On September 14, 2018 Microsoft released the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17760 from the Redstone 5 branch in the Fast Ring. Also there is no watermark and the expiration date are missing. The announcement was made in the Windows blog, where you can also read a list of fixes.

Strange things happened within the Microsoft Update Catalog. As Woody Leonhard mentioned at askwoody.com, the number of September 2018 updates went down from 127 items down to 126 entries on September 13, 2018. And Windows 10 V1803 Servicing Stack Update (SSU) KB456655 has been re-published.

It seems that Microsoft failed pretty well with it’s attempt, to recommend Edge browser to Windows 10 users, who attempt to install Google Chrome or Firefox. I’ve blogged about that in my article Microsoft intercept Firefox/Chrome installs.

A few days ago, I blogged about the attempt from Microsoft, to prevent users from installing Chrome or Firefox as a browser in Windows 10. Several Windows 10 Insider Previews builds (that will end in Windows 10 V1809) showed a popup, during the installation of Chrome or Firefox.

Microsoft intercepting Firefox and Chrome installation on Windows 10 #windows10 #firefox #chrome #edgehttps://t.co/Xvzf7ACUO3 pic.twitter.com/QtKWue1kix

— ghacksnews (@ghacksnews) 12. September 2018

This triggered a kind of backslash on twitter and many blogs are reporting that. Shortly after that, I read somewhere, that Microsoft quote it as ‘just an experiment’, but won’t display that ‘warning’ further. Microsoft ditched it within the new Windows 10 Insider Preview build, das CNET reported here. And MS Power Users titled ‘experiment failed’ within this article.

My 2 cents: It’s just another experiment, one of many others from Microsoft, that failed. And it makes me feel so old – because I can’t barely remember the days (in the previous millennium), where I used Microsoft operating systems in a ‘it simply just works’ way.

[German]Is Microsoft planning a major restructuring of its Windows product group or the Windows area after Windows 10 Version 1809 has been completed in development? Will the chairs be back again in Redmond?

Blogger Brad Sams dropped the corresponding hints in a podcast on The Sams Report (pay wall) on Friday. The people at MS Power User then transcribed the podcast.

I’m also hearing from somebody who’s become quite reliable lately, there might be a re-org inside the Windows world after Redstone 5 ships. This might be actually how Terry Myerson eventually exits is after that’s done, and then his role is diminished. Just people moving about, just more product lines, like Azure and Office and maybe kind of thinning out the Windows crowd. I don’t think there’s gonna be layoffs, not trying to say that, but they’re going to be just shuffling some people around.

– Brad Sams

It’s just rumors that Bad Sams is telling – but he’s got those information from the Redmond campus’s bush radio. We will probably find out in the coming weeks. That would also be a possible explanation why Terry Myserson left Microsoft in spring 2018.

[German]In Windows 10 Version 1803 there is a bug that prevents the display of a user-specific background for the lock/login screen until a user has logged in once. A fix is schedules for the next days.

I post this information for administrators who roll out Windows 10 in enterprise environments. Perhaps it safes you some useless troubleshooting.

What’s the problem?

When creating Windows 10 installation images, you can also specify user-specific backgrounds for the logon / lock screen and force displaying such images via group policy (“Force a specific default lock screen and logon image”). But that won’t work in Windows 10 Version 1803. I stumbled upon this issue via Twitter.

A Deployment issue:https://t.co/o6YNqJs8Bq

Susan indicates on https://t.co/5Fg8YY0XSP that this issue will be fixed in the C/D Patching Weeks.

— Crysta T. Lacey (@PhantomofMobile) 14. September 2018

There is a problem when deploying Windows 10 version 1803. An administrator has already addressed the issue on Technet in May 2018.

We are deploying Windows via SCCM CB in our environment, and have noticed that a Windows 10 1803 deployment no longer displays the custom login/lock screen image unless a user logs in to the computer first. Instead, the computer displays the solid blue colour associated with a lack of an available image and no Spotlight.

Our task sequence removes all of the default images from the default location (C:\Windows\Web\Screen) and replaces them with our own, as well as clearing the contents from %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18\ReadOnly\LockScreen_Z

We are also using the “Force a Default Lock Screen Image” GPO.

The image is displayed after the task sequence concludes on a 1709 deployment, but not on 1803. Did the location of the default lock screen change? Or is there another reason that it would not apply until a user logs in?

Curiously, as soon as any user logs in, the behaviour returns to normal.

This came to light, when rolling out Windows 10 Version 1803 via SCCM. No matter what background images are placed there and set via group policy, the user only gets a login page with the blue background.

(Source: Technet)

A user-specific background image is only displayed within the Windows 10 logon page, after a user has logged on to his user account for the first time. The problem was described extensively in the Technet forum thread and then confirmed several times by other users.

At the end of June 2018 a Microsoft employee (see the post from Kate Li, from MSFT CSG) noticed this and promised to take care of it. Meanwhile we are in September 2018, the Windows 10 V1809 is just around the corner and the Technet thread is now well filled with frustrated admins waiting for a fix.

There’s still hope for a fix

On August 24, 2018 Jason_E from Microsoft announced that a fix for 2018.9C is planned. This is also mentioned within the following tweet:

Yay, looks like Windows 10 v1803 will be fully functional just in time for Windows 10 v1809 :) https://t.co/vyTcBsfVqN

— Johan Arwidmark (@jarwidmark) 14. September 2018

In the sense of  ‘we love cryptic abbreviations’, 2018.9C stands for a fix in 2018, the month of September (9) in C-Patch week. Since the B patch was on September 11, 2018 (when security updates are rolled out), the C patch comes a week later, on September 18, 2018. So next Tuesday it would be so far. Anyone affected by this issue?

[German]Microsoft has quietly (in another document about Storage sense) declared Windows 10 Disk Cleanup as deprecated and may omit this feature in future. Here are a few more details about that topic.

I already had the topic on my radar for a few days, but hadn’t time to blog about it. Then I was reminded yesterday in this tweet.

Twenty Years of Disk Cleanup NOW Free Up Space” tool in Windows 10

quietly announced that Disk Cleanup is now deprecated, news that was buried at the bottom of a blog post about Windows 10’s Storage Sense. Disk Cleanup isn’t going away immediately but is on its way out the door.

