Microsoft Build has classically been a showcase for the following version of Windows. Whether it was new features, programs or perhaps a whole operating-system redesign, Windows has always felt front in core company's Build conference.

This year however, Windows 10 was hardly mentioned, garnered about ten mentions throughout two days of keynotes. Instead, Microsoft spent really its time showing the way it planned to increase its reach everywhere beyond Windows.

The home cloud computing network

Microsoft cloud computing services generally is one of the company's biggest money makers right now and also the company plans to greatly expand its reach into smart home devices with the hotly announced Azure Internet of Things runtime. Simply to give you an idea of the monumental scope of this category, the Redmond company said it expects you will see 20 billion connected IoT devices by 2020.

That's a lot of devices, and Microsoft wants to help them all get online to share information in its greater Intelligent Cloud.

What's more, Azure is placed to determine much greater integration everywhere. Whether it's in a Qualcomm camera kit, a DJI drone on the horizon in the skies, the brand new Kinect or an AI client created with the company's updated Bot Framework - Microsoft, or specifically Azure plans to be there.

Taking over your phone

Not long ago, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's mission ended up being to turn Windows 10 into a single platform for desktops, laptops, tablets, game consoles and mobiles. That can be a worked out for probably the most part, Windows 10 Mobile has practically vanished from the face of the planet.

Microsoft isn't afraid to admit it didn't work and it has since been trying to bring its software to iOS and Android. We're not just talking about simple, mobile versions of their established programs either.

At Build 2018, Microsoft demonstrated how users might take advantage of the same Timeline features (i.e. reopening the applications and browser window you last opened) that included the current Windows 10 April Update on their smartphones.

Microsoft Edge on iOS and Android now gives you deeper session saving, looking after your browser history in greater detail on the last tabs you'd open across a simple to understand more about uhh, Timeline. The updated Microsoft Launcher for Android takes Timeline a step farther to with working across smartphones as well as their PCs easier by also recording what applications and files you had been focusing on.

Is Windows 10 going away?

Not yet. It's not like Microsoft is simply likely to drop Windows 10, in the end the OS has witnessed nearly 700 million installs also it continues to have a long life ahead of it. However, there's plenty of evidence to point out that Windows 10 is really a reduced priority for Microsoft than ever before.

If the insufficient Windows 10 announcements at this Build conference isn't proof enough, recent events within the Redmond company should convince you.

Windows and Devices chief Terry Myerson left the organization at the end of March 2018. Around the exact same day, Microsoft announced a significant organization restructuring mostly revolving around building up the Cloud and AI teams.

For nearly it's entire existence Microsoft continues to be most widely known for making Windows, but that might 't be the situation anymore in the near future.

Windows 10 is edging ever closer towards the magic billion mark, with news emerging the operating system has now been placed on over 800 million devices globally.

That's according to Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate VP of contemporary Life and Devices Group at Microsoft, who announced the milestone on Twitter.

Thank you to definitely all of our customers and partners in order to us achieve 800 million #Windows10 devices and also the highest client satisfaction in the good reputation for Windows. https://t.co/G3CRdkFoPT pic.twitter.com/je9kvBvYhjMarch 7, 2019

Microsoft has additionally updated its 'by the numbers' website to reflect the new total of 800 million.

The last official update we had on how widespread Windows 10 has become was delivered last September, at Microsoft's Ignite 2018 conference, whenever we heard that 700 million devices have been reached. Windows 10 hit 600 million devices back in November 2017, and made the 500 million mark in May 2017.

Obviously, when Windows 10 was first released back in mid-2015, Microsoft famously asserted that it envisaged the OS standing on a billion devices in 2 to 3 years.
2020 vision

So in the latest, the software giant wanted to see a billion reached in the center of 2018, but given the current pace of adoption, it looks like that milestone won't roll around until 2020 - five years after Windows 10 was first unleashed.

Windows 10 continues to be using a rocky duration of it lately, with the most recent update for that OS - the October 2018 Update - being fraught with assorted problems, which have resulted in it's rolled out at a veritable snail's pace.

The Windows 10 May 2019 Update has entered the ultimate stage of testing, using the upgrade expected to be rolled out starting the end of May.

In other words, Microsoft has pushed the May 2019 Update to the Release Preview ring within its Windows Insider beta testing program. Because the name suggests, this is actually the final part of the testing process before release, where the update is going to be polished to a shine (hopefully).

This really is no surprise, as Microsoft indicated that going to Release Preview was imminent when applying another round of tweaks and bug fixes last week. The software giant also underlined the truth that the May 2019 Update will expend an extra-long spell within this stage from the testing process, to make sure it gets things right.

