[German]How satisfied are home users and IT Professionals with Windows and Microsoft’s update policy? This question can be answered by surveys. Susan Bradley, a Windows veteran, has created two surveys. Here are the results of those surveys – and which are the reason for an open letter to Microsoft’s top management.

Some background information

The surveys was set up by my MVP colleague Susan Bradley to get an image of the satisfaction of Windows updates from consumers and consultant patchers. Susan Bradley is a professional administrator in business environment and is a moderator of the patchmanagement.org community. At askwoody.com she has been writing about updates and their problems as Patch Lady since the beginning of the year. I am in loose contact with Woody Leonhard, the operator of askwoody.com, and Susan Bradley.

Susan Bradley has also set up in 2016 a petition What Computer users want changed in Windows 10 at change.org, addressing Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. I’ve mentioned that within my blog, but the petition just reached round about 7,000 signatures – that’s nothing, compared to 700 million Windows 10 users.

Susan Bradley has set up two surveys addressing satisfaction with Windows updates (Windows 7 till Windows 10) and has some question focusing Windows 10, one for consumers, on for IT professionals. I’ve mentioned this within my blog post Survey: Satisfaction with Windows Update in Business? and asked my blog reader for participation.

Note: This is not a statistically representative survey. This would have required the selection of representatives of certain population groups. But the survey has reached more than 800 consumers and more than 1,000 IT professionals. That’s a lot and be more than a ‘single opinion’.

Results of both surveys combined

Susan Bradley has published the results of here surveys at askwoody.com with the articles Patch Lady – Results of the consumer survey an Patch Lady – results of the Consultant patcher survey. Here are the relevant results, combined in tables.

Q1: Satisfaction with Microsoft patching overall (Windows 7 t0 10)?

In this question, no distinction has been made between the Windows versions mentioned above. Here are the results of the participants (862 consumer, and 1,138 IT professionals).

The figures above already give a drastic picture of the current update situation from Windows 7 to Windows 10. More than 2/3 of consumers and professional consultants are not satisfied with Microsoft’s update quality.

Q2:  Satisfaction with quality of Windows 10 updates?

Question 2 was specifically about the satisfaction with updates under Windows 10, where 833 consumer and 1,131 professional participants replied.

The figures in the table above indicate that 72.15% of participating Windows 10 consumers (64,27 % IT professionals) are very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with the updates that Microsoft automatically rolls out and installs automatically. I would say, that is a disaster for Microsoft – although Microsoft’s management says ‘administrators, trust us with automatic updates, we will do the job’.

Q3:  Are feature updates useful to my business?

Microsoft makes a huge hype about its feature updates (actually upgrades), which are enrolled twice a year. Question 3 should indicate how useful people think this feature update is for their business. There 823 consumer and 1,122 IT professional participants has replied.

The figures in the table above show that more than 2/3 of participating Windows 10 consumer users and IT professionals do not find feature updates useful. Let me say it in this way: a product developer in other areas would have long been fired if his product and its functions had been so disgraced by potential buyers. Microsoft has established a Windows as a service model, that costs enormous time and money, but doesn’t fit the customer needs!

Q4: How often you wanted feature releases for Windows 10?

Microsoft’s credo is Windows as a service (WaaS) with two semi annual function updates shipped per year. A huge wheel is being turned, with insider previews, announcements, redemptions and so on. But does this fits with that what the users and IT professionals expects? There 843 consumer and 1,125 IT professional answered.

The figures from the above table also impressively prove that Microsoft is developing a Windows that misfits what the users and IT professionals needs. A total of 68.80% (more than 2/3) of Windows 10 consumers users simply reject Microsoft’s upgrade frequency of two function updates per year.

78.49% of IT professionals who have to deal with the consequences of feature updates completely reject Microsoft’s approach. Less than 12% of this people can follow Microsoft’s approach, with the ‘no opinion’ group we only get about 20%, or every 5th IT professional doesn’t really care about the semi-annual feature updates. Unfortunately, Windows has a monopole on the desktop.

Q5: Does Windows 10 is meeting your (business) needs?

The question is, is Windows 10 meet the (business) needs of potential users. I was surprised by the results.

A total of 170 consumers (20.02%) were unable or unwilling to answer yes or no to this question. In general, however, Windows 10 only meets the requirements or expectations of less than 50% of home users.

A total of 167 consultant/IT professionals (14.74%) did not answer this question with yes or no. In general, however, Windows 10 only meets the requirements or expectations of just 52.52% of IT professionals. Would you use software with such a poor coverage of requirements if there was a choice?.

At askwoody.com you can also see the dedicated answers of the participants to some questions about this article. In question 6, people were still able to express their wishes for improvements to Windows 10 in order to meet their requirements more effectively.

Although this survey is not representative, the results are a disaster for those responsible for Windows 10 at Microsoft. Susan Bradley writes in her summary (I’ve compiled the text from different places):

The consumer apps distributed on the professional SKU (Stock Keeping Units, i.e. Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise) annoy consultants and professional IT people.  Consumers, however, prefer Windows 10, which comes along like Windows 7.  More control over updates and more control over settings.   

In Microsoft’s zeal to keep us all up to date, they developed an operating system that drives consumers to iPads and Androids because [Windows 10] doesn’t give them control over their devices.

If they [Microsoft] want to control patches, [in a way] as Windows 10 does, you have to control the ecosystem of applications, hardware and vendors. But that’s exactly what Microsoft isn’t doing. And even if they [Microsoft] do, they show that we are years away from the application ecosystem we need to achieve complete stability in updating.

I’ve addressed this multiple times within serveral German blog post. In normal companies, the head of development would now be fired, because millions were sunk for a product, which was apparently not developed to fit customer’s and market needs.

An open letter to Microsoft’s upper management

The satisfaction with Windows 10 and Microsoft’s approach of Windows as a service as well as the provided updates is disastrous for both consumers and IT professionals view, if we browse the above survey. Susan Bradley (Patch Lady) wrote an open letter to Microsoft’s management, and Woody Leonhard has published it at the article An open letter to Microsoft management re: Windows updating on ComputerWorld. Here are excerpts from this open letter:

From: Susan Bradley
To: Mr. Satya Nadella, Mr. Carlos Picoto and Mr. Scott Guthrie

Dear Sirs:

Today, as Windows 10 turns three years old, I am writing to you to ensure that you are aware of the dissatisfaction your customers have with the updates released for Windows desktops and servers in recent months. The quality of updates released in the month of July, in particular, has placed customers in a quandary: install updates and face issues with applications, or don’t install updates and leave machines subject to attack.

In the month of July 2018 alone there are 47 knowledge base bulletins with known issues. Some of these were stop issues, but most concerning were the .Net side effects with your own software: SharePoint, BizTalk and even Exchange servers were impacted by these July 10 updates.