— Crysta T. Lacey (@PhantomofMobile) 14. September 2018

Storage Sense, the Cloud and a big promise

The new feature Storage Sense, introduced in Windows 10 V1809, promises to automatically free up local disk space by deleting locally unused cached files (copies from files manually uploaded to OneDrive). Microsoft has published a more comprehensive article on this subject on Technet. Microsoft writes about this:

Storage Sense now has the capability to automatically free up disk space by making older, unused, locally available files be available online-only. Your files will be safe in OneDrive and represented as placeholders on your device. We call this process “dehydration”. Your online-only files will still be visible on your device. When connected to the internet, you’ll be able to use online-only files just like any other file.

To enable dehydration, navigate to the Settings app from the start menu. Then select System and finally, Storage.

The screenshot below is taken from the Technet article and shows the settings page with an option to enable this feature.

(Source: Microsoft)

In other words: Windows 10 gets even more connected to OneDrive and the Cloud. We’ll have to wait and see whether the new feature really frees local disk space. There are two thoughts in my head:

• Not everyone can and wants to constantly maintain a fast Internet connection to move any files to the cloud and let Storage Sense download delected copies on demand.
• Wasn’t there something that Microsoft reduced the OneDrive storage capacity from 25 GByte to 7 GB and less? So a user need to buy OneDrive storeage, to store a significant amount of files to the cloud and frees local disk space.

Could be a nice business idea to sell OneDrive storage. Whether storage sense really helps to clean up local disk space on cheap Windows 10 machines with 64 GByte eMMC, I have my doubts. But that’s my opinion, let’s come back to the main topic.

To avoid misunderstandings: Storage Sense can be optionally used in Windows 10 V1809, but can also be switched off.

Addition: And the files to be deleted refer to the copies in the local OneDrive cache – not globally to unused user files, as you could read from the original version of the above text.

Disk Cleanup becomes deprecated

For various reasons – probably also because of storage sense – Microsoft starts to move all functions disk cleanup features to the settings app. The disk cleaning with freeing disk space will then be carried out via these pages in the future.

(Source: Microsoft)

The above screenshot from the Technet article shows, for example, a page where you can specify that memory is to be released. The Technet article about Storage sense contains a small section at the very end saying:

Disk Cleanup Deprecation

The Disk Cleanup experience (“cleanmgr.exe”) is being deprecated. We’re retaining the Disk Cleanup tool for compatibility reasons. There’s no need to worry since Storage Sense’s functionality is a superset of what the legacy Disk Cleanup provides!

In other words: Disk Cleanup is now classified as obsolete and remains (for a while) in Windows 10 for compatibility reasons. But the tool could also be omitted in the future. I don’t know if I like it or not, the new feature in Windows 10 offers the same thing, and Storage Sense can be switched off. But it is again a feature, where people lost their old knowledge about how to get things done in Windows. howtogeek.com has published an article showing the history of the Windows Disk Cleanup feature. Now they are believing, that ‘Geeks’ are using CCleaner. That’s unbelievable, what Microsoft is provoking, just see my last article CCleaner forces update from v5.38 to v5.46.

What’s your opinion? Good idea from Microsoft, to remove Disk Cleaning and use the Settings app for this purpose? Or is your position: As long as the feature is still there,  nothing has changed, except the user interface?

Addendum: Here are the settings options

The screenshot below has been obtained from the linked Technet article and shows the options to free up disk space.

(Source: Microsoft)

At a glance that nothing has changed compared to the old disk cleanup (except that the ability to select system-wide files for cleanup is missing). Barb Bowman has, however, given the following hint on Twitter.

seems like there will be no way to remove previous windows installations to free up space on demand using any built in tool. (that I can find).

— Barb Bowman (@barbbowman) 16. September 2018

The old option to delete old Windows install files from disk cleanup is missing in Settings. Maybe, because Windows.old will be deleted automatically a few days after a feature update?

[German]Microsoft has released cumulative updates for various Windows 10 builds on September 17, 2018. Here is a brief overview of the updates KB4464217 (Windows 10 V1709) and KB4464218 (Windows 10 V1803).

Update KB4464218 for Windows 10 V1803

Update KB4464218 is available for Windows 10 V1803 and raises the build number to 17134.286. This update fixes the following issue:

Addresses a Microsoft Intune issue that occurs after installing any of the updates released between July 24, 2018 and September 11, 2018. Windows no longer recognizes the Personal Information exchange (PFX) certificate that’s used for authenticating to a Wi-Fi or VPN connection. As a result, Microsoft Intune takes a long time to deliver user profiles because it doesn’t recognize that the required certificate is on the device.

The update is rolled out automatically via Windows Update, but can also be manually downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog . Microsoft is not aware of any problems that may occur when installing this update.

Update KB4464211 for Windows 10 V1709

Update KB4464217 is available for Windows 10 V1709 and raises the build number to 16299.666. This update fixes the following problems:

• Addresses an issue that may prevent a VPN connection from establishing for some users that are using VPN with IKEv2. The connection fails with the error, “Remote Access Error 809.”
• Addresses a Microsoft Intune issue that occurs after installing any of the updates released between July 24, 2018 and September 11, 2018. Windows no longer recognizes the Personal Information exchange (PFX) certificate that’s used for authenticating to a Wi-Fi or VPN connection. As a result, Microsoft Intune takes a long time to deliver user profiles because it doesn’t recognize that the required certificate is on the device.

The update is rolled out automatically via Windows Update, but can also be manually downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft is not aware of any issues that might occur when you install this update.

There are no updates available for older versions of Windows 10 as of September 17, 2018.

On September 18, 2018, Microsoft released (besides build 17763 and build 18242 (19H1)) the Windows 10 Insider Preview build 17758 from the Redstone 5 branch in the Slow Ring (with update KB4462120, raises the build to 17758.1004). In addition, the ISO installation image of this build is available for download. The info was added to the Windows Blog.

[German]At the moment there seems to be another test update KB4078128 for Windows 10, which is in progress internally at Microsoft and has at least been updated from the update description. In addition, Redmond has released an update that creates a build number that should keep mystics busy. Here is some information about an old friend and the build number.

German blog reader Markus K. informed me about some observations by e-mail (thanks for that). In brief here is, what he wrote this morning:

First a Windows 10 V1709 Build that ends with .666 and now that:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4078128/test-only-do-not-use-compatibility-update-for-upgrading-to-windows-10
I think you should take cover! 

