Using Win10's "check for updates" function may result in you receiving pre-release and/or optional updates

[mikeymikec]

https://www.techspot.com/news/77846-microsoft-admits-non-insiders-beta-testing-windows-updates.html

Facepalm: Instead of relying on Windows Insiders, employees, and willing participants in testing updates, Microsoft has decided it is acceptable for regular users to receive patches before they are known to be stable if they opt to click the "check for updates" button on their own.

We also release optional updates in the third and fourth weeks of the month, respectively known as “C” and “D” releases. These are preview releases, primarily for commercial customers and advanced users “seeking” updates. These updates have only non-security fixes. 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. Advanced users can access the “C” and “D” releases by navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and clicking the “Check for updates” box. The “D” release has proven popular for those “seeking” to validate the non-security content of the next “B” release.

The mind boggles. Is MS actively trying to sabotage its reputation now?

 

[UsandThem]

That's pretty dumb alright, but not at all surprising. I use the check button to make sure my kid's PCs have all the updates as they try to defer them for as long as they can, but I definitely don't want to be an early beta tester (especially when they've had some updates that borked people's PC before pulling them).

I really wonder if the meetings they hold to make these kind of dumb decisions is solely occupied by bobble-head 'yes'-men / women.

 

[VirtualLarry]

This is REALLY DUMB. "Check for Updates" should do the SAME THING, as just allowing updates. (*) It should not somehow magically make the user eligible for "other" updates that wouldn't normally come in by the update mechanism, if it were just left alone.

Btw, this is EVEN DUMBER, when viewed in the context of using Windows Update to download drivers for new hardware. That's right, I just tested it yesterday, in Device Manager, if you click on a Device, click on Update, then it brings up a dialog, in which it will prompt you to check for newest updates online, and after it does that, GUESS WHAT, if it thinks that it has the newest driver installed, IT WILL PROMPT YOU TO USE WINDOWS UPDATE TO SEARCH FOR NEW DRIVERS. Click the other button, Windows Update comes up, and you're SUPPOSED TO CLICK "CLICK FOR UPDATES".

So, people with new hardware, will be arbitrarily subjected to "Beta" Windows Updates as well? How nice.

This policy does probably explain why some of my machines, got some updates labeled "Preview". How annoying.

(*) It seems to me, that more advanced users, might choose to click "check for updates", on THEIR own schedule, rather than Windows 10 arbitrarily choosing to install updates at some odd hour and rebooting their PC after installing them. That factor, shouldn't IMHO change WHAT updates they receive, just because the user chooses to do it according to their own schedule, rather than Windows'.

(2) How hard would it be, to have different channels for Updates, and have a little check-box for "Allow Preview Updates".

Windows 7 had their Critical, Important, and Optional update categories. (Among others, I might be forgetting one of them.)

 

[mikeymikec]

Why does this thread have a question tag on it?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Why does this thread have a question tag on it?

'cause the forums are br0k3.

It happened to me, in another sub-forum. The "New Thread" button in the upper-right, got changed to "Ask a question".

And the empty title, that if you click, opens a thread-started post editor box, has a drop-down on the left-hand side of the title, that defaults to "no prefix", but leaving it on that setting, and posting a new thread, creates the "Question" prefix on the thread ANYWAYS.

I had to go back and edit the thread title to remove it.

 

[mikeymikec]

thx!

 

[corkyg]

Why does this thread have a question tag on it?

Because the last sentence in OP is a question.

 

[mikeymikec]

Because the last sentence in OP is a question.

Ahha.

 

[JackMDS]

Why does this thread have a question tag on it?

LOL... It takes time to get use to the New "wonderful" world.

Windows 10 gives you (wither you want it or not) preview of New features.

The Update of the forum software gives you Prefixes.

""Poor George"" Orwell, he was only wrong in about 35 years.

 

[jsalpha2]

I always wondered why my computer would show, "Your up to date" but when I click on "Check for updates" it would find updates. I just figured Windows Update was broken.

 

[mikeymikec]

I always wondered why my computer would show, "Your up to date" but when I click on "Check for updates" it would find updates. I just figured Windows Update was broken.

The Windows Update check is triggered based on a number of factors so I think there's a chance that a manual check finds updates issued since the last automated check, but IMO it should be fairly remote.

One of the things that really concerns me about this is that as part of a standard Windows install I have always done a Windows update check, partly to kickstart Windows 10 into retrieving drivers rather than wait a few hours or more, and partly to make sure that WU is picking up the updates it should. On Win7 I found that probably 90% of the time it wouldn't run WU automatically in future until I had manually triggered the check once.

I wonder if I can convince Windows to trigger the check itself by say rebooting or by disconnecting and reconnecting its network connection.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I know that, even with this revelation, I'll keep hitting "Check for Updates", like an addicted lab-rat who wants his dosage. Sad, isn't it.

 

[mikeymikec]

Another way to trick Windows into checking WU itself might be to restart wuauserv.

I do miss wuauclt /detectnow.

 

[mikeymikec]

Another way to trick Windows into checking WU itself might be to restart wuauserv.

PSA: I tried this, it didn't work.