I am a moderator on a community listserve that focuses on the topic of patch management, patchmanagement.org. Recently many of the participants on the listserve have expressed their concerns and dissatisfaction with the quality of updates as well as the timing of updates.

I recently asked the list members to answer several questions about patching on Windows 7 to Windows 10. The full results of this unscientific survey can be read here. I urge you to take the time to read the responses. It showcases that your customers who are in charge of patching and maintaining systems are not happy with the quality of updates and the cadence of feature releases, and feel that it cannot go on as is.

I have cut out the details of the surveys from Susan’s open letter here, as you can read them above. Within the open letter, Bradley asks Microsoft managers to take the time to look at the results of the surveys. Bradley specifically points out that the Windows Insider program is something that ‘you have to put behind the bath’s mirror’, as it does not reveal the bugs and issues. Susan Bradley writes:

I am disturbed when I see users and consultants talk about taking drastic measures to take back control of updating and rebooting. Some are disabling Windows Update as a drastic measure to ensure that updates do not reboot systems when they are not wanted. It’s clear that your team also acknowledge that unexpected updates are problematic. But your customers deserve better than “promising” results. They deserve a stable platform that reboots only when they want it to. The operating system needs to do a better job of communicating to the end user and especially to the patching administrator when a machine will receive an update. The addition of the Windows Update for Business settings that often conflict with other group policy settings cause confusion, not clarity.

While it’s commendable that you’ve listened to feedback and made changes to Windows update during these three years, the fact is that these changes in each version release have caused confusion, and in some cases behavior that was not expected at all. Dual scan is one such change that caused confusion, and as a side effect caused administrators to have updates installed when they did not want them. The lack of clear communication regarding update changes leads to this confusion. Administrators are having to follow various blogs and sites and even Twitter channels to be able to understand the changes. The lack of basic documentation of Windows update error codes, the fact that it took several feature releases to make changes to the unreadable Windows update log, the fact that it took several feature releases before acknowledging the problem of symbol publishing showcases that the changes in Windows updating have had a major impact in the servicing and handling of Windows 10. I personally know of several large enterprises that are not on the current Semi Annual channel release of 1803 and are in fact several feature releases behind. The constant change and churn is not helping firms in their deployment strategies.

There are many more complains about issues, and Susan mentions observations that administrators and consultants are taking drastic steps, such as disabling updates, to be spared from this disaster. In Susan’s (and my) opinion, users and administrators deserve stable machines that boot only when the admins want them to. It would not be done with vague promises. In further sections of her open letter she also deals with the fact that improvements in communication (keyword Spectre/Meltdown) are necessary for the distribution of updates. Often information in the KB articles on updates is simply wrong or missing. The open letter leads to the wish that Microsoft software is expected, on which all updates and patches must indeed be installed immediately and without reservations. Currently one is far from this state, the confidence in Microsoft’s update capabilities is vanished.

The usual Microsoft phrase ‘we listen to your feedback’ is now being put to the test. Will Microsoft change something to get out of this mess? In any case, I am impressed by what Susan Bradley has set up and I wish her (and all of us) real success. And if you want to support this as admins, report the problems to your Microsoft representatives and share the information given here, at askwoody.com or at ComputerWorld. It won’t be a #MeToo debate – but maybe something is changing how the old tanker Microsoft is navigating. Or what is your opinion?

[German]If you are currently still using older Windows 10 builds like Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703) from spring 2017, you will be asked to upgrade to a newer Windows 10 build.

The background is that Microsoft only provides 18 months of support for a Windows 10 build. Since version 1703 was released in April 2017, support with security updates will expire in October 2018. When you access the app from the Microsoft Store, the following screen appears. Here is my German store with the upgrade prompt.

Note how elegantly Microsoft displayed this upgrade offer. The Microsoft Store has a German user interface. The ‘discreet hint’ to the update appears in English. Let me put it this way: We were really lucky that Bill Gates is not Thai or Chinese …

This means that Windows 10 V1703 is to be updated to the current version of Windows 10 by October 9, 2018. Who waits up to this date, could possibly get the Windows 10 V1809 – but is speculation.

When the user clicks on the Update your PC by October 9, 2018, the Edge browser opens and displays the a web page (see below).

Bleeping Computer writes here, that all older Windows 10 builds will show this notification – but I haven’t tested this.

[German]Microsoft has now officially released an ISO installation file of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17713 for download after the build was recently released in the slow ring.

This allows Windows 10 insiders a clean-install of that (somewhat) buggy build (see Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17713 released and Windows 10 Insider Build 17713.1002 breaks Defender Application Guard).

The ISO contains the SKUs Home, Pro and Education (Enterprise is available separately, see screenshot) as 64-bit version. If necessary/interested, the download is possible here. (via)

[German]Fortunately July 2018 is over. Time for a brief review of the July 2018 patches and what’s still open. At least administrators should know the following overview.

Short supplements

If you haven’t already noticed, here is a short overview of patches I didn’t mention here in my blog.

• Update KB4052623 (Windows Defender Antimalware Platform, for Windows 10) has been updated. 
• Updates for Adobe products: Beside the Flash player update (mentioned in my blog), Adobe has released more security updates for Reader etc. (see).

Also Oracle has released an Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory – July 2018 and a view blog posts here, here and here.

Microsofts July 2018 patches, what to know?

German blog reader Karl sent me an email a few hours ago, summing up the problems and issues that occurred in the Microsoft environment due to the July 2018 updates (thanks for that). Here is Karl’s list.

Updates from July 10, 2018 are all buggy

The July updates from 10.07.2018 are all buggy (as reported in the blog here). For Windows 2008 – 2012 R2 you have to install the Preview to get error-free updates for 07-2018. The buggy updates from 10.07 have not been re-released with the same KB. Why? Ask MS. 

AD Connect Sync issues caused by .NET Framework 4.6.2

.Net 4.6.2 causes problems with AD Connect Sync (CPU usage increases to 100%). This is a known issue, a fix should come. According to Karl, the bug provided 7 GHz load on the ESX, although the machine has only 2 cores. 

Windows Server 2016 slow update install

Windows 2016 servers take hours to install the patches (see also). This applies even to newly installed systems, despite the service stack update (SSU) of May 2018. I already mentioned this problem in the blog article Windows Server 2016: Slow updates.

Beware of the.NET rollup updates July 7, 2018

All .NET Framework Rollups (July 07-2018) should generally not be installed because of known problems reported here in the blog. So the rollup must be allowed from 05-2018, although already marked as expired in WSUS. 

Outdated/wrong Spectre documentation

Microsoft does not maintain its Spectre documentation. Therefore here my substitution table to get Spectre 2,3, 3a and 4 (for 2 and 4 BIOS updates are still necessary, if not Windows 10 / 2016 Server), as well as for client and servers the registry keys.