For all blog readers who don’t immediately recognize the details, a few explanations – some things should be taken note of with a wink of the eye.

Windows 10 V1709 Update KB4464217 (Build 16299.666)

I confess, I didn’t really notice it when I reported about the update KB4464217 in the blog post Windows 10 Updates KB4464217 and KB4464218. Installing this update raises the Windows build to 16299.666. The number 666 has a special meaning for mystics. The 666 is a biblical number, which was mentioned in the Revelation of John, and is regarded in occult circles as the number of the devil. 

As written above: Some things you have to read with a wink. But if SUSE AG were to jump from 12 to 15 on its Linux because 13 and 14 are considered as unlucky numbers in some countries, Microsoft might have thought about the build number 16299.666.

Windows 10 Test Update KB4078128

Now to the second topic of the kind ‘A bag of rice has fallen over’. Has anyone been offered the update KB4078128 for Windows 10 on WSUS or in Windows Update? Microsoft has at least updated the KB article **TEST ONLY** **DO NOT USE** Compatibility update for upgrading to Windows 10 **TEST ONLY** **DO NOT USE** on Sept. 19, 2018.

This is an internal update for testing purposes, which should not be visible to the outside world. The above screenshot shows the current status of the update description. I had touched on the topic several times here in the blog (see also the article links at the end of the post). In the blog post Windows 10: Mysterious (Test) Updates KB4078126 and KB4078127 in WSUS I go into more detail.

What I noticed today: In February 2018 KB4078126 and KB4078127 were still test updates. In the meantime, these two KB numbers have been changed into critical compatibility updates for the upgrade to Windows 10. It can therefore be assumed that this will also be the case with update KB4078128 soon.

Together with the hints in my German blog post Windows 10: Update Assistant aktualisiert für V1809? this only leads to the conclusion: Microsoft is working hard internally to release the upgrade to Windows 10 V1809. Final question: Has anyone been offered the KB4078128 update?

Similar articles:
Windows 10: Mysterious (Test) Updates KB4078126 and KB4078127 in WSUS
Windows 10 V1709: Updates KB4058258, KB4074608, KB4077735, KB4078128 and KB4057790

[German]Brief note for administrators and users of Windows 10 Version 1803 in enterprise environment using Bitlocker encryption. Microsoft plans to fix the Bitlocker bug, which deactivates the function during update installation, with a patch scheduled for November 2018.

What’s the Bitlocker Bug?

If you are not up to date (I for instance also had to check my blog for details): There is the problem that Bitlocker pauses during update installation if there is no TPM chip on the machine. I blogged about that within my article Windows 10 V1709/1803: Issues (also August Patchday) in August 2017.

The bug is described in the Technet forum and applies to machines with Windows 10 version 1803 that do not have a TPM module. If the hard disk encryption with Bitlocker is activated, Windows deactivates it during the installation of an update. Here is the description: 

I have a machine with Bitlocker enabled, no TPM, Windows 10 1803.

For the last month or so, whenever a Windows system update is applied, Bitlocker is automatically suspended upon first login after the machine restarts. Case in point: the latest Windows 10 cumulative update was applied this morning, only for the machine to restart with Bitlocker suspended on the OS drive. Interestingly, there is also some dubious behaviour in terms of the initial Bitlocker password entry screen. Not having a TPM, the user must enter a password to boot. On at least 2 occasions, after applying an update, the system does not present the Bitlocker password entry screen and progresses all the way to the user login screen. However, this morning the Bitlocker password entry screen was presented correctly but after entering the correct password and then logging in to Windows, Bitlocker was suspended.

This is the state of the OS drive after logging in:

Volume C: [System]
[OS Volume]

Size:                 59.07 GB
BitLocker Version:    2.0
Conversion Status:    Fully Encrypted
Percentage Encrypted: 100.0%
Encryption Method:    XTS-AES 128
Protection Status:    Protection Off (1 reboots left)   <——
Lock Status:          Unlocked
Identification Field: Unknown
Key Protectors:
Password
Numerical Password

Now, I realise that Bitlocker is temporarily suspended – restarting the machine again will enable it without any action from the user. However, this is a security risk for the time between restarting after an update and the next restart and severely undermines our trust in Bitlocker. I would expect that Bitlocker should NEVER be suspended unless initiated by a user/admin.

If the machine is restarted again, Bitlocker will be activated again. So if people install updates and put the machine into sleep mode, Bitlocker may remain disabled for a long time. The bug only occurs on Windows 10 V1803 machines without a TMP chip. 

Microsoft plans a bug fix for November 2018

I haven’t followed the progress, but affected users hoped that Microsoft would roll out a fix per update in September 2018. But that didn’t happen, as user andadok notes in the Technet thread. There is then a hint to deactivate Bitlocker temporarily before each update and to activate it again after the update installation. Susan Bradley, who follows the thread, now points to Twitter.

btw the bug whereby bitlocker with a password needs reactivation after patching in 1803 has been identified and will be fixed in November. Kudos to Chad Z. Hower for the assist with the bug.

— SBSDiva (@SBSDiva) 17. September 2018

So if someone should be affected: Just keep it in mind – although the problem should be eaten in 30 months anyway. The updated Bitlocker documentation can be found here.

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[German]Microsoft surprisingly released the compatibility updates KB4458469 for Windows 10 V1803, KB4457136 for Windows 10 V1709, KB4457141 for Windows 10 V1703 and KB44457127 for Windows 10 V1607 on September 20, 2018. 

