Microsoft has annoyed some of its 900 million Windows 10 device users after apparently removing the 'Use offline account' as part of its effort to herd users towards its cloud-based Microsoft Account.
The offline local account is specific to one device, while the Microsoft Account can be used to log in to multiple devices and comes with the benefit of Microsoft's recent work on passwordless authentication with Windows Hello.
The local account doesn't require an internet connection or an email address – just a username and password that are stored on the PC. ZDNet's Ed Bott argues the local account is inferior from a usability and security standpoint.
Microsoft said that it’s currently working on a fix, but if you are one of those who are facing printing issue, you can try a few things to resolve the issue. You can try the below steps to mitigate the issue.
Retry to print may allow you to print successfully
If retrying does not allow you to print, you may also need to restart your device
If your device is using a v4 print driver and a v3 driver is available, you can also try installing the v3 driver as a workaround
Needless to say that I am not installing ANY "Optional Updates"... Uninstalling the update and rebooting may resolve the issue.
The reality is that this update is a hot mess of confusion, the description of what it fixes was worded poorly, and nobody has any idea whether this is a cumulative update with a security fix or primarily a security update with non-security fixes.
Regardless, once the KB4524147 update is installed, users are reporting issues that they did not previously have. Below is a roundup of the most common issues being reported to BleepingComputer regarding this update.
Updates says that KB4524147 is waiting to download, but...
...it has already been installed on 10/4 ...
So what update was done today (10/7) when I had to reboot to get WIFI to work?
In the last few weeks, Microsoft rolled out Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD). If you have a fast internet connection to an Azure region, you can run your desktop off Azure today.
Maybe you’re OK with your business running on cloud-based Windows. I’m not.
Once upon a time, we didn’t have PCs. We had dumb terminals connected to mainframes. That put all the IT power in the hands of those who controlled the big iron. I am not going back again. I want to be in charge of my desktop, thank you very much, and I can paint some pretty scary scenarios of why you should as well.
Just as an example: Suppose the United States government decides you can’t use software from a U.S.-based cloud. If you had Windows on a desktop, you just keep going, but if it’s a cloud service, you’re dead in the water.
When a Windows version becomes out of service, Microsoft will no longer fix any bugs found in that version or release security updates that fix new vulnerabilities that are discovered.
As of October 8th, 2019, users running consumer, enterprise, and education versions of Windows 10 1703 are required to upgrade to Windows 10 1903 in order to continue receiving updates.
The consumer versions of Windows 10 version 1803 are the next version to go out of service on November 12th, 2019, with the enterprise and education versions going EoS in November 2020.
Like M$ fixes bugs anyhow? They seem to create them!
Laptop now wakes up with black screen for up to 20 minutes with strange
looking Chrome browser that must be closed and reopened to use. Closing
takes numerous clicks on X and then numerous clicks on icon in taskbar to start...
Early last week, some users began reporting that the KB4524147 security update was causing printer problems, while others said they were seeing a 'critical error' message stating that the Start menu isn't working. Some users resolved the broken Start menu by uninstalling the update.
Then on last week's Patch Tuesday Microsoft released KB4517389, addressing the printer-spooler problem that surfaced after users installed an update on September 23, according to Microsoft's known-issues page for Windows 10 version 1903.
But while Microsoft acknowledged and appears to have fixed the printer problems, last week it hadn't found the Start menu issues affecting a large number of users. Nonetheless, it said it was investigating, according to Windows Latest.
It has since spotted a post from a Microsoft engineer on the Microsoft Answers site who says a fix will arrive in late October.
"We are aware of this issue and estimate a resolution to be released in late October,"
And they are forcing enterprise users to upgrade to 1903 now?
Uninstalled KB4517389 after Settings uninstall failure 3 times, Wasted another hour!
Set Updates to delay 7 days...STILL BSOD so uninstall KB4524147 also...
Microsoft has announced today that the Windows 10 Tamper Protection security feature is now officially generally available for the Enterprise and consumers. Along with this announcement, Microsoft will be enabling this security feature on all Windows 10 devices by default.
Tamper Protection is a security feature that was introduced in Windows 10 version 1903, otherwise known as the May 2019 Update. When enabled, Tamper Protection prevents Windows Security and Windows Defender settings from being changed by programs, Windows command line tools, Registry changes, or group policies.
Microsoft says that Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) might stop running on Windows 10, version 1809 devices after installing the KB4520062 Cumulative Update.
As the Windows 10 Health Dashboard known issue's entry further notes,"Microsoft Windows Defender Antivirus is not affected by this issue."
Some Windows 10 customers "might also receive a 0xc0000409 error in Event Viewer on MsSense.exe" according to the known issued published today by Microsoft.
"At this time, we suggest that devices in an affected environment do not install KB4520062. We are working on a resolution and estimate a solution will be available in mid-November," says Microsoft.
Since an official workaround is not yet available for those who have already installed the KB4520062 cumulative update and no security mitigations were pushed with it, uninstalling it should fix the Microsoft Defender ATP issues it causes and not increase their devices' attack surface.