Spectre 1*, 2, 3, 3a*, 4*

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4072698/windows-server-guidance-to-protect-against-the-speculative-execution

https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/help/4073119/protect-against-speculative-execution-side-channel-vulnerabilities-in

Many links in the table have been superseded and should be replaced.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4072698/windows-server-guidance-to-protect-against-the-speculative-execution

https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/help/4073119/protect-against-speculative-execution-side-channel-vulnerabilities-in

The following table lists (if available) the former patch > new patch + SSU + Spectre patch (the latter not in WSUS / via WU, must be imported or installed manually (at first the SSUs were also missing)

Note the subsequent registry adjustments necessary for the Spectre patches to take effect. According to Karl, changes to the registry can easily be distributed via GPO GPP (without script): 

reg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management” /v FeatureSettingsOverride /t REG_DWORD /d 8 /f

reg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management” /v FeatureSettingsOverrideMask /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f

reg add “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Virtualization” /v MinVmVersionForCpuBasedMitigations /t REG_SZ /d “1.0” /f

reg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\QualityCompat” /v cadca5fe-87d3-4b96-b7fb-a231484277cc /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Maybe the overview above will help you. Some more hints about known problems in the July 2018 updates can be found in my blog post Looking back at Microsoft’s July 2018-Patches.

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Microsoft Office Patchday (July 3, 2018)
Patchday: Windows 10-Updates July 10, 2018
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Patchday Microsoft Office Updates (10. Juli 2018)
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.Net Framework: Update KB4340558 drops error 0x80092004?
DHCP-Bug in Update KB4338814 (Windows 10 Version 1607)
July 2018 Patchday issues, KB4018385 pulled – Part I

.Net-Framework Update July 2018 pulled?
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Microsoft’s July 2018 patch mess – put update install on hold

[German]It seems Microsoft is launching a new installation variant of Windows 10 Enterprise: Windows 10 Enterprise for Remote Sessions. Could it be the replacement for Windows Terminal Server?

There is not too much information – the new SKU is probably offered with the Windows Insider Preview Build 17713 (RS5) ISO (see Windows 10: Insider Preview Build 17713 available as ISO). Tero Alhonen @teroalhonen has posted some screenshots of the installation on Twitter. Here the selection in the setup dialog (just click on the screenshots to get the tweet and with the next click an enlarged representation of the picture).

Windows 10 Enterprise for Remote Sessions pic.twitter.com/rRtjJzHJV7

— Tero Alhonen (@teroalhonen) 1. August 2018

Below are screenshots of winver and its registry, after successful installation of Windows 10 Enterprise for Remote Sessions.

Windows 10 Enterprise for Remote Sessions pic.twitter.com/2jDTloUpN9

— Tero Alhonen (@teroalhonen) 1. August 2018

The next screenshot shows the Command Prompt window with four active remote connections.

Windows 10 Enterprise for Remote Sessions with four active remote connections pic.twitter.com/pqtu2h02kw

— Tero Alhonen (@teroalhonen) 1. August 2018

I got a feedback from one of my sources via Facebook (should no longer fall under NDA) who wrote: This could be the replacement for terminal servers that the rumour mill has been talking about for a long time. Windows Server as LTSC-like OS is too slow for the new features needed for Terminal Server as Windows 10 Desktop, so the Terminal Server now moves to the Windows Client.

Anyone who has already experimented in this direction or knows more details or articles from Microsoft?

[German]In enterprise environments, administrators may face the problem of having to distribute Windows 10 upgrades automatically, possibly via SCCM or similar tools. Here is a solution, using a batch file to deploy an in-place upgrade approach for Windows 10.

Josh Hefner, who presented the solution in his blog, writes that he recently faced the scenario with a client that he had no Configuration Manager infrastructure available. He normally uses Intune to manage workstations, but ran into problems configuring MDT to support Windows 10 upgrades.

Josh points out that there are still some known problems with MDT and Windows 10. These are described in this Technet article from 2015.

However, Josh Hefner had to automate the deployment of Windows 10 for end users. He is using a very elegant solution: Instead of distributing feature updates, he uses a cmd file to trigger an in-place upgrade of the client to the desired Windows 10 version.

(Install files, Source: joshheffner.com)

• First, copy all files of the installation image required for installation into a folder structure of a network drive (see above image)..
• Create a batch file Install.cmd within a the folder of the structure shown above, to start the deployment. The cmd file contains the following command.

start /wait .\Win10\setup.exe /auto upgrade /migratedrivers all /dynamicupdate enable /showoobe none /pkey XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

Basically, the command only starts the setup.exe and lets the system upgrading via an in-place update. Parameters can be used to control the upgrade and also enter the product key for the client. You can read more details in Josh’s article.

[German]Security provider AVAST has released version 5.45 of the CCleaner (the product was taken over from Piriform). Version 5.45 comes with extended telemetry data acquisition, that caused a lot of negative feedback. Now AVAST explains the situation and promise amendments.

CCleaner, the history

CCleaner was developed by Piriform as a tool for Windows and offers a number of features for cleaning and optimizing the operating system. Many Windows users love this free program – it has ‘magic functions’ that can even teach a lame Windows to become a ‘racing horse’ – is rumored at least in forums.

(Source: Talos)

In my view, CCleaner is associated with that ‘smells like trouble’, I’ve seen too many broken Windows systems after user executed this tool ‘to optimize Windows’. 

However, it should be noted that Piriform, the developer of CCleaner, was acquired by the Tchech antivirus manufacturer AVAST in summer of 2017. This is nothing bad per se, especially since Piriform continues to work (at a first glance) independent. But since the takeover by AVAST things seems went worse. I remember the episode in 2017, where a CCleaner version with malware was distributed (CCleaner has been infected with malware). And I wrote blog posts (see link list at the end of the article) in which I warned of potentially unwanted software (AVAST) in CCleaner-Installer. 

CCleaner 4.45 and Active Monitoring

Now AVAST has released the CCleaner version 4.45 via Piriform. And within this version, the already existing analysis feature (Active Monitoring) were strongly extended. In other words, telemetry data acquisition has been expanded (the keyword is probably the heartbeat function, an anonymous analysis function). The site techdows.com has taken up this topic in an article.

This was not well taken by users, so that the developers feel to defend their decision in a Piriform forum post. Under the title Changes in v5.45 and your feedback, the developer explained what has changed and why.

In CCleaner v5.45 we extended existing analytics functionality in the software in order to gain greater insight into how our users interact with the software.

This data is completely anonymous, and through collecting it we can rapidly detect bugs, identify pain points in the UI design and also understand which areas of functionality we should be focusing our time on. Most modern software companies collect anonymous usage data as it is very helpful when prioritising bug fixes and future improvements in the product experience. For example, we can see that many of our users have upgraded to the Professional edition but have never switched on the ‘scheduled cleaning’, which is one of the main benefits of the paid product. From this we know we need to work harder to make this paid-for feature more obvious in the CCleaner UI. […]

The developer confirms, that since the release of the new version, many users send their feedback. And the poster says ‘we have been listening’. Concerning the user’s fear, that CCleaner might be accessing and sharing personal data, the Piriform forum moderator wrote.