Update KB4458469 for Windows 10 V1803

KB4458469 for Windows 10 V1803raises the operating system build to 17134.319 and contains the following fixes:

• Addresses an issue that causes the prompt “You’ll need a new app to open” to appear. This occurs when reloading a website on a non-standard port by pressing Enter . 
• Addresses an issue that causes downloads to fail because Mark of the Web (MOTW) isn’t supported at the download location. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents the DefaultSearchProvider policy from working when the FirstRunPage policy is in use.
• Addresses issue that causes the address bar to lose focus when a new tab is opened and the Allow web content on New Tab page policy is off. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents the Microsoft Edge Configure Password Manager policy from suppressing the Save password prompt when the policy is disabled.
• Addresses an issue that causes downloads to WebDAV locations to fail. 
• Addresses an issue with the file previewer for .html, .mht, and email (MIME) attachments in Microsoft Outlook. 
• Addresses an issue that causes Internet Explorer security and certificate dialogs to display prompts in the background instead of the foreground in certain circumstances. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when applications call the EnableEUDC API. 
• Addresses an issue in multi-monitor scenarios that causes a spell checker context menu to appear on the wrong monitor. This issue occurs when the customer right-clicks a misspelled word in Internet Explorer. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when entering Japanese characters in a remote desktop session (mstsc.exe). 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when using low-level mouse hooks with high integrity-level processes. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents custom keyboard layouts from working correctly. 
• Makes the visibility policy for the Settings Page available under User Configuration. The GPO is at the following path: User Configuration/Administrative Template/Control Panel/Settings Page Visibility 
• Addresses an issue that prevents some Bluetooth devices from pairing with Windows. 
• Addresses an issue in the Universal CRT that returns the expected output or a null character when calling _getch(). 
• Addresses an issue in the Universal CRT that returns unexpected characters when calling the _findfirst() or _findnext() functions. 
• Addresses an issue in the Universal CRT that prevents some functions from accepting narrow input or producing proper output with certain ANSI Code Pages. This issue affects setargv.objwhen using wildcard parsing and calls to get the current module name for debug windows. The issue also affects the following functions:
• _chdir()
• _exec()
• _fullpath()
• _loaddll
• _popen()
• _system()
• _spawn() (and variants) 
• Addresses an issue with evaluating the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem to help ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows. 
• Addresses an issue with the diagnostic pipeline for devices enrolled in Windows Analytics when the CommercialID registry key, “HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\DataCollection” is present.
• Addresses an issue that prevents the App-V client’s scheduled task from syncing if the Device Guard lockdown policy is enabled. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process to stop working when attempting to process a malformed security identifier (SID). 
• Addresses an issue that causes a delay in unlocking or signing in to a computer that was moved to a different network. For example, a delay occurs when moving from a corporate LAN or WLAN to a home LAN where domain controllers can’t be reached. 
• Addresses an issue on some laptops that prevents sign-out from completing. The issue occurs when a customer signs out and immediately closes the laptop. As a result, when the laptop is reopened,  the device must be restarted. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when enabling BitLocker from a local administrator account. 
• Addresses an issue on devices with fingerprint sensors that were upgraded from Windows 10, version 1709. After the upgrade, users can’t use the fingerprint sensor to log in.  
• Addresses an issue that causes some systems to take as much as 60 seconds longer to start. This occurs on systems that don’t have a smart card reader installed. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents customers from logging in to a Windows 10S device with a PIN after upgrading to Windows 10, version 1803. Customers see the error “Your PIN is no longer available due to a change to the security settings on this device.” 
• Addresses an issue that causes a Direct Access connection to fail when the client authentication certificate is stored in the TPM device. 
• Addresses an issue that causes the system to log negative events for drivers that are valid and should be trusted. The issue occurs when running Windows Defender Application Control (Device Guard) in audit mode. 
• Addresses an issue that causes a third-party VPN provider’s user interface to stop working after dynamically unloading Cryptui.dll. 
• Addresses an issue that causes logging on to a Remote Desktop Session Host Server to occasionally stop responding. 
• Addresses an issue that causes printing to an open or existing file to fail without displaying an error. This issue occurs when using Microsoft Print to PDF or XPS Document Writer. 
• Addresses an issue where a daily, repetitive task starts unexpectedly when the task is first created or starts when the task is updated.
• Addresses an issue that prevents running subsequent actions when you create multiple actions in a task using Task Scheduler and the task is scheduled under the Stop the existing instance rule. 
• Addresses an issue with a task that has a repetition setting. The task fails to be scheduled and doesn’t start after disabling and re-enabling the task. The Next Run Time in Task Scheduler displays the correct time, but the task doesn’t start at that time.
• Addresses an issue that prevents the debugging of minimized UWP applications. 
• Addresses an issue with Visual Studio UWP Deployments that displays the error “The operation could not be completed because an unexpected host ID was encountered”.
• Addresses an issue that ignores the MM_DONT_ZERO_ALLOCATION flag. This issue leads to degraded performance, and, occasionally, error 0x139 appears. 
• Addresses an issue that causes NTLTEST, DCLOCATOR, or joining an Active Directory and SAMBA domain to fail when using the NetBIOS domain name. The error is “An Active Directory domain Controller (AD DC) for the domain %domain% could not be contacted”. This also addresses connection issues for applications that use mailslots to communicate.
• Addresses an issue that occurs when using encrypted email. If the customer selects Cancel when first asked for a PIN, multiple PIN prompts appear before the prompt finally goes away. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents the Microsoft Help Viewer from rendering HTML content inside a Windows Help .chm file when the .chm file is stored on a network location.
• Addresses an issue in which the lock screen shows a solid color instead of an image specified by a policy before a customer signs in for the first time.
• Addresses an issue that causes Microsoft Edge to stop working when printing a PDF in a size 0 window.
• Addresses an issue that causes Microsoft Edge to stop working and to close associated webpage tabs. This occurs when certain PDF documents have timing issues when loading.
• Addresses an issue with a scheduled task that has an indefinite duration. The task starts immediately after it is created instead of starting at the time specified in the Triggers tab.
• Addresses an issue where GetSystemTime() may sometimes return an invalid value after using SetSystemTime() immediately before.
• Addresses an issue that occurs when using the “X509HintsNeeded” group policy to prepopulate the Username hint field. The Username hint field is unexpectedly empty when unlocking a machine after a successful logon. Username hint caching is expected to only work for lock and unlock scenarios and is not designed for logoff and logon scenarios.
• Addresses an issue that fails to maintain the tile layout after upgrading to Windows 10, version 1803 from Windows 10, versions 1703 and 1607.
• Addresses an issue that returns temporary values for the new Japanese Calendar Era. 
• Addresses an issue in which Background Apps settings the user configured are lost when the device restarts because of incorrect registry ACLs.
• Addresses an issue that prevents Microsoft Centennial apps and some OS apps from displaying toast notifications.
• Addresses an issue in which all Guest Virtual Machines running Unicast dual NIC NLB fail to respond to NLB requests after the Virtual Machines restart.

Cumulative Windows updates require that you install the latest Service Stack Update (SSU) for Windows before installing the latest Cumulative Update (LCU). This helps to minimize possible problems when you install the LCU.

