Windows 10 Preview Updates (October 20, 2020)

[German]On October 20, 2020, Microsoft released several cumulative updates as optionally installable previews for Windows 10 versions 1809 to 1909. In Windows 10 version 190x, the preview update anchors the Skype Lite blend Meet Now in the taskbar. Additionally, the preview updates correct some annoying problems like disappearing USB printers or the flickering of the screen caused by the last October update. Here are some details about the respective updates.

A list of the updates can be found on this Microsoft website. I have extracted the details below. The update installation requires an existing current Servicing Stack Update (SSUs). Meanwhile, Microsoft publishes an overview of current Servicing Stack Updates (SSUs) under ADV990001 (if it is not up to date, please check the Microsoft Update Catalog for Servicing Stack Updates).

Important: From July 2020 all Windows updates disable the RemoteFX vGPU feature due to thevulnerability (see also KB4570006). After installing this update, attempts to start virtual machines (VM) with RemoteFX vGPU enabled will fail.

Update KB4580386 for Windows 10 Version 190x

Preview update KB4580386 is cumulative and is available for Windows 10 versions 1903 and 1909 as well as for Windows Server version 1903 and Windows Server version 1909 It raises the OS build to 18362.1171 (Windows 10 V1903) and to 18363.1171 (Windows 10 V1909). It includes quality improvements but no new operating system features. Here is the list of improvements, called highlights by Microsoft

• Introducing Meet Now (Skype-Lite) in the Windows 10 Taskbar. Meet Now makes it easy to connect with anyone in as little as two clicks for free and each call can last up to 24 hours.
• Updates an issue that might prevent a Microsoft Xbox Game Pass user from playing certain games that are eligible for play. 
• Updates a reliability issue that causes the screen to flash constantly. 
• Updates an issue that causes a USB printer port to disappear after restarting when the printer device is turned power off.

Issues with disappearing printers that have been occurring for months as well as flickering of the screen as a result of the October update (see Windows 10 V2004: Issues with Update KB4579311) should be fixed. The following fixes and improvements are added to Windows 10 version 1909, but they are identical to version 1903 (update is also available for the Hololens):