To be clear, CCleaner does not collect any personal data. Some of you told us that you do not want to share even anonymous usage data. After listening to your feedback we realize we need to provide you with a better level of control for anonymous data collection.

He explains further, that, when it came to adding the new analytics, the simplest way to do so was to extend the ‘Active Monitoring’ feature. Active Monitoring has been in CCleaner for a number of years and is essentially just some intelligent triggers for alerting users to clean out junk data when a lot of it has accumulated, and also for keeping you updated with the latest cleaning definitions. The developers say:

Back to v5.45, and to what we have learned: combining the new analytics with the Active Monitoring feature was quick to implement, but it doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility in terms of controlling these distinct items separately. Lesson learned: simplest isn’t always best.

Based on user feedback, Piriform wants to give users (in the future releases) better control over the analytical data collected.

• Piriform will separate the Active Monitoring (junk cleaning alerts and browser cleaning alerts) and heartbeat (anonymous usage analytics) features in the UI.
• They promise the ability to control these individually. Users will have the options (in future releases) of enabling all, some or none of these functions, and this functionality will be uniquely controlled from the UI.
• Piriform will take this opportunity to rename the Advanced Monitoring features in CCleaner to make their functions clearer.

Piriform will eliver these changes to the software in the coming weeks. Users don’t like the last sentence as much – one writes that it sounds like ‘words, generated by lawyer bots’ and announces it’s CCleaner’s departure. Other users recommend withdrawing version 5.45 and offering the previous version for download until the revision is complete.

Similar articles
CCleaner has been infected with malware
CCleaner comes mit AVAST PUP

[German]Microsoft is making another attempt to explain and familiarize administrators and users with the monthly update cycles for Windows 10. Some things were new for me, some words are sounding a a joke /slapstick in retrospect of July 2018 patches.

Anyone who deals with updates for Microsoft products actually knows that the first Tuesday of the month does bring non-security updates for Office. On the second Tuesday of each month there is the patchday, which brings security updates for Microsoft products. Then there will be preview rollup updates for Windows 7/8.1 and on 3rd Tuesday of each month. And it may be that none of the above is true, because Microsoft cancels updates on patchday, or rolls out the updates a few days later or simply rolls out re-releases of updates several times a month.

For Windows 10 I thought: Updates are usually cumulative and come on patchday (2nd Tuesday of the month) and also in between. As a private user or administrator you can’t really control much without WSUS or SCCM.

Because it has been repeatedly asked by administrators and users, John Wilcox from Microsoft has thankfully written the article Windows 10 update servicing cadence. Within this article, John Wilcox talks about the principle Microsoft is using to enroll updates.

• Be simple and predictable. IT managers should be able to plan for a simple, regular and consistent patching cadence. You shouldn’t need to stop what you’re doing to test and deploy an update. You should be able to plan a time, well in advance, to work on new updates. You also shouldn’t have to memorize multiple release schedules; the Windows release cadence should align with that of other Microsoft products.
• Be agile. In today’s security landscape, we must be able to respond to threats quickly when required. We should also provide you with updates quickly without compromising quality or compatibility.
• Be transparent. To simplify the deployment of Windows 10 in large enterprises or small businesses, you should have access to as much information as you need, and you should be able to understand and prepare for updates in advance. This includes guides for common servicing tools, simple release notes, and access to assistance or a feedback system to provide input.

Then Wilcox explains the update types for Windows 10. What’s new for me: Also Windows 10 is getting ‘Preview’ Rollups as a test for the upcoming month’s patchday.

• At times referred to as our “B” release, Update Tuesday (most often referred to as Patch Tuesday) updates are published the second Tuesday of each month. These updates are the primary and most important of all the monthly update events and are the only regular releases that include new security fixes.
• An out-of-band release is any update that does not follow the standard release schedule. These are reserved for situations where devices must be updated immediately either to fix security vulnerabilities or to solve a quality issues impacting many devices.
• The “C” and “D” releases occur the third and fourth weeks of the month, respectively. These preview releases contain only non-security updates, and are intended to provide visibility and testing of the planned non-security fixes targeted for the next month’s Update Tuesday release. These updates are then shipped as part of the following month’s “B” or Update Tuesday release.

The details may be read here, but frankly spoken, I don’t feel, that this update cadence is ‘simple and predictable’.  For example:

• … for the latest version of Windows 10, we typically release the majority of non-security updates the fourth week of every month, two weeks after the last Update Tuesday and two weeks before the next, in a “D” release.
• For older versions of Windows 10 (as well as supported versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1), we sometimes release updates during the third week with a “C” release to provide you with extra time to test your legacy systems. In addition, as a new feature release draws near, we shift the current release to the “C” week, since there are fewer fixes and improvements necessary on the current version.

A lot of conditions, so an administrator has to check, which of his systems falls into the first or second category. Also the wording:

‘Having just a few updates to test on the “C” week and none on the “D” week gives you the chance to concentrate on other responsibilities and frees up time for when the next semi-annual update arrives. In most cases, “C” and “D” releases do not need be deployed to your broader device ecosystem. Instead, you can use these releases to identify any issues that could impact your next “B” deployment and provide feedback. This helps you get a head start on testing and understanding the potential impact of updates and gives you a chance to provide suggestions before those updates are officially released, providing a smoother and more tailored experience when the “B” release comes around.’

sounds to me like a joke. Well, I know, in business environments administrators may use group policy settings to block an update auto-install or defer non-security update. Also updates may be distributed selectively in WSUS or SCCM to Windows 10 clients. But my observation is, that administrators in business environments has enough to do, to handle regular security updates. There is no spare time to run intensive tests for preview group C and D updates.

And all systems without those infrastructure/settings – and all consumer Windows 10 systems – will install all pending updates automatically. Or in other words: The C and B preview updates for Windows 10 will be installed automatically – so consumers and small business systems without WSUS are the guinea pigs for testing the water. Or what is your opinion?

Addendum: Just got a comment from a German blog reader with the following content (I’ve translated it, to allow a discussion here).

What John Wilcox from Microsoft writes is not (yet) true. I’m not aware that Microsoft would have rolled out C and D updates but Out of Band because of fixes for fixes.

If they introduce preview updates *** I’m out, because these ruin the possibility of automatic approval in WSUS even before Windows 10 / 2016 because they do not belong to a separate category.

BTW: What was the credo of Microsoft’s guide lines? Be simple and predictable – and Be transparent. Currently I’m just confused.

Similar articles:
Looking back at Microsoft’s July 2018-Patches
Windows (10) Update Survey and an open letter to Microsoft

[German]July 2018 is over, and it’s time to look at the figures for operating system distribution on the desktop and especially for Windows on early August 2018.

