Windows 10 Feature Updates

[Lee DeRaud]

I'm rather tech-savvy, with better-than-average google-fu, but this one has me stumped.

My Microsoft Surface Book, purchased in 2016, updated from version 1903 to 1909 in mid-January.
My Acer laptop, purchased in late 2019 but actually a 2018 model, updated to 1903 during initial setup and then and then updated to 1909 in early February.
GF's new Lenovo desktop, purchased in February but also a 2018 model, updated to 1909 during initial setup.
My "big" desktop, built mid-2019 with 8th-gen i7 and a then-current name-brand motherboard/chipset, is still running the 1903 I installed during the build.

I know I can force the update using the downloadable MS Update Assistance tool, but I would have expected MS to push 1909 to that machine already. Any idea why it hasn't happened?

[Bruce Lowekamp]

I wouldn't be surprised if manually checking for updates in the control panel pulled the update. (without the tool)

Automatic updates (even displaying the suggestion) roll out gradually. (this is true for pretty much all companies, not just MS. When a new iOS update comes out you can get it by manually checking, but the automatic prompts happen over weeks.) Now I would expect you to have gotten 1909 by now, but (other than disabling automatic update checks) there are a few reasons you might not have. Due to coronavirus MS has paused pretty much all automatic update, and extended support for some things that were to have been retired around this time. That was done just to minimize churn especially for people WFH who can't go to their normal IT desk. But if you were randomly toward the end of the update rollout, it might have been paused before it got to you. Windows update also will detect problematic components and there's a chance some part of your system was waiting for updated drivers etc (could be the motherboard or something else).

You can always pull the update manually, though if it doesn't show up with a manual check in the control panel I might hesitate to go run the tool, as you're more likely to be in the second category of there being a reason it's not being installed. I suspect that if there are any issues, the worst that could happen is you need to run in safe mode and download some new drivers.

(disclaimer: I work for MS, but not in the OS division)

Bruce

[Lee DeRaud]

I wouldn't be surprised if manually checking for updates in the control panel pulled the update. (without the tool)

...
Windows update also will detect problematic components and there's a chance some part of your system was waiting for updated drivers etc (could be the motherboard or something else).

You can always pull the update manually, though if it doesn't show up with a manual check in the control panel I might hesitate to go run the tool, as you're more likely to be in the second category of there being a reason it's not being installed. I suspect that if there are any issues, the worst that could happen is you need to run in safe mode and download some new drivers.Thanks for you input.

Nope, it's doing automatic update checks: seems to do those even if you have the 'pause' feature enabled (which it does not ATM). And no joy with manual check either.

I was wondering about the driver thing, but as I said, it's a 2019 current-model GigaByte motherboard, with nothing in the way of exotic GPUs or other hardware. A couple of drivers have updated since I built it, but they're pretty generic.

It's not that I particular need 1909 either, just that I like having all the machines in the house running at more or less the same level. At least 1909 was a rather nondescript update. My current plan is to just wait until 20H1 (or whatever it ends up being called) gets rolled out and see what happens. That said, I'll probably go upstairs later and find that it installed 1909 at last night and is patiently waiting for a restart. :)

[Lee DeRaud]

That said, I'll probably go upstairs later and find that it installed 1909 at last night and is patiently waiting for a restart. :)Well, not quite, but this morning it was awaiting a restart. After that, I started Update to see what got installed and it proudly informed me that 1909 was "ready to download and install".

Go figure.

[Kev Williams]

"Go figure." --

One of the ad-bots probably read your post and alerted Microsoft to the problem--

;)

[Lee DeRaud]

"Go figure." --

One of the ad-bots probably read your post and alerted Microsoft to the problem--

;)Could be...I just wonder how it figured out which computer to update, since it wasn't the one I posted from. :)

[Jim Tobias]

I think that the day you were discussing had been designated by Microsoft as the day to update all of Sawmill Creek,;) as I was updated as soon as I closed my browser.

Jim