Windows 10 "Check for Update button" may download beta code!!!!

[Dclem]

From PC magazine comes this "heads up" notification.......

In a blog post this week, Microsoft revealed that those users who click the “Check for updates” button (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) are opted in to testing new Windows features on a one-time basis, if they happen to click the button during the third and fourth week of the month. Microsoft calls those updates “C” and “D” releases, and issues them to those who are “seeking” them when they click the update button.

Michael Fortin, the corporate vice president in charge of Windows, described the nature of the updates in a blog post. “The intent of these releases is to provide visibility into, and enable testing of, the non-security fixes that will be included in the next Update Tuesday release.”

Separately, Microsoft said it also issues “on demand” releases that don’t follow a standard schedule, in order to provide critical fixes. “They are used in atypical cases where we detect an issue and cannot wait for the next monthly release because devices must be updated immediately either to fix security vulnerabilities or to solve a quality issue impacting multiple devices,” Fortin added.

The problem with issuing these so-called “C” and “D” releases is that occasionally they introduce new problems. In late November, for example, Microsoft issued a patch that caused Surface Book 2s to crash with BSODs, throwing a “thread not handled” error. That patch was issued in the last week of November—meaning that, according to Microsoft and How-To Geek, it would only have been issued to those who went looking for it via the “Check for updates” button. Microsoft rescinded the patch, but the damage was done. 

What this means to you: Microsoft’s blog post notes that it has to protect millions of devices each month, and the best way to do that is to acquire data assessing how well its patches are functioning. What’s not clear is whether these “optional” “C” and “D” releases are actually known as options. Instead, it seems that users seeking out a patch for Windows between regular updates should proceed with caution. 

[greenhillmaniac]

Why do I get the feeling Microsoft is inventing solutions to problems they created in the first place? Wouldn't this categorization be useless if they just simply returned users control of the updates they installed, just like in every Windows version prior to 10? Isn't inventing an AI system that helps with major releases kinda going the long way to solve a problem that didn't need to exist in the first place?

Two steps backward and one forward must be the new slogan for MS.

[jaclaz]

1 hour ago, Dclem said:

... if they happen to click the button during the third and fourth week of the month ...

... some say only on wednesdays, and if there is a full moon ... 

jaclaz

[alacran]

And the big questions are:

Why MS didn't say this since the very first 10 release?

Why wait until now to say this?

This looks more as a new (recent) policy for updates, and a good oportunity to use it also as a very good excuse for a big bunch of bad updates plaged of troubles.

Edited December 13, 2018 by alacran

[UCyborg]

Don't touch that button! Didn't they also say at some point that clicking it is also expressing interest in upgrading to the new supposedly stable build of the OS (if it's released yet)?

[mikedigitize]

23 hours ago, greenhillmaniac said:

Why do I get the feeling Microsoft is inventing solutions to problems they created in the first place?

A bit like potus, those days....

[greenhillmaniac]

19 minutes ago, mikedigitize said:

A bit like potus, those days....

No political subtext was meant when I wrote my reply. I may not be American, but their political squabbles can be heard and seen all around globe, so let's keep it tech only.

Edited December 14, 2018 by greenhillmaniac

[Dave-H]

Are these updates the same thing as the "preview" updates that you get offered on Windows 7 and 8.1 if you manually check for updates? They are marked "optional" of course!