Operating system shares on the desktop

Looking at the latest figures from netmarketshare.com (until the end of July 2018), Windows still runs on 88.43% (previous month 88.19%) of desktop systems. Mac OS comes to 9.01% (previous month 9.40%), while Linux runs on 1.92% (previous month 1.88%) of the system. Chrome OS is represented with 0.28% (previous month 0.29%). These are statistical fluctuations between the months.

(Source: Netmarketshare.com)

More details may be found using the operating system share on desktop shown below.

(Source: Netmarketshare.com)

Windows 7 has a ‘market share’ of 42.95% (previous month 43.03%) on the desktop, while Windows 10 is 32.98% (previous month 34.92%). Windows 8.1 is 5.59% and Windows XP is 5.23% (previous month 4.36%). There is not really much going on – I would dismiss the figures for the previous month as statistical fluctuations.

If Microsoft put a lot of effort into Marketing, Windows 10 could overtake Windows 7 at end of this year. Of course you can also ask another statistician who promises a better oracle of numbers.

(Source: Statcounter.com)

The above graphic shows the numbers of statcounter for the desktop. There, Windows 10 has long been ahead of Windows 7, reaching 47.25% (previous month 47.21%), while Windows 7 still reaches 39.06% (previous month 39.44%).

[German]A short note for the administrators’ weekend. On August 1, 2018, Microsoft released version V1.1.880.0 of its Microsoft Azure Active Directory Connect.

Azure AD Connect allows you to connect quickly to Azure AD and Office 365. Version V1.1.880.0 of Microsoft Azure Active Directory Connect is available here as 83.7 MB installation file AzureADConnect.msi.

Features

Integrating your on-premises directories with Azure AD makes your users more productive by providing a common identity for accessing both cloud and on-premises resources. With this integration users and organizations can take advantage of the following:

• Organizations can provide users with a common hybrid identity across on-premises or cloud-based services leveraging Windows Server Active Directory and then connecting to Azure Active Directory.
• Administrators can provide conditional access based on application resource, device and user identity, network location and multifactor authentication.
• Users can leverage their common identity through accounts in Azure AD to Office 365, Intune, SaaS apps and third-party applications.
• Developers can build applications that leverage the common identity model, integrating applications into Active Directory on-premises or Azure for cloud-based applications

Azure AD Connect makes this integration easy and simplifies the management of your on-premises and cloud identity infrastructure. The following operating systems are supported: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016

Microsoft has released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17730 (Redstone 5) in the Fast Ring. The announcement was made as usual in the Windows blog, where you may read further details. This build is part of the RS5_RELEASE fork, which is planned to become Windows 10 V1809 (or similar) in fall 2018.

[German]Microsoft has responded to an open letter from MVP colleague Susan Bradley about problems and quality issues with Microsoft’s Windows update cycles.

The background – an open letter to Microsoft

Satisfaction with Windows, especially Windows 10 and Microsoft’s approach to Windows as a service and the updates provided is disastrous for both consumers and IT professionals. A survey conducted by Susan Bradley, a long-standing expert in patch management for Windows, explicitly confirmed this. As a result, Susan Bradley wrote an open letter to Microsoft management (including CEO Satya Nadella) to highlight the problems in practice.

Woody Leonhard had published this on his website askwoody.com and at ComputerWorld articles. Since I am in contact with him, I have addressed both the surveys and the open letter within my blog post Windows (10) Update Survey and an open letter to Microsoft.

Microsoft’s answers

Microsoft replied surprisingly, Woody Leonhard has published Microsoft’s answer at ComputerWorld within the Windows updaters express frustrations. Microsoft responds. Here are some excerpts and the quintessence.

Service Request # 143…….

Hello Susan,

My name is (redacted), and I’m a Customer Relationship Manager here at the Microsoft corporate offices in Redmond, Washington. Thank you for reaching out.

I would like to let you know that we got your concerns about the Windows 10 patch quality issues that you have brought to our attention.  I wanted to give you an update and let you know that at this time I working on finding the best venue to bring your concerns to our leadership team who would be better equipped in making any decisions that need to be made.

As a reminder: The open letter was addressed to Microsoft’s Board of Directors, Mr. Satya Nadella, and two Vice Presidents. The open letter expressed the general dissatisfaction with the update quality and the frequency of Windows as a service function updates at the base. Tenor: Something has to change, think about it.

In the text above, a Customer Relationship Manager answered, and issued a support number. He/she confirms the open letter has been noticed and assures that ‘ways are being sought to bring the matter to Microsoft’s leadership team, which is better able to make all necessary decisions’. It that the way at Microsoft to process an open letter to the CEO? But Microsoft stays tuned – Susan Bradley received another message from the Customer Relationship Manager.  Forwarding the open letter to the responsible team is confirmed.

Hello Susan,

This is (redacted) again with Microsoft customer services and support team. I would like to thank you for all the great feedback that you submitted in your previous letter that you sent to Microsoft.  I would like to tell you that I have forward[ed] your letter to a team that is better equipped to handle the concerns and feedback that you have stated in your letter.

Your letter clearly states the concerns that you have due to the quality and timing of Microsoft updates.  I would like to add that with Windows 10 Microsoft decided to be more proactive. This has always been the way we keep commercial versions of Windows on the market current.  There are also bug fixes. These updates can be vital. The Windows software environment and its associated hardware is incredibly complex. When these bugs are fixed, updates have to be issued to move them out to users. You want these updates to make sure everything works as expected.  Windows 10 is very different from earlier versions of Windows. Earlier versions of Windows consisted of a single product which was updated over time. Windows 10 consists entirely of a base install and then fluid updates. The updates aren’t add-ons from which to pick and choose but are part of the operating system.

After much Microsoft talk, which promises understanding for the expressed concerns, the text above says in my reading: “That’s just so decided by Microsoft, that’s what we do with Windows 10.”

Just to note, there were two key points that Susan Bradley addressed in her open letter. Point #1 was the clear statement that the vast majority of users and IT professionals consider the semi-annual feature updates to be a weak point, and IT professionals want something like feature updates every two years. The above answer (at least I didn’t notice anything) didn’t deal with this issue. It’s like in politics, where a question is bypassed with a rush of words on a side issue.

Point #2 was the poor quality of the latest Windows updates, which makes the job of IT professionals difficult or impossible. Microsoft told Susan Bradley in an answer, that everything is terribly complex and explains the difference between Windows 10 and other operating systems. First I thought, they just kidding, but it seems they are serious about that. Just to note: Things seems to be complex is Microsoft’s view, so the increase their pace and are releasing semi-annual features updates, to keep things (from an updater’s view) even more complex. Not a word about the update quality. But then the absolute hammer comes with the following paragraph:

I have provided a link below to our Feedback Hub.  In the future you could use the link to provide feedback and share your suggestions or comments on issues with Windows products.

