Windows 10's Latest Update Will Be Delayed For Some Users, But There's A Fix

Windows 10 – image credit: Microsoft

Microsoft MSFT +0.00% has announced that from today computers running Windows 10 will start to receive the largest update to the OS since Microsoft launched it in the summer. The update has the codename of Threshold 2, but will show as version 10586 (although MS calls it 1511) when it arrives on your computer. Type “winver” at the command prompt and you’ll be able to see which version you have.

Microsoft says that if you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 in the last 31 days you won’t be offered the update to 10586 from 10240 just yet. The reason, it says, is so that you have the option to roll back to your previous operating system. Although this might frustrate some, there is a workaround that might get the latest version on your computer quicker.

To do so, head over to the Windows 10 download page and hit the “upgrade” button. This will download Microsoft’s migration tool. While this might feel odd, this tool is prepped with the latest version of Windows 10, and will do an in-place upgrade of the OS for you. I haven’t updated my machine yet – although I plan to – but the process runs very much like a new install, so the usual disclaimer about making sure you have a good backup is relevant here.

This might seem a bit heavy-handed but the update does all of the same stuff when it arrives naturally, so it’s just a matter of hurrying the process along slightly.

The reason, apparently, for this is that Threshold is such a massive upgrade to the core of Windows 10 that it isn’t like a patch, or even a service pack. This is essentially a whole new version of Windows 10. This is, obviously somewhat backed up by Microsoft’s claim that Windows 10 would be the “last” version of Windows. Because of this, we won’t really see service packs any more, but just a new version of the OS. This makes some things a lot easier though, like installing Windows down the line without having to patch or slipstream the latest updates into your build.

The update is, apparently, bringing some major speed advances, offering boosts of 30% over Windows 7 machines running identical hardware. Cortana gets more features, like the ability to detect phone numbers, email and addresses when handwritten using a pen input and help you keep track of them. Also coming is support for Uber booking and tracking, which is pretty cool, and extra Cortana language support too.

The Edge browser also gets better performance and security too, as well as notifying you of the best coupons for select online stores – and just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday too. Additional updates will improve Microsoft’s other pre-installed apps like Mail and Groove too.

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Xbox beta app for Windows 10 gains new social features

Last month, Microsoft released a public beta version of its Xbox app for Windows 10 so that gamers could provide feedback on new features before they’re released to the general public. On Friday, Microsoft announced a handful of new features for the beta app, including some bolstered social sharing tools.

Highlights include a new Facebook friend finder feature that looks through your Facebook friends for any with Xbox Live accounts and lets you add them as
Xbox Live friends. The idea here is to make it easier to find people to play with. All you have to do is go to the app’s settings and link your Facebook account with your Xbox Live account.

Game DVR gets some love in this beta update as well. With this new version of the beta app, you can now record yourself narrating your game clips as you play, saving you the hassle of having to go back in a video editing app and dub in your narration. 

Microsoft made a handful of additional improvements to the app as well, such as an overhauled Xbox store that features both Xbox and Windows 10 games. The new store also features enhanced search functionality, improved code redemption, and more.

Anyone running Windows 10 can try out the new Xbox beta app for free and provide feedback to Microsoft: Simply head on over to the Microsoft Store  to download the latest version.

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Microsoft pledges to clean up its Windows app store

The Windows Store has been slammed for its array of cluttered, confusing and garbage apps. Now, Microsoft wants to clean up its act.

Bernardo Zamora, director of Microsoft's Windows Apps and Store, announced in a blog post Wednesday a set of new policy guidelines for Windows app developers, all designed to rid the store of inappropriate, aka garbage, apps.

Introduced in 2012 with the debut of Windows 8, the Windows Store offers touch-screen apps designed to run on PCs and tablets. But in its race to fill the store with a host of apps, Microsoft has allowed too many similar and junky ones to fill its virtual shelves. The problem here is that the company's app policies have been lenient, leading to too many apps that leave consumers with a bad taste while shopping for software. Due out this summer, Windows 10 is Microsoft's shot to redeem itself following the poor reception to Windows 8. And one part of that redemption will be an attempt to overhaul the Windows Store.

Windows 10 is also Microsoft's effort to offer a more unified experience across all devices -- PCs, laptops, tablets and phones. Toward that end, the company is combining its Windows Store and Windows Phone store into one single shopping center. Therefore, cleaning out the dreck will be even more vital as all Windows 10 owners look to it as a one-stop shop.

In his blog post, Zamora outlined four ways in which Microsoft will attempt to improve its app store via tighter developer guidelines.

One way is to get rid of app clutter. Too many apps with similar titles and icons can confuse customers, according to Zamora, especially when those tiles and icons don't properly represent the app itself. As such, apps that seem too similar to other apps, have similar titles and icons, or use icons and titles that don't match the app content could be kicked out of the store.

Microsoft may also jettison apps that don't offer unique content or value. As one example cited by Zamora, the company may get rid of some "flashlight" apps if it finds too many with a similar functionality.

Another goal is to make sure each app is priced right. Though developers set the price for their apps, Microsoft wants to ensure that customers pay a fair amount. If Microsoft finds an app priced significantly higher than similar ones in the same category, that app may be given the heave-ho.