Microsoft notes: "The May 2019 Update will remain in the Release Preview ring for an increased in time order provide us with more hours and signals to detect any challenges before broader deployment."

October bug-fest

You're unlikely to possess missed the large quantity of problems that have plagued the present October 2018 Update, which is still very much rolling out, because of delays caused by said hitches. It's obvious that Microsoft is going to great lengths to avoid anything just like a repeat of this calamity.

Release Preview ring testers are now able to grab the May 2019 Update, however it won't be delivered to them automatically. Initially, only 'seekers' will get the upgrade, meaning those who manually look for it under Windows Update.

As the May 2019 Update has made the jump to produce Preview, Microsoft further notes that testers around the Fast ring will be moved to work with the 20H1 update - the following major upgrade because of go live during this time period the coming year.

The first 'bits' from 19H2, the following big update later on this season, is going to be pushed out for testers to begin having fun with later this season, and Microsoft says it will have more information on what that might involve within the "near future."

Meanwhile, if you're a quick ring tester, and also you don't wish to be shoved forward to the 20H1 builds - which can be quite bug-ridden only at that early stage of development - then you might want to switch into the Slow ring, a minimum of for the time being.

A brand new preview build for Windows 10 continues to be released to fast ring testers testing out the 20H1 update - in other words, the update that'll come out in the first half of the coming year - which greatly improves the search experience of File Explorer.

File Explorer may be the app which you use to search through files and folders around the desktop, so that as it stands, a search conducted in the folder window - using the box top-right with the tiny magnifying glass icon - is a rather basic affair when compared to full Windows Search experience.

So, the concept is to bring the latter full experience - meaning the search functionality you get when hunting for things through the search/Cortana box near the Start button - into File Explorer, so when you're typing searching query, you'll obtain a drop-down list of suggested files that you might look for.

If you see the file you need after you've only typed several letters, you can simply click on it to spread out the file (or right-click if you would like to visit the file's location).

Microsoft further explains this change will also integrate your files stored online on OneDrive inside the search results. The broad idea, then, would be to make search more consistent (and useful) wherever you're using it within Windows, which can't be a bad thing.

Having said that, the feature is still within the very initial phases of testing, and it has only rolled out to a 'small percentage' of testers right now. It is available to more Windows Insiders testing the 20H1 update before long, we'd imagine, however, you might not view it for a short while yet.

Nifty Narrator

That's the main change for this preview build (version 18894), but Microsoft has additionally done some fine-tuning around the accessibility front. That includes making Narrator (the screen reader app) more efficient when reading tables, along with a new command that prompts Narrator to provide a listing of an internet page (highlighting details for example headings, links and so on).

As always, there are a load of bug fixes, and a list of known issues - since this is an earlier preview version, there is always the potential of glitches that could be 'painful' to experience in Microsoft's words. One of the bigger issues with this build would be that the Your Phone app (which Microsoft continues to be tweaking a lot lately) doesn't use it.

In the event you missed it, we recently saw that rounded corners on windows - as opposed to sharp edges - are going to make a return with the 20H1 update for Windows 10.

Windows 10 May 2019 Update has gotten another cumulative update which fixes numerous bugs including an issue whereby the audio choose to go wonky in a few games.

The freshly released KB4517211 fixes that particular gremlin which was created by the prior KB4515384 cumulative update, which itself was brought in to solve a bug whereby Cortana was causing high CPU usage.

Essentially, the fix for the Cortana problem broke game audio in some cases (as well as demolishing search in the Start menu and Taskbar, we might add), and this new patch is the means to fix that.

The specific problem as described by Microsoft was that "audio in certain games is quieter or different than expected after installing this [KB4515384] update". So in-game sound effects were going badly wrong and coming out very quiet or muffled, or indeed inaudible (depending on the angle you were positioned to the character talking, with voice audio) in certain from the reports we've seen online.

The brand new KB4517211 update addresses this audio problem, and also a separate issue that "may cause audio playback and recording to fail when connecting to a remote virtual machine".

VPN and HDR woes solved

There are a variety of other fixes here, too, including solutions for app crashes in some cases, and a gremlin which caused VPN connections to drop out intermittently when getting used on the cellular network.

Other notable remedies are delivered for all those owning laptops with HDR screens who have been experiencing their display turning white, and for folks on older PCs who've been prevented from upgrading to Windows 10 by a display driver error.