When you use Windows Update, you are automatically offered the latest SSU (KB4456655). To obtain the stand-alone package for the latest SSU, visit the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft is not aware of any problems with this update.

Update KB4457136 for Windows 10 V1709

Update KB4457136 for Windows 10 V1709 raises the operating system build to 16299.697 and contains the following fixes:

• Addresses an issue with the file previewer for .html, .mht, and email (MIME) attachments in Microsoft Outlook. 
• Addresses an issue that causes Internet Explorer security and certificate dialogs to display prompts in the background instead of the foreground in certain circumstances. 
• Addresses an issue that causes downloads to WebDAV locations to fail. 
• Addresses an issue that causes downloads to fail because Mark of the Web (MOTW) was not supported at the download location. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents Microsoft Narrator from accessing the contents of Windows Security dialogs displayed by a low integrity level process. 
• Addresses an issue that, in some cases, prevents installing encrypted .appx packages. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when applications call the EnableEUDC API. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when entering Japanese characters in a remote desktop session (mstsc.exe). 
• Addresses an issue with evaluating the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem to help ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows. 
• Addresses an issue with the diagnostic pipeline for devices enrolled in Windows Analytics when the CommercialID registry key, “HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\DataCollection” is present.
• Addresses an issue that prevents the App-V client’s scheduled task from synching if the Device Guard lockdown policy is enabled. 
• Addresses an issue that causes login to fail when using a smart card to log in to a Remote Desktop Server. The error is “STATUS_LOGON_FAILURE”. 
• Addresses an issue that causes a delay in unlocking or signing in to a computer that was moved to a different network. For example, a delay occurs when moving from a corporate LAN or WLAN to a home LAN where domain controllers aren’t reachable. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when using encrypted email. If the customer selects Cancelwhen first asked for a PIN, multiple PIN prompts appear before the prompt finally goes away. 
• Addresses an issue that causes a Direct Access connection to fail when the client authentication certificate is stored in the TPM device. 
• Addresses an issue on some laptops that prevents sign-out from completing. The issue occurs when a customer signs out and immediately closes the laptop. As a result, when the laptop is reopened,  the device must be restarted. 
• Addresses an issue that causes the system to log negative events for drivers that are valid and should be trusted. The issue occurs when running Windows Defender Application Control (Device Guard) in audit mode. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process to stop working when attempting to process a malformed security identifier (SID). 
• Addresses an issue that causes logging on to a Remote Desktop Session Host Server to occasionally stop responding. 
• Addresses an issue that causes printing to an open or existing file to fail without displaying an error. This issue occurs when using Microsoft Print to PDF or XPS Document Writer. 
• Addresses an issue with scheduled tasks that don’t start at the time that they are configured to start on a specific day of the week. 
• Addresses an issue with a scheduled task that has an indefinite duration. The task starts immediately after it’s created instead of starting at the time specified in the Triggers tab. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents the running of subsequent actions in a task. This issue occurs when you create multiple actions in a task using Task Scheduler and the task is scheduled under the Stop the existing instance rule. 
• Addresses an issue with a task that has a repetition setting. The task fails to be scheduled and doesn’t start after disabling and re-enabling the task. The Next Run Time in Task Scheduler displays the correct time, but the task doesn’t start at that time. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause Service Control Manager (SCM) and Netlogon to stop working when one or more services are configured to run with domain credentials (service accounts).
• Addresses an issue where a daily, repetitive task starts unexpectedly when the task is first created or starts when the task is updated.
• Addresses an issue in which GetSystemTime() may sometimes return an invalid value after using SetSystemTime() immediately before.
• Addresses an issue that occurs when using the “X509HintsNeeded” group policy to prepopulate the Username hint field. The Username hint field is unexpectedly empty when unlocking a machine after a successful logon. Username hint caching is expected to only work for lock and unlock scenarios and is not designed for logoff and logon scenarios.
• Addresses an issue that fails to maintain the tile layout after upgrading to Windows 10, version 1709 from Windows 10, versions 1703 and 1607.
• Addresses an issue in which all Guest Virtual Machines running Unicast dual NIC NLB fail to respond to NLB requests after the Virtual Machines restart.

Cumulative Windows updates require that you install the latest Service Stack Update (SSU) for Windows before installing the latest Cumulative Update (LCU). This helps to minimize possible problems when you install the LCU.

When you use Windows Update, you are automatically offered the latest SSU (KB4456655). To obtain the stand-alone package for the latest SSU, visit the Microsoft Update Catalog.Catalog. Microsoft is not aware of any problems with this update. 

Update KB4457141 for Windows 10 V1703

Update KB4457141 for Windows 10 V1703 raises the operating system build to 15063.1358 and contains the following fixes:

• Addresses an issue that causes Internet Explorer security and certificate dialogs to display prompts in the background instead of the foreground in certain circumstances. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when applications call the EnableEUDC API. 
• Addresses an issue in which the “EnterpriseAssignedAccess” policy on mobile devices cannot configure some Settings pages, including Language, Region, Keyboard, and Airplane Mode.
• Addresses an issue with the diagnostic pipeline for devices enrolled in Windows Analytics when the CommercialID registry key, “HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\DataCollection” is present.
• Addresses an issue that prevents the App-V client’s scheduled task from synching if the Device Guard lockdown policy is enabled. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when using encrypted email. If the customer selects Cancelwhen first prompted for a PIN, multiple PIN prompts appear before the prompt finally goes away. 
• Addresses an issue that causes logon to fail when using a smart card to log in to a Remote Desktop Server. The error is “STATUS_LOGON_FAILURE”. 
• Addresses an issue that causes a Direct Access connection to fail when the client authentication certificate is stored in the TPM device. 
• Addresses an issue that causes a third-party VPN provider’s user interface to stop working after dynamically unloading Cryptui.dll. 
• Addresses an issue that causes the system to log negative events for drivers that are valid and should be trusted. The issue occurs when running Windows Defender Application Control (Device Guard) in audit mode. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process to stop working when attempting to process a malformed security identifier (SID). 
• Addresses an issue that causes logging on to a Remote Desktop Session Host Server to occasionally stop responding. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause Service Control Manager (SCM) and Netlogon to stop working when one or more services are configured to run with domain credentials (service accounts).
• Addresses an issue that causes the OS to stop responding during startup under certain circumstances.

