The Creators Update was released in April and contains dozens of new features and improvements for Windows 10 devices. As over 500 copies of the operating system are now in use worldwide, Microsoft is rolling access out in waves to prevent download speeds slowing to a crawl.
In a status update posted yesterday, Microsoft explained how this procedure gives a better update experience for everyone. Initially, only newer devices are offered the update. Microsoft assesses the rollout to identify problems that people are facing, such as incompatible hardware or crashes on certain computers.
It can then block the update being distributed to similarly-specced PCs until a patch has been developed. If a lot of users are submitting feedback that something isn’t working, the company can follow it up while it’s still a few thousand affected devices instead of several million.
Microsoft hasn’t detailed if any major issues have arisen with the Creators Update. It said the rollout is “going well” and continues to be steadily expanded to more supported tablets, PCs and laptops, as well as Windows Phones. Significantly more devices were granted access earlier this month with the release of the first Creators Update quality patch. It resolved several issues related to specific device combinations.
Microsoft encouraged customers to send feedback about the update process to its new Customer Listening and Improvement Program, known as CLIP. CLIP is used to monitor the Windows community for rising issues. Microsoft’s dedicated teams then move in to isolate the cause, temporarily block Creators Update installs on affected devices and get a patch into production. The company said the procedure helps it be “confident” that new Windows releases ship without major flaws.
“We can roll out to more and more devices with increased confidence knowing we’ve addressed the biggest experience issues facing our customers,” said Microsoft. “The first major rollout expansion was timed with our May monthly quality update that addressed known issues from user feedback, including [a] previously mentioned block for Bluetooth accessory connection issues.”
Microsoft’s quality management systems aren’t infallible though. Last year’s Anniversary Update caused chaos for many computer users when most of the world’s most popular webcams abruptly stopped working. Microsoft had quietly changed Windows’ entire webcam stack without telling customers or webcam manufacturers.
Apparently, neither the company or its millions of Windows Insiders public testers noticed that anything was wrong. The Anniversary Update also shipped with a bug where computers would blue screen if an Amazon Kindle was connected over USB.
Although no similar issues have been reported with the Creators Update, users have faced a myriad of smaller problems. Broken Internet access, unresponsive Start menus and blank text in File Explorer are amongst the reports. While Microsoft would suggest this is what CLIP is meant to address, it’s leaving some customers with unusable PCs. Even with Windows Insiders and its own internal testing, major flaws are still slipping through the net.
Microsoft is continuing to rollout the update at a relaxed pace. There’s no stated timeframe for when the operation will be complete. Six weeks in, 18% of devices are reportedly upgraded. If you’re tired of waiting, you can manually install it today. Doing so leaves you at risk of encountering issues that haven’t yet been patched though, making it a potentially risky decision.