Okay, so that's a great dollop of fixing, but the inevitable question on many people's lips - given the recent clattering domino-effect of fixes causing more problems than they solve - is going to be: what exactly does this update break, then? We are able to but hope that the response is nothing.

Meantime, a quick glance on Reddit is that's needed to pick up the general mood and reception to Microsoft's latest cumulative update: "Waiting this out a bit for obvious reasons."

Windows 10 May 2019 Update users are hitting even more difficulties with the problematic KB4517389 cumulative update that was released earlier this month, and is now reportedly causing a Blue screen of death of Death, or boot failure, for some folks.

Unfortunately, as Windows Latest spotted, there are many users on Microsoft's Answers.com forum pointing the culprit at KB4517389 for any Blue screen of death of Death (complete crash from the PC) having a 'cldflt.sys' error message. That specific process - which pertains to cloud (possibly OneDrive) support - isn't the cause of the problem, according to a volunteer moderator on Microsoft's help forum.

Uninstalling the cumulative update fixes the issue, and at as soon as, that's the suggested plan of action for those affected.

Meanwhile, the bug continues to be reported to Microsoft via the feedback hub for Windows 10, and so hopefully it's being investigated. As well as this, another user is reporting a boot failure issue, there are seemingly some very nasty gremlins within the works.

Breaking Basic

There are further complaints that some apps are being broken through the KB4517389 cumulative update, specifically Visual Basic 3, which works again once the update is uninstalled.

Furthermore, apparently a lot of legacy 16-bit apps designed in Visual Basic 3 are similarly scuppered through the update, a corporate user reports.

A week ago, we heard about VMware 14 failing to operate in Windows 10 after installing KB4517389, and also problems with Microsoft's own Edge browser.

This follows a whole raft of other flaws brought on by the cumulative update including smashing the Start menu (once more - it was a highly unfortunate side effect of a previous cumulative update, too).

Microsoft's latest cumulative update for Windows 10 May 2019 Update and Windows 10 November 2019 Update is apparently failing to install for some users, although a workaround has been supplied.

As Windows Latest reports, posts from disgruntled users unable to install the cumulative update KB4524570 - which was released on Patch Tuesday a week ago - happen to be spotted online, including at Microsoft's own Answers.com

The installation looks like it's failing with error codes 0x80073701 and 0x8009001d, along with a message: "Updates Failed, There have been problems installing some updates, but we'll try again later."

Microsoft has acknowledged this problem, and states that should you encounter it, you need to first look for updates again, and retry cellular phone procedure.

Workaround suggestion

If the error message still pops up, that's when Microsoft advises trying the following workaround:

Select the start button and type cmd
Right click or long press on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
If you receive a User Access Control (UAC) dialog for Windows Command Processor stating, "Do you need to allow this app to create changes to your device?", select Yes.
Type or copy and paste the following command into the Command Prompt window: dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup
Wait for that command to complete.
Restart your device.
Try checking for updates again.

Fingers crossed that this works for you, but when not, we can presume that Microsoft is working on a proper treatment for this gremlin.

If you're wondering exactly what KB4524570 does, it's a security update which shores up a number of flaws in Microsoft Edge and Ie, so obviously it's quite vital that you install for all those people that ever make use of a Microsoft browser under Windows 10.

As you're probably aware, the November 2019 Update only just arrived, but does hardly any save for tweaking odds and ends under the hood from the operating system. The next big update for that first half of 2020 goes back to making bigger changes, and could potentially be available as soon as January (but don't bank onto it).

Microsoft has announced a significant change for that Fast ring in the Windows Insider program, as the clients are moving to some more straightforward approach for the next Windows 10 feature updates.

Beginning with the discharge of Windows 10 build 19536, the Fast ring can get improvements from the RS_PRERELEASE channel. In other words, the updates that will be included in these builds don't possess a release date and are the most recent ideas tested through the Windows team.

So while these functions turn into readily available for the short ring, they might not be part of the next public feature update for Windows 10 production devices, as Microsoft says it might only publish them when they're ready.

Slow ring for more polished builds

"Moving forward, the short ring will get builds directly from this active development branch and new features will show in these builds first. While features within the active development branch may be slated for a future Windows 10 release, they're no longer matched to a specific Windows 10 release," the organization explains.

"This means that builds in the active development branch simply reflect the latest work in progress code from our engineers. Additional features and OS improvements done in this branch over these development cycles will show in future Windows 10 releases when they're ready."

Quite simply, insiders that need a far more stable experience without experimental features are suggested to stick using the Slow or Release Preview rings. These builds would continue to receive more polished builds, that undergo additional testing before receiving the go-ahead for production devices.

