Microsoft released their latest update to Windows on April 30th and will be pushing it out through windows update starting May 8th. This is the most recent major update after the Fall Creators Update was released last October. Spire Tech strives to be proactive with our VIPsupport clients, so we will be conducting testing, before deploying this update, both for general installation problems and issues with software that was previously identified as problematic with the Fall Creators Update.
Once testing has been completed by our technicians we will determine a schedule to roll out the update to our clients. Managed Services clients who wish to get more information about their update schedule are encouraged to contact their Technical Client Manager (TCM).
With the new update comes new features that Microsoft believes enhances the Windows 10 experience. To hopefully keep from overwhelming you, here is a selection of 3 new significant changes. A full list of features is available from Microsoft here.
- In this update Microsoft is introducing “Nearby Sharing”. This will allow users to share content, such as photos in the Photos app, share web page links in Microsoft Edge, or share files wirelessly in File Explorer with other nearby devices that are also running the Spring update and have enabled Nearby Sharing.
- Focus Assist replaces Quiet Hours. Using this feature the user can choose times or situations in which to mute some or all notifications. The settings for Focus Assist can be found in Settings > System > Focus Assist.
- Timeline. This feature was originally set to release with the Fall Creators update but has instead been released with the Spring Creator update. This allows the user to see the applications that they have had open recently, such as Word documents or articles in the News app.
Advice:
SpireTech manages the update process for all of our managed services customers, however there are some caveats with Windows 10 as to how we can apply those updates. Any machine running a Home version of Windows will not allow us to manage it’s patches, and should receive updates from Microsoft automatically. Any MSP clients will have their patches automatically managed by Spiretech, however Windows 10 may still occasionally notify you about updates that we have denied from our patch schedule, it is best not to apply these updates on your own and this may include the Spring Update. If you are unsure please feel free to contact us. In case you want to immediately install this update, ahead of SpireTech’s schedule, we offer a word of caution. With new features come possibilities of compatibility issues with one or more of the various types of software users have installed. If you use some of the more uncommon programs at work or home it may be prudent to first check Microsoft forums for known compatibility problems.
The Windows 10 April 2018 Update will be pushed through Windows Updates starting May 8th. If you decide to update on your own, or you are applying the update ahead of schedule it is important to make sure you have a backup of your data, SpireTech customers should contact us if they have any questions regarding what data is backed up by us, and if any additional measures should be taken.