• Addresses an issue that occurs when using the “X509HintsNeeded” group policy to prepopulate the Username hint field. The Username hint field is unexpectedly empty when unlocking a machine after a successful logon. Username hint caching is expected to only work for lock and unlock scenarios and is not designed for logoff and logon scenarios.

• Addresses an issue with evaluating the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem to help ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows.

• Addresses an issue in which all Guest Virtual Machines running Unicast dual NIC NLB fail to respond to NLB requests after the Virtual Machines restart.

  Kumulative Windows-Updates erfordern, dass Sie vorher das neueste Service Stack Update (SSU) für Windows installieren, bevor Sie das neueste kumulative Update (LCU) installieren. Dies hilft, mögliche Probleme bei der Installation der LCU zu minimieren.

Cumulative Windows updates require that you install the latest Service Stack Update (SSU) for Windows before installing the latest Cumulative Update (LCU). This helps to minimize possible problems when you install the LCU.

When you use Windows Update, you are automatically offered the latest SSU (KB4132649). To obtain the stand-alone package for the latest SSU, visit the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft is not aware of any problems with this update.

Update KB4457127 for Windows 10 V1607

Update KB44457127 for Windows 10 V1607 (Enterprise and Education) raises the operating system build to 14393.2517 und enthält folgende Fixes:

• Addresses an issue that causes Internet Explorer security and certificate dialogs to display prompts in the background instead of the foreground in certain circumstances. 
• Makes the visibility Group Policy for the Settings Page available under User Configuration and Computer Configuration. The GPOs are at the following paths:
  • User Configuration/Administrative Template/Control Panel/Settings Page Visibility
  • Computer Configuration/Administrative Template/Control Panel/Settings Page Visibility
• Addresses an issue with showing the correct changes to folder contents on some Network Attached Storage (NAS) configurations. 
• Addresses an issue with the diagnostic pipeline for devices enrolled in Windows Analytics when the CommercialID registry key, “HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\DataCollection” is present.
• Addresses an issue that prevents the App-V client’s scheduled task from syncing if the Device Guard lockdown policy is enabled. 
• Addresses an issue that causes login to fail when using a smart card to log in to a Remote Desktop Server. The error is “STATUS_LOGON_FAILURE”. 
• Addresses an issue that sometimes causes event log entries to appear corrupted for the following:
  • Microsoft-Windows-Kerberos-Key-Distribution-Center source.
  • Event IDs 4933, 4928, and 4937.
• Addresses an issue that occurs when using encrypted email. If the customer selects Cancelwhen first prompted for a PIN, multiple PIN prompts appear before the prompt finally goes away. 
• Addresses an issue that causes a Direct Access connection to fail when the client authentication certificate is stored in the TPM device. 
• Addresses an issue that causes the system to log negative events for drivers that are valid and should be trusted. The issue occurs when running Windows Defender Application Control (Device Guard) in audit mode. 
• Addresses an issue that causes a Remote Desktop Session Host server to occasionally stop responding during login. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process to stop working when attempting to process a malformed security identifier (SID). 
• Addresses an issue that causes printing to an open or existing file to fail without displaying an error message. This issue occurs when using Microsoft Print to PDF or XPS Document Writer. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause a DNS server to return an error to a query when handling a large recursive response that requires truncation. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents running subsequent actions when you create multiple actions in a task using Task Scheduler and the task is scheduled under the Stop the existing instance rule. 
• Addresses an issue with a task that has a repetition setting. The task isn’t scheduled and doesn’t start after disabling and re-enabling the it. The Next Run Time in Task Scheduler shows the correct time, but the task doesn’t start at that time. 
• Addresses an issue with a scheduled task that has an indefinite duration. The task starts immediately after it’s created instead of at the time set on the Triggers tab. 
• Addresses an issue where a daily, repetitive task starts unexpectedly when the task is first created or starts when the task is updated. 
• Addresses an issue that occurs when a guest Service Host (svchost) stops working in Windows Server 2016. The Hyper-V time synchronization service (vmictimesync) in the guest may stop working, and a time sync issue may occur. The guest would then be vulnerable to time drift because of inaccurate hardware or incorrect Network Time Protocol (NTP) samples. 
• Addresses an issue that prevents the lastLogonTimestamp attribute of new Active Directory users from updating. This issue occurs when performing LDAP simple binds against a Windows Server 2016 domain controller. 
• Addresses an Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) issue that causes certificate enrollment requests from some enterprise routers to the MSCEP/NDES server to fail. The requests fail with the error “The Network Device Enrollment Service cannot convert encoded portions of the client&apos;s http message (or request body for POSTPKIOperation), or the converted message (or request body for POSTPKIOperation) is larger than 64K (%1). %2”. 
• Addresses an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Privileged Access Management issue that may cause a user to retain association with the configured shadow principal beyond the configured Time to Live (TTL). This issue occurs when a DC is promoted while the TTL is valid.
• Addresses an issue where a DirSync client never finishes syncing when using a search filter that contains a linked attribute. For example, “memberOf=CN=Group1, OU=Accounts, DC=Contoso,DC=Com”. 
• Addresses an issue that causes Windows Server Backup to fail when backing up two volumes together in one location on NetApp. 
• Addresses an issue where Windows Server Backup fails to restore backups for Microsoft Exchange 2016. 
• Addresses an issue where creating a Client Access Point may take a long time when a firewall blocks access to child domain controllers. 
• Addresses memory leaks in the Cluster Health Service. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause an error when you attempt to access an NFS share. 
• Addresses an issue where opening Explorer view on a SharePoint server site using TMG proxy fails. This issue occurs when the server requires SSL and TLS client certificate authentication and sends trusted CA issuer lists. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause a system to stop working when you mount an NFS drive using the command line with the option -u -p. This issue occurs if the length of the password is different from the length of the domain name. 
• Addresses an issue that may cause setup to fail during OEM-OOBE implementation if French or Spanish language setting is selected on the Hyper-V host. 
• Addresses an issue that displays the report date as “Unknown” in the Remote Desktop License Manager.
• Addresses an issue with evaluating the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem to help ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows.
• Addresses an issue in which all Guest Virtual Machines running Unicast dual NIC NLB fail to respond to NLB requests after the Virtual Machines restart.