Windows 10 20H1 is the next feature update for the operating system, and it's scheduled to land in the spring as version 2004. People familiar with the matter said the RTM date for Windows 10 is mid-December.

Windows 10 testers have been graced with a brand new preview build for the update due to land in the first half of 2020, which introduces a brand new trick for that revamped Cortana app.

Build 18975 (20H1) has been pushed to the fast ring with the headline change being the ability to slowly move the Cortana window around to anywhere you'd like around the desktop.

Of course, another change recently introduced in preview was the introduction of a brand new chat-based interface for Cortana allowing you to interact more naturally with the digital assistant, and Microsoft notes that because of this, you might well wish to keep Cortana around for longer around the desktop.

Bearing that in your mind, the opportunity to shift the window around, away from the default position, is a vital one. All you have to do is grab the title bar and drag your window wherever you would like, and it's also easy to resize for your own liking, too.

Essentially, this is a part of the move to decouple Cortana from the taskbar and check function, which makes it another app, so obviously it should function like every other Windows application in terms of having the ability to move and resize it.

Not everyone might find this transformation though, at least away from first. For starters, it's only rolling out to testers who curently have the new chat-based Cortana (which has initially only been pushed to Windows Insiders in america), and contains only been deployed to 1 / 2 of them. The rollout continues to open up further as Microsoft gets feedback and hones the new feature.

Linux polishing

In this build, Microsoft has additionally made tweaks towards the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), namely fixing a "number of localhost reliability issues", so hopefully things should run more smoothly (although remember, you're still beta testing these fixes here).

Furthermore, the opportunity to rename virtual desktops has been presented to all testers within the fast ring. So instead of Desktop 1, 2, and so on, you can give these more informative names which persist after rebooting your machine.

This transformation was actually introduced for 50% of testers three weeks ago, therefore it is becoming open to all Windows Insiders inside a month - although the time any feature takes to fully roll out will of course vary depending on its complexity, and also the issues Microsoft encounters on the way.

Together with these bigger changes, there's a load of minor bug fixes, including a solution for all those encountering an 'error 0xC0000142' when attempting to upgrade to recent preview builds. There are a number of known issues, too, all of which are detailed in Microsoft's article on the build.

The biggest gremlin appears to pertain to the new Reset this PC cloud download option which doesn't work when certain optional features are installed with Windows 10. Also, it's wrongly calculating the amount of disk space that must definitely be freed up in the event it detects there not enough space to proceed.

This ought to be fixed soon, Microsoft notes, but for now, you need to release 5GB more disk space than suggested by the Windows prompt.

Microsoft is further thinking about squashing more problems with the 20H1 update in a 'bug bash' that is scheduled to start on September 25, running right through to October 2.

Windows 10 has a new preview build for the update due in the first 1 / 2 of next year (20H1) which introduces some smart features for the Your Phone app, as well as bringing in a Windows Hello PIN login for Safe Mode.

Using the new build 18995, Your Phone has been considerably bolstered (again) with a new battery indicator being presented within the app that teaches you the current level of charge inside your phone. So if your mobile is actually elsewhere, you don't want to get up and look at the device to understand when it's finished charging.

Microsoft has additionally extended the Link to Windows feature which hooks up your phone to your PC, and it is now available on more Samsung devices, namely the Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, S10 5G, and Fold devices (in a few regions).

If you've not come across it before, Link to Windows enables you to send messages and manage phone notifications direct on your computer, as well as syncing photos, and mirroring your handset towards the Windows 10 computer.

Furthermore, Your Phone is broadening support for Phone Screen, which helps you to make use of your handset's Android apps immediately on your computer using the keyboard and mouse (or touchscreen). This really is coming to exactly the same aforementioned Samsung devices (again in a few regions globally).

Finally, there's an additional touch of personalization in that the icon for your smartphone within the app will in fact show the home screen wallpaper you're using on the handset.

Observe that all these fresh bits of functionality for the Phone are rolling out gradually, to not see them just yet.

Safer Mode

The other major change for Windows 10 in this preview build is that you can now enable passwordless login for when you boot laptop computer into Safe Mode (when troubleshooting an issue with the machine).

So now, whenever you elect to boot into Safe Mode, rather than needing to enter a password, you should use Windows Hello PIN sign-in (company, a PIN is much more secure than a password for various reasons).

Microsoft covers the instructions for setting up your PIN login in its article detailing the changes for build 18995. Not to mention, this really is a part of the company's broader drive for a passwordless future.

In this fresh preview, Microsoft also did some further work improving Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with various bug fixes and crash prevention measures.