My first thought ‘it was a bot, that answered’, but it seems it was a Microsoft employee, that wrote the text. Woody Leonhard wonders in his ComputerWorld article about Microsoft’s answer and notes: This is a strange answer that [they] send to someone who has been struggling with bad Windows patches for almost two decades – and writing loudly about it.

Then Wood Leonhard points out that Susan Bradly posted exactly three months before the open letter has been published a text in Feedback Hub about quality and loss of trust (link https:// aka.ms/AA1aitt). I haven’t linked the article here, because the contents of the feedback hub can only see who is using Windows 10 and the relevant infrastructure. Such posts can be rated as important by other users (called upvote). That only works if you are an active Windows 10 Insider Preview participant and are logged in under a Microsoft account with Windows 10. Strange thing, and I always have Microsoft’s ‘we are listening to our customers’ in my had – but they obviously kidding. Or what’s your thoughts?

Addendum: Susan Bradley answered the reply from Microsoft – details may be read here at askwoody.com.

[German]The End of Life (EOL) dates for Windows differs for clients and servers. A German blog reader pointed that out, and send me a raw EOL overview – pretty complex.

In earlier day, things was pretty simple: Microsoft provides five years mainstream support after a Windows version has been released. Then another 5 years extended support provides updates. This has been documented within the Windows lifecycle fact sheet, and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC SKUs still use this EOL scheme.

Windows 10: 18 months support?

Microsoft wrote, Windows 10 build should receive updates for 18 months, afterward users has to upgrade to a newer build. But there are now many exceptions, as I outlined within my blog post Windows 10: End of Life for several builds in May 2018.

• Windows 10 Version 1507: This RTM version of Windows 10, released in summer 2015, has been out of support for a long time and will not get any more updates. Exceptions are the Windows 10 Enterprise V1507 LTSC installations which are supported until 2025.
• Windows 10 Version 1511: This version of Windows 10, released in November 2015, was discontinued on October 10, 2017. However, Enterprise and Education editions for version 1511 still received security updates 6 months after this date (March 2018 was over).
• Windows 10 Version 1607: This version of Windows 10 (Anniversary Update), released in summer 2016, is no longer supported on April 10, 2018. However, Enterprise and Education editions for version 1607 will still receive security updates 6 months after this date.

  However, there is one more peculiarity. Systems with Clovertrail CPU will receive updates until 2023 (see Windows 10 V1607: Updates for Clover Trail systems until 2023). And LTSC versions are supported until 2026.

The complex rules around Windows 10 version 1607 has been documented in Microsoft’s shown below:

Windows 10, version 1607, reached end of service on April 10, 2018. Devices that are running Windows 10 Home or Pro editions will no longer receive monthly security and quality updates that contain protection from the latest security threats. To continue receiving security and quality updates, Microsoft recommends that you update to the latest version of Windows 10.

IMPORTANT Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education editions will receive six months of additional servicing at no cost. Devices on the Long-Term Servicing Channels (LTSC) will continue to receive updates until October 2026 per the Lifecycle Policy page. Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1607)-based devices that are running the Intel “Clovertrail” chipset will continue to receive updates until January 2023 per the Microsoft Community blog.

Windows 10 Version 1703, 1709 and 1803 are still supported. The Home and Pro versions will also receive updates there. An overview of support intervals can be found on this Microsoft page.

Support for clients and servers ends differently

German blog reader Karl sent me an overview (thanks for that), which shows how chaotic the whole life cycle planning of Windows has become for administrators. He writes: Clients and servers will soon expire differently (without extended support). Here is an overview of the various data for support ends:

• Windows 10 Home 1607 EOL: 04/10/2018
• Windows 10 Pro 1607 EOL: 04/10/2018
• Windows 10 Enterprise 1607 EOL: 10/10/2018
• Windows 10 Education 1607 EOL: 10/10/2018
• Windows 10 LTSC 1607 EOL: January 2023!
  Windows Server 2016 1607 with GUI (LTSC) EOL: 01/11/2022; with ext. support 01/11/2027 (differs from LTSC client)
• Windows Server 2016 1607 without GUI / Core (SAC) EOL: 10/10/2018! > replaced by 1703 and 1803 (all 6 months, 18 months support after release).

Fear that could cause some head ache for some consultants and administrators. So they need to consult the Search product lifecycle, search for EOL and carefully read all side notes given from Microsoft, each time, they plan a new release cycle for clients or servers.

Similar articles:
Windows (10) Update Survey and an open letter to Microsoft
Windows Update quality issues: Microsoft’s answer

[German]Ransomware WannaCry, known since2017, hits Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC last Friday and shut down various production fabs. Here is some information on the subject.

And I still wrote: “Reminds me of WannaCry”

Taiwan located chip manufacturer TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited) delivers components to Apple, AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Broadcom and other vendors. According to press reports from Bloomberg and Reuters, the production facilities of the Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC were infected by a virus on Friday (August 3, 2018).

The virus has affected the manufacturer’s production facilities (which have probably been shut down to remove the infection). The problem should be solved by Sunday and then Monday. I reported this incident only within my German blog post Virus befällt Fabriken von iPhone Chip-Hersteller TSMC. Within this blog post I wrote: “This reminds me of WannaCry”, which was half intended as a joke.

What was WannaCry?

The Trojan WannaCry, a ransomware, has infected thousands of computers worldwide since May 12, 2017 (see Ransomware WannaCry infected worldwide thousands of Windows systems). WannaCry was originally distributed via phishing mails that contained the Trojan in a ZIP file. The Trojan encrypts the files on the infected Windows computer and demands a ransom.

(Source: MalwareBytes)

The Trojan could spread rapidly in networks and infect other computers because it uses a known vulnerability to penetrate networks and spread laterally. This vulnerability is part of a leaked NSA hacking tool from a group called “The Shadow Brokers” (codenamed “ETERNALBLUE”). The NSA tool provides remote access to the attackers via an exploit of the SMB & NBT protocols of the Windows operating system.

WannaCry specifically uses the vulnerability (MS17-010 Security Update for Microsoft Windows SMB Server (4013389) patched by Microsoft on March 14, 2017) for spreading over a network.  It was only by chance that a security researcher found a killswitch to stop the initial wave of WannyCry infections.

Microsoft has subsequently released security updates for Windows XP to Windows 10 for these vulnerabilities in the SMBv1 log. So WannaCry should not harm anymore. But during the last year we have had other WannaCry infections in several companies (Boing, Daimler etc.)

WannaCry hit TSMC

German news magazine heise.de reported, that TSMC was hit by WannaCry. According to TSMC CEO C.C. Wei, the problem occurred on Friday during the installation of new software on new company computers. These were probably connected to the TSMC intranet without further virus checking. Furthermore, the available updates against the SMBv1 vulnerabilities were unpatched.