Cumulative Windows updates require that you install the latest Service Stack Update (SSU) for Windows before installing the latest Cumulative Update (LCU). This helps to minimize possible problems when you install the LCU.

When you use Windows Update, you are automatically offered the latest SSU (KB4132216). To obtain the stand-alone package for the latest SSU, visit the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft is not aware of any problems with this update.

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Patchday issues with updates & WSUS (September 11, 2018)

On September 18, 2018 Microsoft released the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17763 from the Redstone 5 branch in Fast Ring (see). On September 20, 2018, according to the Windows blog, this version also arrived in the Slow Ring. Some media speculate that this could be the final of Windows 10 V1809. But this is opposed by bugs and the hint in the Windows blog that you are not finished.

On September 26, 2018 Microsoft released the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18247 from branch 19H1 in the Skip Ahead Ring. The announcement was made in the Windows Blog, where you can also find the list of fixed bugs and known issues.

[German]On September 26, 2018, Microsoft re-released the compatibility updates KB4458469 for Windows 10 V1803 and KB4457136 for Windows 10 V1709.

I interpret this as a re-release, as these updates were released under the same KB numbers on September 20, 2018 for the respective Windows versions (see Windows 10: Cumulative Updates (September 20, 2018)). These updates are now listed in the Windows 10 Update History with the date September 17, 2018.

Update KB4458469 for Windows 10 V1803

Updates KB4458469 for Windows 10 V1803 raises the operating system build to 17134.320  and contains the fixes described within the KB-Article.

Cumulative Windows updates require that you install the latest Service Stack Update (SSU) for Windows before installing the latest Cumulative Update (LCU). This helps to minimize possible problems when you install the LCU.

When you use Windows Update, you are automatically offered the latest SSU (KB4456655). To obtain the stand-alone package for the latest SSU, visit the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft is not aware of any problems with this update.

Update KB4457136 for Windows 10 V1709

Update KB4457136 for Windows 10 V1709 raises the operating system build to 16299.699 and contains the fixes described within the KB-Article. Also note, that the latest Service Stack Update (SSU)  for Windows need to be installed, before applying the latest cumulative update (LCU).

When you use Windows Update, you are automatically offered the latest SSU (KB4339420). To obtain the stand-alone package for the latest SSU, visit the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft is not aware of any problems with this update.

On October 3, 2018 Microsoft released the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18252 from branch 19H1 in the Fast and Skip Ahead ring. The announcement was made within the Windows Blog, where you can also find the details as well als known issues.

[German]As of October 9, 2018 (second Tuesday of the month, patchday at Microsoft), several cumulative updates have been released for the supported Windows 10 builds. Here are some details about each update.

A list of the updates can be found on this Microsoft Web page. In August 2018, Microsoft revised the display format to make it easier to get the information. I’ve pulled out the details below.

Updates for Windows 10 Version 1809

The following updates are available for Windows 10 October 2018 Update (Version 1809).

Update KB4464330 for Windows 10 Version 1809

Cumulative update KB4464330 includes quality improvements but no new operating system features and raises the OS build to 17763.55. Here is the list of fixes:

• Addresses an issue where an incorrect timing calculation may prematurely delete user profiles on devices subject to the “Delete user profiles older than a specified number of day” group policy.
• Security updates to Windows Kernel, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Linux, Windows Wireless Networking, Windows MSXML, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Peripherals, Microsoft Edge, Windows Media Player, and Internet Explorer.

There are no known issues with the update. The update is distributed automatically via Windows Update, but can also be downloaded and installed from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Manual installation of the update requires the Servicing Stack Update (SSU) KB4465477 to be installed first. This is ensured when installing via Windows Update.

Update KB4465477 (SSU) for Windows 10 Version 1809

Update KB4465477 is a Servicing Stack Update (SSU) for Windows 10 Version 1803. This must be installed before update KB4464330. The update is offered via Windows Update, via WSUS or via the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Updates for Windows 10 Version 1803

The following updates are available for Windows 10 April Update (version 1803).

Update KB4462919 for Windows 10 Version 1803

Cumulative update KB4462919 contains quality improvements but no new operating system functions and raises the OS build to 17134.345. The update also includes an update for Microsoft HoloLens (OS Build 17134.345). Here is the list of fixes:

Security updates to Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Peripherals, Windows Shell, Windows Kernel, Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Linux, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.

The update is distributed via Windows Update, but should also be available via WSUS or the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft (currently) is not aware of any problems with the update. Manual installation of the update requires that the current Servicing Stack Update (SSU) KB445665 from September 2018 is installed. This is ensured when installing via Windows Update.

Dynamisches Update KB4459502 for Windows 10 Version 1803

According to deskmodder.de Microsoft has also released a dynamic update KB4459502 for Windows 10 version 1803. This update is only used during installation to update. There is no KB article, nor is the update available in the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Updates for Windows 10 Version 1709

The following updates are available for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709).

Update KB4462918 for Windows 10 Version 1709

Cumulative Update KB4462918 for Windows 10 Version 1709 (Fall Creators Update) raises the OS build to 16299.726 and includes quality improvements and the following fixes:

Security updates to Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Shell, Windows Kernel, Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Microsoft Scripting Engine, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.

The update is distributed via Windows Update, but can also be downloaded via Microsoft Update Catalog. Manual installation of the update requires that the current Servicing Stack Update (SSU) KB4339420 is installed. This is ensured when installing via Windows Update.

As a known issue, some users see a message after installing this update that starts with the words “Hosted by…” the first time they start Microsoft Edge. The message should simply be clicked away and is good. This dialog only appears once if you have enabled “Block third-party cookies only” in Microsoft Edge and have installed certain language packs before installing this update.

Updates for Windows 10 Version 1703

The following updates are available for Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703).

Update KB4462937 for Windows 10 Version 1703

Cumulative Update KB4462937 for Windows 10 Version 1703 (Creators Update) raises the OS build to 15063.1387 and includes quality improvements. The update is also available for Windows 10 Mobile (OS Build 15063.1390). It addresses the following security vulnerabilities and issues:

Security updates to Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Edge, Windows Kernel, Windows Storage and Filesystems, and Microsoft Scripting Engine.

The update is distributed via Windows Update, but can also be downloaded via Microsoft Update Catalog. Manual installation of the update requires that the current Servicing Stack Update (SSU) KB4132649 is installed. This is ensured when installing via Windows Update. There is the same issue as for Update KB4462918 for Windows 10 Version 1709.