• Addresses an issue with using Group Policy Preferences to configure the homepage in Internet Explorer. 
• Allows administrators to use a Group Policy to enable Save Target As for users in Microsoft Edge IE Mode. 
• Addresses an issue with untrusted URL navigations from Internet Explorer 11 by opening them in Microsoft Defender Application Guard using Microsoft Edge. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when using the full suite of developer tools in Microsoft Edge for remote debugging on a Windows 10 device. 
• Addresses an issue that displays a black screen to Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) users when they attempt to sign in.
• Addresses an issue that might prevent a Microsoft Xbox Game Pass user from playing certain games that are eligible for play. 
• Addresses an issue that displays nothing on the screen for five minutes or more during the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session. 
• Addresses a reliability issue that causes the screen to flash constantly. 
• Addresses an issue with Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) that causes a memory leak when multiple clients connect to the same server. 
• Addresses an issue that causes an application to stop responding temporarily, which causes extra z-order operations that affect the Window.Topmost property of a window. 
• Addresses an issue that might cause DDE apps to stop working. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when you first sign in to an account or unlock an existing user session using Remote Desktop Services (RDS). If you enter an incorrect password, the current keyboard layout changes unexpectedly to the system default keyboard layout. This keyboard layout change might cause additional attempts to sign in to fail or lead to account lockouts in domains with low account lockout thresholds.
• Addresses an issue with the CleanupProfiles Group Policy object (GPO). After you upgrade the operating system, when you configure the CleanupProfiles GPO, it fails to remove unused user profiles. 
• Addresses an issue that displays the incorrect CPU frequency for certain processors. 
• Addresses a performance issue that occurs when PowerShell reads the registry to check if the ScriptBlockLogging registry key is in the registry. 
• Addresses an issue that randomly changes the time offset of the time format returned by the command WMIC.exe OS Get localdatetime/ value. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) from assigning the Microsoft Outlook Signatures. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents Hybrid Azure Active Directory joined devices from updating portal information when a device name or Windows version changes. 
• Addresses an issue that causes Windows to stop working and generates error 0x17. This issue occurs when Windows Defender Device Guard is enabled and a driver is loaded with a 4K Microsoft Portable Executable (PE) header. 
• Adds a new Microsoft Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) provider named "Microsoft-Antimalware-UacScan". This ETW provider reports the details of the context for each User Account Control (UAC) request in the ETW provider manifest. 
• Addresses issue that causes a USB printer port to disappear after restarting when the printer device is turned power off. 
• Addresses an issue that causes stop error 0xd1 in msiscsi.sys. This issue occurs when moving certain arrays from one cluster node to another. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents Windows Update and Microsoft Store from connecting to peers over virtual private networks (VPN) for downloads. 
• Adds functionality that shows a preview of the features and capabilities included in an update when a new update is offered to your device. On the Windows Update page (Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update), there's an option to "See what's in this update." 
• Adds support for the Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.1 and 1.2 protocols when connecting to SQL Server using the data providers in Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). 
• Addresses an issue with SQL Server that might cause performance issues if you configure a Linked Server provider to load out-of-process. 
• Addresses an issue that might degrade Windows performance and prevent the LanmanServer service from starting when third-party software uses LanmanServer custom file system controls (FSCTL). 
• Addresses an issue with deduplication that causes long wait times on Resilient File System (ReFS) Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV). 
• Addresses an issue that might prevent some applications from behaving correctly. This occurs when you publish them as Remote Application Integrated Locally (RAIL) applications using RDS and change the docking for an AppBar window.
• Addresses an issue with a deadlock in the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCPIP) driver that causes the operating system to stop working or stop responding.
• Addresses an issue that causes the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) to stop responding for new connections. However, RRAS continues working for existing connections.
• Addresses an issue that causes the RRAS administrator Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to stop responding randomly when you are performing administrative tasks or at startup.
• Improves the Windows Server Storage Migration Service by:
  • Adding inventory validation.
  • Improving retransfer performance .
  • Resolving multiple issues, including reliability issues.
  • Verifying that source machines have installed the current update.

    For more information, see Storage Migration Service October 2020 Update.

This update is offered and installed via Windows Update, but is also available in the Microsoft Update Catalog (but not for WSUS). According to Microsoft the update is optional and can only be found when searching for an update. Microsoft strongly recommends that you install the latest service stack update (SSU) for your operating system before installing the latest cumulative update (LCU). Microsoft reports a known issue that causes the update, which is documented in the KB article (see also KB4577062 blocks feature updates on Windows 10 V190x and 2004).

Additionally, Microsoft has released an update directly for the Windows Update Client to improve its reliability. This is rolled out outside of Windows Update if the machine is compatible and not an LTSC variant and updates were not blocked by GPO.

Update KB4580390 for Windows 10 Version 1809

Cumulative update KB4580390 is optional and raises the the OS build to 17763.1554, It contains quality improvements but no new operating system features. As a highlight is mentioned in Problem with out-of-box user experience on some devices, which prevents the completion of an upgrade. This problem occurs because the device does not allow user input on the Microsoft Software License Terms page or the Cortana page. Here is the list of other improvements: 

