 10 October 2020 Update includes all the fixes in the 20H2 Build 19042.608 build, plus one minor additional fix. It fixes a bug that caused the Docker pull operation to fail due to a Code Integrity (CI) Policy that blocks the import of a Windows container image.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.610.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.608 (20H2)

Release date: October 22, 2020

Released to: Release Preview and Beta Channels

This update makes it easier to connect to others in Skype, using Meet Now from the taskbar. In addition, there are a wide variety of bug fixes, including for a bug that displayed the incorrect CPU frequency for certain processors, and another that displayed nothing on the screen for five minutes or more during a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.608.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.572 (20H2)

Release date: October 13, 2020

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build for Insiders who are on version 20H2 (the October 2020 Update) fixes a few minor bugs and includes a variety of security updates. Among the items fixed are an issue with creating null ports using the user interface, and another issue with a possible elevation of privilege in win32k.

Security updates were issued for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Media, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Authentication, Windows Virtualization, and Windows Kernel. For details, see the Release Notes for October 2020 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.572.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.546 (20H2)

Release date: September 30, 2020

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build for Insiders who are on version 20H2 (the Windows 10 October 2020 Update) includes all of the fixes included as part of 20H2 Build 19042.541, plus two minor bug fixes, one that had prevented a device from entering Modern Standby, and the other a reliability issue in Microsoft Edge that occurs when you open multiple windows or tabs.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.546.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.541 (20H2)

Release date: September 22, 2020

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channels

This build for Insiders who are on Windows 10 20H2 (the October 2020 Update) fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) failed to start with an “Element not found” error, another that caused random line breaks when you redirected PowerShell console error output, and another that prevented Microsoft Intune from syncing on a device using the virtual private network version 2 (VPNv2) configuration service provider (CSP).

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.541.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.508 (20H2)

Release date: September 18, 2020

Released to: Release Preview Channel

Microsoft says this build, previously released to the Beta Channel on Sept. 8., will be the final build for the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, barring unforeseen consequences. To get it, Insiders in the Release Preview Channel need to go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and choose to download and install 20H2.

(Get more info about Build 19042.508.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.508 (20H2)

Release date: September 8, 2020

Released to: Beta Channel

This build includes security updates for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Management, Windows Kernel, Windows Virtualization, Windows Storage and Filesystems, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.

For details, see the Release Notes for September 2020 Security Updates.

The build also fixes a security vulnerability issue with user proxies and HTTP-based intranet servers, and addresses an issue with a possible elevation of privileges in windowmanagement.dll.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Note: Microsoft is releasing 20H2 to commercial customers in the Beta Channel and Release Preview Channel for pre-release validation. Get details in this blog post.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.508.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.487 (20H2)

Release date: August 26, 2020

Released to: Beta and Release Preview Channel (commercial customers)

The build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which add-ins caused Microsoft Outlook to become unresponsive, another in which a black screen was displayed to Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) users when they attempted to sign in, and another in which Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) caused a memory leak when multiple clients connected to the same server.

Note: Microsoft is releasing this build to commercial customers in the Beta Channel and Release Preview Channel for pre-release validation. Get details in this blog post.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.487.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.450 (20H2)

Release date: August 11, 2020

Released to: Beta Channel

This build includes security updates for the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows Graphics, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Kernel, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, the Windows Wallet Service, Microsoft Edge Legacy, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Authentication, the Windows AI Platform, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Update Stack, Windows File Server and Clustering, Windows Hybrid Storage Services, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, and Windows SQL components.

For details, see the Release Notes for August 2020 Security Updates.

The build also fixes an issue in Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps that allows single sign-on authentication when an app does not have the Enterprise Authentication capability.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.450.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.423 (20H2)

Release date: August 5, 2020

Released to: Beta Channel

This build is a re-release of 20H2 19042.421 (see below), released on July 24 to the Beta Channel. It was released in order to bring it to parity with the KB4568831 update for Windows 10 version 2004.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.423.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.421 (20H2)

Release date: July 24, 2020

Released to: Beta Channel

The update includes a minor change to the look of the Start menu, removing the solid color backplates behind the logos in the apps list and giving a partially transparent background to the tiles. In addition, all of your open tabs in Microsoft Edge will appear when you use Alt-Tab, not just the active one in each browser window.