According to Mr. Wei, the infected computers are Windows 7 machines used in various chip factories of TSMC in Taiwan. German magazine elektroniknet.de reported another interesting aspect of this case (I’ve translated the text):

The WannaCry variant that infected TSMC appeared to have been on a machine before the manufacturer delivered it to TSMC. When the people at TSMC integrated the new machine into the production environment, WannaCry remained undetected, allowing the worm to spread.

In my understanding, the new machine or it’s computer hasn’t been inspected with a antivirus scanner. Instead the system was connected to the Intranet. Due to the fact, that the Intranet contains still unpatched Windows 7 machines, the worm could spread through the network.

Meanwhile, TSMC claims that the problem is under control. It is already feared that the infection could have damages of 150 million to 170 million dollars. Whether the production of the new iPhone models has (some of their chips come from TSMC) is currently unclear.

Similar articles
Ransomware WannaCry infected worldwide thousands of Windows systems
Wannacry: first WCry-Decryptor for Windows XP
WannaCry: Decrypting with WanaKiwi also for Windows 7
WannaCry & Co.: EternalBlue Vulnerability Checker and Crysis Ransomware Decryptor
Petya ransomware is back – using WannaCry vulnerabilties
WannaCry infection stops Mercedes Benz production?
WannaCry ransomeware outbreak at Boeing
WannaCry is back? No, it’s a scam mail

Microsoft has released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17733 (Redstone 5) in Fast Ring. The announcement has been made within the Windows Blog. This build is also part of the RS5_RELEASE fork, which ends in Windows 10 V1809 (or v1810) in fall 2018. In the build Microsoft has finished the Dark-Mode for Explorer. Further details may be found within Microsoft’s blog post.

[German]Administrators who want to join a domain with clients running Windows 10 V1803 Pro or Enterprise may run into a problem. A bug prevents the domain join. So far I am not aware that Microsoft has fixed this. But there is a workaround in the form of an offline domain join using djoin.

If I remember correctly, Microsoft has classified Windows 10 V1803 as business-ready (see Microsoft: Windows 10 V1803 is business ready, install it …). But there seems to be problems with this Windows 10 build in certain environments. Maybe the following problem is well known – but I’ll take it up – maybe it helps someone.

A bug prevents a domain join via network

Already in May 2018, the Technet forum thread Unable to join domain with new windows 10 computers – build 1803 has been created. A user wrote:

I have 3 new computers that I am truing to join to our domain and it cant seem to find the domain.  I can ping the domain controller.  Any suggestions on resolving this without having to roll back to the previous build, which will also take with it all of the apps that I installed after this build was installed.  I have rolled back a computer and joined the domain from that computer, so I know that rolling back will work, but I did loose all the apps I installed and in the process of reinstalling them.

The domain controller is accessible from the Windows 10 V1803 clients via ping, but with domain join the clients cannot find the DC. This error message is returned:

DNS was successfully queried for the service location (SRV) resource record used to locate a domain controller for domain “MYDOMAIN”:
The query was for the SRV record for _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.MYDOMAIN
The following domain controllers were identified by the query:
MYSERVER.MYDOMAIN

However no domain controllers could be contacted.
Common causes of this error include:
– Host (A) or (AAAA) records that map the names of the domain controllers to their IP addresses are missing or contain incorrect addresses.
– Domain controllers registered in DNS are not connected to the network or are not running.

Within the thread further affected users are confirming this bug, and Microsoft moderator Karen_Hu confirms at least that this is a known bug. Within the thread, various solutions are proposed, but only seem to help for a few scenarios. So there is a hint that SMBv1 could be involved – which also causes trouble in connection with Samba servers (see also here). There is also such a discussion on reddit.com.

Workaround: Offline Domain Join

Triggered from tips on German sites administrator.de and deskmodder.de I found at least an English blog post, describing the ability to join a domain using the command djoin.  

1. Open an administrative command prompt windows on your domain server and enter the command below.

djoin /provision /domain “Domainname”.local /machine “PC-NAME” /savefile c:\testneu\client.txt

The placeholder Domainname must be replaced by the name of the domain. The placeholder PC-Name must be replaced by the network name of the new PC to be registered in the domain..

2. Copy the created file client.txt to your client into a folder named c:\testnew\.

3. Open an administrative command prompt windows on your client and enter the command below.

djoin /REQUESTODJ /LOCALOS /WINDOWSPATH c:\windows /LOADFILE c:\testneu\client.txt

The command (described here) imports the necessary information into the client and integrates it into the domain. In case of error message, consult the linked article for further hints. In case, the path within the command prompt windows isn’t c:\windows\system32\, use the command cd c:\windows\system32\ to switch the path.

[German]At the current Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, security researchers showed how easy it was to use Cortana ito bypass security functions under Windows 10. Microsoft has closed (come of) the vulnerabilities. 

That wizards like Siri, Google Now or Cortana are good for all kinds of surprises of the negative kind, has been shown in several cases – I had already addressed it in various German blog posts. In my German blog post Cortana: Interesse bei Unternehmen, aber Sicherheitslücke I mentioned also a vulnerability discovered in Windows 10, where Cortana can be misused for criminal purposes using PowerShell even when the system is locked. However, the vulnerability (CVE-2018-8140) was closed with the June 2018 patchday.

Cortana as Open Sesam

Under the title Open Sesame: Picking Locks with Cortana the CVE-2018-8140 vulnerability (see announcement here) was addressed again by a team from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology led by Professor Amichai Shulman. The security researchers had asked themselves how the language assistants in devices affect security in corporate environments.

Microsoft Cortana is used on mobile and IoT devices, but also on corporate computers, because it is enabled with Windows10 by default and is always ready to respond to user commands, even when the machine is locked. Interacting with a locked machine is a dangerous architectural decision. Early in 2018, security researchers discovered the Voice of Esau (VoE) exploit for a Cortana vulnerability. The VoE exploit allowed attackers to take over a locked Windows10 machine by combining voice commands and network functions to deliver a malicious payload to the affected machine.

At the Blackhat conference security researchers demonstrated how a powerful vulnerability in Cortana allows attackers to take over a locked Windows machine and execute arbitrary code. By exploiting the ‘Open Sesame’ vulnerability, attackers can view the content of sensitive files (text and media), browse any website, download and execute any executable files from the Internet, and may be granted elevated privileges.

German site heise.de has published this article with some details. After activating Cortana (“Hey, Cortana?”) it is sufficient to press any key on the keyboard. The search dialog of the operating system opens and shows, for example, preview images of photos or text documents. All this happens, mind you, on a locked Windows 10 screen.

If a USB stick is connected to the system, an executable file can be searched via Cortana and started with a simulated click. A query of the user account control can be bypassed if necessary (keyword: UAC Bypassing). This opens up the possibility of selecting and starting malware via the search function in order infect the locked system.

Alternatively, an HTTP page set up as watering-hole to distribute malware could be opened by voice command. According to heise.de the security researchers used the Remote Desktop Protocol to send voice commands via network directly to other victims system without having to use the microphone of the target computer.