Microsoft also wants developers to distinguish informational apps, such as guides and tutorials, from functional apps, such as games and productivity software. The aim here is to ensure that customers aren't fooled into buying an informational app when they actually want a productivity app.

"In order to make it clear to users what they are buying, informational apps that are not easily identifiable as reference apps, must distinguish themselves by prominently displaying a text or banner labeling it as such," Zamora said. "If an informational app violates this policy, it may be removed from the Store."

One final goal is to ensure that an app's title and keywords are relevant to its content. The title and description cannot say that the app is similar to or better than other apps unless they're comparable. Further, developers can't use irrelevant keywords to try to bump up an app's rank in the search results and must restrict themselves to no more than eight keywords. Again, if developers violate this policy, their app could be booted from the store.

Microsoft offers a webpage with advice on how to describe your app and another page outlining its its Windows Store policies.

With the impending release of Windows 10, the policy changes are a step forward. But the store suffers from other problems. Certain apps have been faulted for infringing on copyright. For example, you can find games labeled Super Mario, a popular Nintendo series. But some of those games are made by third-party developers and not by Nintendo. Other apps rip off the names and content from such programs as Netflix and Facebook Messenger.

Such apps not only confuse consumers but dissuade developers from designing apps for Windows. And Microsoft needs good developers to create quality apps if it expects consumers to gravitate to the store.

Microsoft may also need to take a lesson from Apple, which follows a strict set of guidelines before it will certify an app for its App Store. Maybe it's time for Microsoft to just say no to certain apps before consumers ever see them.

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Windows 10 Build 10130 adds Cortana button, new icons, Start improvements

Microsoft continues to polish the scuff marks on Windows 10 with its latest Build 10130. The new build, released Friday for download via the Fast Ring of the Windows 10 Insider program, adds new icons, some default behaviors for virtual desktops and even a manual trigger for the Cortana virtual assistant. There are some more Start menu tweaks, too.

Microsoft hasn't yet committed to a release date for Windows 10, but it's expected in July. Assuming that's more or less true, there's little time left to add new features. “As I mentioned with the last build, from here onward you are going to see a lot of tuning, tweaking, stabilizing, and polishing which means fewer big feature changes from build to build,” Gabe Aul, who oversees the Insider program, said in a blog post. “You’ll see that in this build which has a number of small improvements and more polish.”

Why this matters: Microsoft is well into the “tweaking” stage of Windows 10. Some features still need to be refined, such as the Edge browser, but some of the work now centers around allowing users to configure and personalize their experiences. This helps Insiders settle in to their Windows 10 preview builds, and also lets everyone begin to see what the final look and feel of Windows 10 will be.

Personalization priorities

As we began to see with Windows 8.1, Microsoft is providing more and more configuration options for the Start menu. As before, the new Start Menu in Windows 10 combines the Live Tiles and menu options of both Windows 8 and Windows 7. What the Start menu offers now are the choice to turn off and on app suggestions, recently opened apps, and even to jump right to the full-page Start menu at launch.

Likewise, Microsoft has declared a winner in the layout for virtual desktops, which group windows and apps in standard layouts that can be switched out. The debate concerned which apps were shown in the taskbar below: every app running on the machine, or just those within the desktop itself. The latter, “filtered taskbar” won out, and is now the default behavior—but fans of the alternative can change it via the Settings app > System > Multitasking > Virtual Desktops.

You’ll also find that the app menus have returned to the tablet mode of Continuum. That particular feature was demanded by Insiders, Aul said.

Users can now unpin the Cortana menu in the Microsoft Edge browser, as well as the Favorites pane and Reading pane, too. Just look for the little pin icon to the upper right.

A new look for icons, others

A more controversial update may be the new icons that Microsoft has added to Windows 10. As you can see in the collection shown below, they mix older and newer visual styles. “In earlier preview builds, we heard our design was too flat and lacked richness,” Aul wrote. “We’ve since iterated to deliver a balance between mono line style icons on mobile, and the three dimensional depth of desktop icons. The new icon set is familiar, yet fresh and usable.”

Don’t expect things to remain the same, though—Microsoft plans to iterate new icons even as it tweaks other features. 

Likewise, Microsoft also tweaked the new “jump lists” on the taskbar, which explode out with options when you click on them.

Finally, there’s the new Cortana button: the WIN key + C. Microsoft positioned this as an option for keyboard users, and that’s plausible. It might also be an option for those who lack modern PC hardware and an active mic—or an acknowledgement that the “Hey Cortana” active-listening feature needs some tweaking. 

Other improvements include allowing movies to be played back in the Movies & TV app in full screen, as well as a new Print to PDF function.

Are there bugs? Sure. Wi-Fi connectivity issues have been reported, Aul wrote, and may require a restart. The Mail app may crash and not sync mail properly. Aul also said that the recent Build 10122 won’t be pushed to the Slow ring, due to a bug (which I experienced) that gave some users fits when trying to upgrade to the new build.

In all, however, Windows 10 continues to become more refined. Aul said the company is still on track for a summer launch, which is looking more and more like July.

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