Cannot go back because laptop was updated more than 10 days ago...
After multiple reports arose, Microsoft admitted (via Windows Latest) that the KB4517389 update breaks the Windows 10 start menu with a critical error. Windows users O. Berkeley described the problem in a forum post on Microsoft's community board but was simply told that the company is aware of the issue and expects a fix in "late October." Several other users complained that their laptops were getting Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors, which indicates a complete system crash, and a cldflt.sys error message after installing the update.
If that wasn't bad enough, the update also appears to break some apps, including Visual Basic 3 and VMware 14. There are even some problems with Microsoft's Edge browser, to add to this nightmare update.
Below is what Windows Update wants to install on 10/30/2019
Apparently KB4512508 installed on 10/24/2019 without a BSOD problem: Even though I had suspended updates at that time...
I will suspend updates again until 11/12/2019, the next Update Tuesday.
To suspend updates go to Settings\Update and delay 7 days, then go to Advanced
to set a later date from the drop down list
The Release Candidate includes the new Collections feature that has been part of the preview builds of Edge, and which is designed to help users more easily amass web content and export that content into Word and Excel. The new enterprise tab page is available as part of the Release Candidate, as well. This page is designed to provide users with quick access to Microsoft 365 files, sites and Intranet search when users sign into Microsoft Search in Bing. (Microsoft Search is the unified search engine that Microsoft has been building into Windows 10, the new Edge, Office 365 and more of its apps.) IE Mode and a number of other enterprise-specific features are in the Release Candidate, as well.
Beginning today, November 12, the November Update is available for customers seeking to install the latest release. If you are ready to install the update, open your Windows Update settings (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and select Check for updates. Once the update appears, you can select Download and install now. (Note: If you follow these steps and do not see “Feature update to Windows 10, version 1909” on your device, you might have a compatibility issue and a safeguard hold is in place until we are confident that you will have a good update experience.) Once you have downloaded the update, you will need to restart your device to complete the update installation process. Make sure to first save your files and close any open apps, then select Restart now.
Apparently these updates were delayed when I paused updates until Tuesday, November 12th:
Your device is missing important security and quality fixes.
Two updates failed, Start and Settings buttons hard to get to work...
Including Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - November 2019 (KB890830)
Updated both and now 1909 upgrade is available, but I will wait a while...
You can also choose a time that is convenient for you and pause the update for up to 35 days
(seven days at a time, up to five times).
32 bit laptop Reliability has been horrible! Control Panel Maintenance can be found in Search
The new Edge browser, built on the same open source code as Google Chrome, contains a new Tracking Prevention feature that blocks third-party trackers and, at the Strict setting, many ads. Tests show that one in four items blocked are from Google.
In a support notice to the Windows 10 Health Dashboard for Windows 10 1903 and 1909, Microsoft has stated that users who have AVG or Avast Antivirus versions 19.5.4444.567 or lower installed will be prevented form installing the May 2019 Update and the November 2019 Update.
Friday had to reboot laptop and Saturday the screen went black...
Each version of Windows 10 adds new features and functionality; occasionally we also remove features and functionality, often because we've added a better option. Below are the details about the features and functionalities that are no longer being developed in Windows 10. For information about features that have been removed, see Features we removed.
The following list is subject to change and might not include every affected feature or functionality.
If you have feedback about the proposed replacement of any of these features, you can use the Feedback Hub app.
If you’re using a Chromium browser like Chrome or Brave, then the Outlook.com support is live right now. You can simply “install” Outlook.com from the address bar, and it will be treated as if it’s a native app in Windows or macOS.
Microsoft is also experimenting with bringing Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar support to Outlook.com. The software maker confirmed to The Verge last week that it’s “experimenting with a small set of Outlook.com users” for the integration.
So when is MS gonna help out Windows Phone users with a People app for Android?
Microsoft says that Windows 10 1909 feature updates will start automatically installing on Windows 10 1809 devices beginning today to smooth out the update process to a more recent Windows 10 version.
"Beginning today, we will slowly start the phased process to automatically initiate a feature update for devices running the October 2018 Update (Windows 10, version 1809) Home and Pro editions, keeping those devices supported and receiving the monthly updates that are critical to device security and ecosystem health," Microsoft says.
Beginning January 15, 2020, Microsoft will be delivering its new Chromium-based Edge browser automatically to Windows 10 users via Windows Update, unless its Edge Blocker Toolkit is applied.
Microsoft also is making available a Blocker Toolkit for the new Edge for companies wishing to block the automatic deployment of the new Edge, as reported by ghacks.net. (The toolkit also can be run on Windows 10 Home systems by administrators.) The Blocker Toolkit won't block the manual installation of the new Chromium-based Edge.
It is likely that the new Edge will be included eventually in new versions of Windows 10 and that the option to block it won't work anymore at that point in time. For now, it is possible to block the browser from being deployed automatically via Windows Update. Administrators who have disabled Windows Updates or use other means of update deployment don't need to do anything at this point. (Via Deskmodder)
What happens after you click Chrome icon in taskbar a dozen times before it finally opens...