The update also includes a new feature for Microsoft Edge, in which when you pin a web site to the taskbar, when you click it, all the open tabs for the site will display in Edge. Note that existing sites on your taskbar will not use this new behavior until you remove and re-pin them.

New users of Windows will also get a more personalized, less cluttered taskbar. The taskbar will automatically adjust itself to the way in which you use Windows. You can also now more easily dismiss notifications, by clicking the X at the upper right of their screens.

More settings information has been moved from Control Panel into the Settings app. Links that used to open the System page in Control Panel now direct you to About in Settings.

There are also many bug fixes, including one that could cause Microsoft browsers to incorrectly bypass proxy servers, and another that caused the Settings page to close unexpectedly, preventing default applications from being set up properly.

There are no known issues in this build.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.421.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.388 (20H2)

Release date: July 14, 2020

Released to: Beta Channel

This update offers a few minor bug fixes and multiple security updates. It fixes an issue that can cause certain games and applications to have visual distortions when resizing in windowed mode or switching from full screen to window mode, and another that might prevent some older devices with older apps and legacy file system drivers from connecting to OneDrive using the OneDrive app.

This build has security updates for Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, the Microsoft Store, Windows Graphics, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Management, Windows Kernel, Windows Hybrid Cloud Networking, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Update Stack, Windows MSXML, Windows File Server and Clustering, Windows Remote Desktop, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge Legacy, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine. For details, see this page about the July 2020 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.388.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19042.330 for 20H2

Release date: June 16, 2020

Released to: Beta Channel (formerly called the Slow ring)

This is the first Windows Insider Preview build for the next Windows 10 upgrade, code-named 20H2. It includes fixes from the KB4557957 (OS Build 19041.329) build for the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, as well as the new Microsoft Edge based on Chromium.

In order to get the build, you’ll have to go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and choose to download and install 20H2. Once you’ve updated your PC to 20H2, you will continue to receive 20H2 updates through Windows Update.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 19042.330.)

Loom, a collaboration startup that sells software for asynchronous video communication, has laid off staff, citing cost reductions amid economic headwinds.

According to sources cited by TechCrunch, the company laid off 34 employees, which amounts to 14% of its workforce. Loom confirmed to Computerworld the number of staff laid off and provided the following statement from CEO Joe Thomas:

We’ve had to make the extremely difficult decision to move forward with a reduction in force across our team. Each person impacted was not only a talented employee, but also a valued individual and teammate. We’re committed to supporting these employees through this transition both in their offered severance as well as career support. We’re confident in the path ahead for Loom. This decision was ultimately made to ensure we’re able to move forward sustainably, especially in light of increased economic uncertainty, and continue to deliver on our vision for years to come.

Loom raised $130 million in Series C funding led by Andreessen Horowitz last year, bringing total funding to $203 million, and a valuation of $1.5 billion. The company, co-founded by Vinay Hiremath, Shahed Khan, and Joe Thomas in 2015, has 12 million users across 200,000 companies.

Loom announced a substantial update to its platform earlier this year with the addition of a collaborative “HQ” that includes a personalized home screen, trending video recommendations, and the ability to follow colleagues. Commenting at the time, Angela Ashenden, principal analyst at CCS Insight, said that the update sees Loom “maturing into a fully fledged collaboration application for teams.”

“It’s a big upgrade for the tool, and one which signposts the company’s ambitions in the enterprise collaboration space,” said Ashenden.

While a hiring slowdown has been evident among large tech firms in recent months — reportedly including Salesforce, Microsoft, Meta, Twitter, and Uber — the picture has been bleaker for startups in the sector.

