Windows updates end of October 2017.

whattochoose

I've just downloaded updates that have taken for ever and ever, and I had to restart my pc three or four times before my pc confirmed everything was done.
Anybody else had this problem? I thought updates normally appeared on the second Tuesday in the month?
Thanks.

grumpycrab

This update was a full re-installation. The 2nd of two which will happen every year.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/features

whattochoose

grumpycrab wrote: »

This update was a full re-installation. The 2nd of two which will happen every year.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/features

Forgive my ignorance but why are two re-installations every year necessary?

justaquestion

whattochoose wrote: »

Forgive my ignorance but why are two re-installations every year necessary?

Because Microsoft says so!!

paddyrg

In this case, it introduced some rather core functionality "Controlled Folder Access" which isn't yet on by default, but which is effectively "anti-ransomware". As opposed to relying in USER credentials to access files, programmes have different credentials, and as more people give it a thorough workout in the wild the more likely it is to be turned on by default. It's very deep functionality. You can turn it on manually if you want to, I've been running it for a few days and had to give permission to my Seagate backup drive to get my files, so it seems to work if not quite primetime yet. It means if I install ransomware now, it won't be able to get to my precious files to encrypt them.

What's really happening is that you may not get a full reinstall of the OS each time, but as you're automatically pushed security updates you'll get some key files replaced, and they're so deep and critical that they can't be replaced live, so require a restart. Generally you should be able to leave the computer to do its own thing and it'll restart when needed. You have the option of setting a schedule for the reboot(s) so they happen automagically overnight.

Lorian

Expect similar to happen every 6 months.

The folder protection is a worthy new feature, presumably it will default to on in some release.

Browntoa

Loads of netbooks and laptops getting mouse freeze and video stuttering since the last update , only cure is to remove the update at the moment

Debbie_Savard

>Forgive my ignorance but why are two re-installations every year necessary?<

Because Microsoft determined Windows 10 would be the 'last' Windows, but they'll now add new features and function twice a year - same as for Office 2016 if purchased on an Office 365 subscription.

whattochoose

paddyrg wrote: »

In this case, it introduced some rather core functionality "Controlled Folder Access" which isn't yet on by default, but which is effectively "anti-ransomware". As opposed to relying in USER credentials to access files, programmes have different credentials, and as more people give it a thorough workout in the wild the more likely it is to be turned on by default. It's very deep functionality. You can turn it on manually if you want to, I've been running it for a few days and had to give permission to my Seagate backup drive to get my files, so it seems to work if not quite primetime yet. It means if I install ransomware now, it won't be able to get to my precious files to encrypt them.

What's really happening is that you may not get a full reinstall of the OS each time, but as you're automatically pushed security updates you'll get some key files replaced, and they're so deep and critical that they can't be replaced live, so require a restart. Generally you should be able to leave the computer to do its own thing and it'll restart when needed. You have the option of setting a schedule for the reboot(s) so they happen automagically overnight.

Thank you paddyrg, but as somebody who just surfs the net, does this affect me?

Laz123

Well this is a pain because after updates some programs need to be reinstalled.

Peter999_2

I didn't have any problems here. I let it download and update in the background, it asked to restart and offered to schedule it. I decided to let it do in there and then and just did something else for 10 minutes. Came back, all done.

Didn't need to install any applications again.

OneDrive seems to be a lot better, i.e. the files aren't on my computer unless I access them. Very useful on a small SSD laptop.
To be honest, I'm quite happy having free updates at least twice a year.