• Allows administrators to use a Group Policy to enable Save Target As for users in Microsoft Edge IE Mode.
• Addresses an issue with untrusted URL navigations from Internet Explorer 11 by opening them in Microsoft Defender Application Guard using Microsoft Edge. 
• Addresses an issue that displays a black screen to Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) users when they attempt to sign in. 
• Addresses a reliability issue in the graphics kernel. 
• Addresses an issue with the out of box user experience on some devices that prevents an upgrade from completing. This issue occurs because the device will not allow user input on the Microsoft Software License Terms page or the Cortana page. 
• Addresses an issue that causes an application to stop responding temporarily, which causes extra z-order operations that affect the Window.Topmost property of a window. 
• Addresses an issue with the CleanupProfiles Group Policy object (GPO). After you upgrade the operating system, when you configure the CleanupProfiles GPO, it fails to remove unused user profiles. 
• Addresses an issue that fails to set the desktop wallpaper as configured by a GPO when you specify the local background as a solid color. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents you from signing in on certain servers. This occurs when you enable a Group Policy that forces the start of a computer session to be interactive. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when you first sign in to an account or unlock an existing user session using Remote Desktop Services (RDS). If you enter an incorrect password, the current keyboard layout changes unexpectedly to the system default keyboard layout. This keyboard layout change might cause additional attempts to sign in to fail or lead to account lockouts in domains with low account lockout thresholds.
• Addresses stop error 0xC2 in usbccgp.sys. 
• Addresses an issue that displays the incorrect CPU frequency for certain processors. 
• Addresses an issue that randomly changes the time offset of the time format returned by the command WMIC.exe OS Get localdatetime/ value. 
• Addresses an issue with Task Manager reports that show an incorrect cache value for the CPU. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) from assigning the Microsoft Outlook Signatures. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents the Smart Cards for Windows service from starting, which prevents the use of a smart card for authentication. The event log shows the error, "Server Control failed to access start event: 621". 
• Addresses an issue that causes Windows to stop working and generates error 0x17. This issue occurs when Windows Defender Device Guard is enabled, and a driver is loaded with a 4K Microsoft Portable Executable (PE) header. 
• Adds a new Microsoft Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) provider named "Microsoft-Antimalware-UacScan". This ETW provider reports the details of the context for each User Account Control (UAC) request in the ETW provider manifest. 
• Addresses an issue that causes stop error 0xd1 in msiscsi.sys. This issue occurs when moving certain arrays from one cluster node to another. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents Windows Update and Microsoft Store from connecting to peers over virtual private networks (VPN) for downloads. 
• Addresses an issue with support for On-Behalf-Of flows (OBO) when using the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL). 
• Adds support for the Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.1 and 1.2 protocols when connecting to SQL Server using the data providers in Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). 
• Addresses an issue with SQL Server that might cause performance issues if you configure a Linked Server provider to load out-of-process. 
• Addresses an issue with cluster validation that incorrectly tests internal switches that are not being used in a cluster. 
• Addresses an issue with deduplication that causes long wait times on Resilient File System (ReFS) Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV). 
• Addresses an issue that might prevent some applications from behaving correctly. This occurs when you publish them as Remote Application Integrated Locally (RAIL) applications using RDS and change the docking for an AppBar window.
• Addresses an issue with a deadlock in the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCPIP) driver that causes the operating system to stop working or stop responding.
• Addresses an issue that causes the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) to stop responding for new connections. However, RRAS continues working for existing connections.
• Addresses an issue that causes the RRAS administrator Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to stop responding randomly when you are performing administrative tasks or at startup.
• Improves the Windows Server Storage Migration Service by:
  • Adding inventory validation.
  • Improving retransfer performance .
  • Resolving multiple issues, including reliability issues.
  • Verifying that source machines have installed the current update.

    For more information, see Storage Migration Service October 2020 Update.

This update is offered optionally via Windows Update, but is also available in the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft strongly recommends that you install the latest service stack update (SSU) for your operating system before you install the latest cumulative update (LCU). Microsoft lists two known issues that the update causes. During update installation, you may receive the error 0x800f0982 – PSFX_E_MATCHING_COMPONENT_NOT_FOUND. Details can be found in the KB article. 

Microsoft has also released an update directly for the Windows Update Client to improve its reliability. This is rolled out outside of Windows Update if the machine is compatible and not an LTSC variant and updates have not been blocked by GPO.

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