Collaborative whiteboard software provider Mural, valued at over $2 billion, is said to have cut an unspecified number of employees in May, while virtual events platform Hopin reportedly made 138 workers redundant earlier this year. More than 120 tech firms have laid off staffers since the beginning of the year, according to tracker site Layoffs.fyi.

A widely-shared memo from startup accelerator Y Combinator last month warned founders to “prepare for the worst” amid economic concerns.  

“If your plan is to raise money in the next 6-12 months, you might be raising at the peak of the downturn. Remember that your chances of success are extremely low even if your company is doing well. We recommend you change your plan,” the memo reads.

Some companies want people back at their desks. Others are okay with them working from their kitchen tables. How 2022!

But why not let them work from wherever they’ve pulled their RV over by the side of the road with SpaceX Starlink?

I have friends who don’t work from their office or their homes.

They work from wherever they find themselves. Indeed, you know one of them. Computerworld’s own Mike Elgan has been a digital nomad for years. He’s been working near Venice, Italy.

Me? I’m a homebody who usually works from home, but I’ve been working from Madrid this week.

But, it’s not easy.

Take Internet connectivity. Even more than power — that’s what batteries are for — we need the internet to work.

As the Mobile Internet Research Center points out: “There is no singular ‘best solution’ for all mobile Internet situations. If you want or need to move locations fairly often, you need to be prepared for the reality that what works best will change each time you relocate.”

They’re right. It changes every time.

I use Verizon when I’m in the US for my 4G/5G internet of last resort. But when I’m in Europe, I switch to my Google Fi. The Fi service is much cheaper and has better coverage for international calls and the internet.

How many people want to pay for two phone services?

But, what if you get a high-speed Internet connection that would work for you wherever you went — say, something you could hook up on your RV or boat?

That’s no longer a fantasy. SpaceX’s Starlink is now available as Starlink for RV.

With this, throughout the continental US, much of Canada, and a great deal of the UK and Europe, you can now get Starlink download speeds of over 100Mbps, upload speeds in the 12Mbps range, and latency of around 20 milliseconds.

That’s more than fast enough for work and videoconferencing.

Curiously, Starlink says you can sign up and grab a dish for your RV or boat right now. In the meantime, I’m still on the waiting list and won’t be getting a dish until mid-2022. Come on, Elon! Let’s get this dish on my roof!

Before you whip out your credit card, there are several items in the FAQ fine print you must consider.

First, you’ll only get Starlink’s “best-effort service.”

As the Starlink for RVs FAQ explains: “Network resources are always de-prioritized for Starlink for RVs users compared to other Starlink services, resulting in degraded service and slower speeds in congested areas and during peak hours. Stated speeds and uninterrupted use of the service are not guaranteed. Service degradation will be most extreme in ‘Waitlist’ areas on the Starlink Availability Map during peak hours.”

I don’t like the sound of that, but it’s still better than many of the alternatives.

In my case, Verizon covers most of the places I go to in the States. “Most.” Starlink promises to take care of me wherever I go, so long as I’m not in a city with skyscrapers blocking my satellite line of sight.

It’s also not cheap.

Ordinary Starlink costs $110 per month with a $599 one-time equipment fee. Starlink Business costs $500 per month with a $2,500 one-time equipment fee. The mobile version will cost an additional $25 a month, so you can expect a final monthly bill of $135.

That’s still less than I’m paying for my Spectrum gigabit cable connection that I can’t take anywhere.

And, if you have your RV in your driveway, you can pause the service. You only pay for the months you’re actually on the road.

You also can’t put Starlink on a car. Although I must say the idea of driving a Tesla Model S with a Starlink antenna on the roof brings a grin to my face. You really need an RV. Or, if you never plan on hauling anything in your pickup truck, I guess you could put one there too.

And, if you have a private jet to call your own, someday soon, you may be able to buy Starlink Jet.

So, is it worth it? I think it is for some people. If you work and you really like the idea of van life, this sounds good. My partner Mary and I have been toying with the idea of getting a small RV for years now, and this would make it much easier. Stay tuned.

I and my Starlink connection may soon be coming to a town near you!