Furthermore heise.de describes a fourth attack method, which uses malicious Cortana skills, which the attackers added to the Cortana channel before. Then these Cortana skills could be activated by voice command (including the release of the installation of an untrustworthy plug-in).

To make matters worse, exploiting the vulnerability does not involve external code or questionable system calls, so code focused defenses such as antivirus, anti-malware and IPS are usually blind to attack.

An interview with CNBC is available here. As mentioned above, the CVE-2018-8140 vulnerability has been closed since June 2018 patchday. The question remains how many other undetected security holes are still dormant. According to Professor Amichai Shulman, his students have discovered further security holes in Cortana. Since these are unfixed, details were not revealed. But even if they are fixed at some point, the attack vector won’t get smaller due to the inflation of Windows 10 features propagated by Microsoft’s developers. Or how do you see it?

Microsoft has released the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 177353 (Redstone 5) in the Fast Ring. Furthermore the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18214 (19H1) for the Skip Ahead branch was released. 

Windows 10 Insider Build 17735

The Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 177353 belongs to the RS5_RELEASE-Fork, which should lead to Windows 10 V1809 (or v1810) in autumn 2018. The announcement has been made as usual within the Windows blog. There you will find a longer list of changes and bug fixes. Unfortunately there is also a long list of known problems in the blog post.

Windows 10 Insider Build 18214

The Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18214 is only available for testers whose system is configured for the Skip Ahead branch. There the code name 19H1 applies, since this development branch is to lead to the spring upgrade in 2019. The announcement was also posted on the Windows blog. There you can inform yourself about the new features, changes and bug fixes as well as about known problems.

[German]Microsoft has released the updates KB4295110 and KB4023057 for Windows 10 on August 9, 2018. Here is some information.

Update KB4295110 for Windows 10 V1709

Update KB4295110 (el ‘Updates to Windows 10, version 1709 update components: August 9, 2018’) includes new stability improvements for the update components in Windows 10, version 1709. Microsoft writes.

This update includes new stability improvements for the update components in Windows 10, version 1709.

The updated components include files and resources that work together with the servicing stack engine in Windows 10. These components make sure that quality updates are installed.

According to the KB article, Microsoft tries to improve the Servicing Stack Engine of Windows 10 to ensure that quality updates can be installed.

Note: There have been problems with the update installation in the past months, for example, when ‘race conditions‘ occurred. Then drivers were uninstalled, but the updated version was not installed. Whether exactly this was addressed is beyond my knowledge.

Microsoft writes that only certain builds of Windows 10 version 1709 require this update. Devices that are identified accordingly via Windows Update are automatically offered this update for installation. You don’t have to worry about anything as a user. According to Microsoft, the update is also offered on Windows 10 machines on which the latest updates are not installed (e.g. because their installation was postponed by the administrator).

This also explains why this update is not offered in the Microsoft Update Catalog. Whether the update appears in WSUS is beyond my knowledge. The changed files are listed in the KB article. 

Update KB4023057 for Windows 10 V1507-V1709

Update KB4023057 of August 9, 2018 is entitled ‘Update to Windows 10, versions 1507, 1511, 1607, 1703, and 1709 for update reliability’. This update is available from the RTM version of Windows 10 to version 1709 (but not for the current version 1803). Microsoft writes in the KB article about the update that it brings improvements in the reliability of the Windows Update service:

This update includes reliability improvements to Windows update service components in Windows 10, versions 1507, 1511, 1607, 1703, and 1709. It may also take steps to free up disk space on your device if you do not have enough disk space to install Windows updates.

This update includes files and resources that address issues that affect the update processes in Windows 10 that may prevent important Windows updates from being installed. These improvements help make sure that updates are installed seamlessly on your device, and they help improve the reliability and security of devices that are running Windows 10.

So it seems that more serious problems were found in the Windows update process, which prevented the installation of important updates. This is the only way to explain that Microsoft actually provides the patch for all Windows 10 versions except the V1803. 

Microsoft advises that the device must be running Windows 10 for a long time to allow the update to be installed. In addition, the update affects the system quite deeply on various machines. Microsoft names the following issues to be addressed.

• This update may try to reset network settings if problems are detected, and it will clean up registry keys that may be preventing updates from being installed successfully.
• This update may repair disabled or corrupted Windows operating system components that determine the applicability of updates to your version of Windows 10.
• This update may compress files in your user profile directory to help free up enough disk space to install important updates.

Users who have blocked the update components should be prepared that this blockages to be ‘repaired’. The goal is to install the feature upgrade to V1803 on that machine. It is also interesting to note that the update may start compressing files in the user profile directory when space becomes limited. This is especially true for upcoming feature updates and is a tribute (imho) to the large footprint of Windows 10 on cheap machines with 64 GB eMMC. These interventions also explain why the update installation can take an exceptionally long time.

The KB article contains hints to systems where the memory on the system drive becomes low and compression of files is also mentioned. If files are compressed, it looks like this in the Explorer folder display:

(Source: Microsoft)

The update is only offered via Windows Update on machines that require it. It is also applied to machines that have not installed the latest updates. This update replaces the update KB4022868, for more information, also about replaced files, see the KB article.

Intel has released an update of its graphics driver to version 24.20.100.6229. This update contains security fixes and some bug fixes. Here are a few details what to know about this update.

The Intel-Download-Center provides links to download the driver, which fixes also a few security issues. The driver also contains some improvements and will be offered as .exe installer and also as a ZIP archive.

For security reasons, the ZIP archive should be downloaded, unpacked and the driver installed. .exe installers are vulnerable to DLL hijacking. The link above offers you also the links to the release notes with further details about the driver. It also specifies for which CPUs with GPU the driver can be used.

Release Version: Production Version
Driver Version: 24.20.100.6229
Release Date: August 7, 2018

Operating System(s):
	Microsoft Windows* 10-64 - Creators Update
	Microsoft Windows* 10-64 - Fall Creators Update
	Microsoft Windows* 10-64 - April 2018 Update
	
Platforms:
	6th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) processor family (Codename Skylake)
	7th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) processor family (Codename Kaby Lake)
	8th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) processor family (Codename Kaby Lake-R, Coffee Lake S/H 62, CFL-S/H 42, CFL-U43e)	
	Apollo Lake
	Gemini Lake

CONTENTS
I.	Product Support
II.	Installation Information
III.	Disclaimer

I.  Product Support
Supports Intel(R) UHD Graphics, Intel(R) HD Graphics, Intel(R) Iris(R) Plus Graphics on:
	6th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) processor family (Codename Skylake)
	7th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) processor family (Codename Kaby Lake)
	8th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) processor family (Codename Kaby Lake-R, Coffee Lake S/H 62, CFL-S/H 42, CFL-U43e)	
	Apollo Lake
	Gemini Lake