Windows Update Improvements

Microsoft has released an update directly to the Windows Update Client to increase its reliability. Any Windows 10 device that is configured to automatically update with Windows Update will receive the feature update (to V1803). Windows 10 Enterprise and the Pro Edition also receive the feature update (on V1803) based on device compatibility and the update delay (defer) set in Windows Update for Business Deferral Policy. This does not apply to LTSC versions.

Updates for Windows 10 Version 1507 till 1607

Various updates are available for Windows 10 RTM to Windows 10 Anniversary Update (Version 1607). Here is a brief overview.

• Windows 10 Version 1607: Update KB4462917 is only available for Enterprise and Education as well as Windows Server 2016. The update raises the OS build to 14393.2551 and includes the fixes mentioned above for other updates. This update is automatically downloaded and installed by Windows Update, but can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Before manual installation, the Servicing Stack Update (SSU) (KB4132216) must be installed. Details, also the known problem with the KMS, can be found in the KB article.
• Windows 10 Version 1507: Update KB4462922 is available for the RTM version (LTSC). This update raises the OS build to 10240.18005 and includes the fixes mentioned in the KB article. This update is automatically downloaded and installed by Windows Update, but can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Similar to Windows 10 Version 1703, there are also improvements to Windows Update (see note above). Details can be found in the KB article

For Windows 10 V1511 there was no update, that this version fell on the support. Details about the above updates can be found in the respective Microsoft KB articles in case of doubt.

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[German]The cumulative updates KB4464330 (for Windows 10 V1809) and KB4462919 (for Windows 10 V1803) for October 2018 cause certain machines, previously from HP and Dell, to throw a ‘WDF Violation’ BlueScreen.

The error description

Users who install the KB4464330 cumulative update (the fix for unwanted user data deletion) on Windows 10 V1809 or the KB4462919 October 2018 cumulative update on Windows 10 V1803 run into a problem on different machines. Windows 10 V1803 and V1809 throws a BlueScreen “WDF Violation” and can no longer start. 

I received this comment within my German blog, where an affected HP user wrote:

HP ProDesk 400, with freshly installed 1809, completely virgin. After the update to KB4464330 a restart is required, if I do this, a BSOD comes with the error message “WDF Violation”, and nothing can be done with the system.

There are other reports at MS Answers (this thread), and Woody Leonhard has written also a separate article.

No, this month’s Win10 cumulative updates (alone) aren’t triggering BSODs on HP computers. It’s more complex than that. https://t.co/5NevUgdk6f

— Woody Leonhard (@woodyleonhard) 11. Oktober 2018

HP and Dell affected

At a first glance it seems that only HP machines were affected because the following driver (keyboard filter driver from HP) was identified as the cause. 

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\HpqKbFiltr.sys

But within Microsoft Answers forum there is this thread containing Information from Microsoft Support. A user has contacted the support after running into the error.

Microsoft’s support thus states that HP and Dell machines are running in a BlueScreen ‘WDF Violation’.

The ‘WDF Violation’ occurs frequently

If you search the Internet for the term ‘WDF Violation’, you will come across a number of hits, including in the MS Answers forum. Some of them are from 2016 or the beginning of 2018.

The simple background: The abbreviation WDF stands for Windows Driver Framework, a set of tools and libraries used for the development of (kernel-mode) drivers. Microsoft has published a description for developers here. Also relevant for developers is the Microsoft document here, which deals with the changes in the WDF for Windows 10 V1709, 1803, 1809 etc.   

Thus developers of Windows drivers run into two problems: First they have to make sure that they implement Microsoft’s specifications for WDF correctly. And they have to follow development all the time to take Microsoft’s changes into account. On machines where a driver is installed, there may be compatibility issues with feature updates or cumulative updates. The WDF then triggers a ‘WDF Violation’ BlueScreen and stops working. 

Fixing the issue on HP machines

Microsoft has published KB4468372, titled HP devices may experience blue screen error WDF_VIOLATION after installing HP keyboard driver (version 11.0.3.1). This KB article is valid for Windows 10, version 1803, and Windows 10, version 1809.

Microsoft has identified together with HP an HP driver with known incompatibility with certain HP devices on Windows 10 versions 1803 and 1809.  On October 11, Microsoft removed the driver from Windows Update to reduce the number of devices affected. Additionally, Microsoft released KB 4468304 to remove the incompatible driver from devices pending reboot. HP is actively working on this issue. Within the KB article, Microsoft addresses two scenarios with a fix.

• If Windows Update has installed the driver and a restart is pending, do not restart the device. Install instead KB4468304 to remove the HP Keyboard driver (version 11.0.3.1). Windows Update will automatically download KB 4468304 to remove the faulty HP driver. It’s also possible to install the KB manually via Microsoft Update Catalog.
• If the machine already throws a blue screen error WDF_VIOLATION and fails to load the Windows operating system, you need to repair the system, using the Windows Recovery Environment.

Bleeping Computer reported here, that the faulty HP keyboard filter driver is located here:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\HpqKbFiltr.sys

So it’s possible to rename the driver HpqKbFiltr.sys to HpqKbFiltr.old, using Windows PE (Repair Environment). Microsoft recommend to uninstall the driver, using DISM:

For 32-bit versions of Windows:

dism /Image:C\ /Remove-Driver /Driver: C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\hpqkbfiltr.inf_x86_f1527018cecbb8c2\HpqKbFiltr.inf

For 64-bit versions of Windows:

dism /Image:C:\ /Remove-Driver /Driver:c:\Windows\System32\driverstore\FileRepository\hpqkbfiltr.inf_amd64_714aca0508a80e9a\HpqKbFiltr.inf

If Windows is not stored on the C: drive, replace the C: in the above commands with the appropriate drive letter.

Invoke Windows PE via automatic repair

If the device fails to start, Windows should attempt to automatically repair your device and enter the Windows 10 Recovery Environment. If the startup process is aborted three times, the automatic repair should start automatically with the Windows PE repair environment.

The boot repair will not help, but there is a Windows PE environment running. There you should get to the following page Choose an option.

Select the tile Troubleshoot and on the next page select Advanced Options, and then Command Prompt. Then execute the commands mentioned above to rename or uninstall the faulty driver. Then restart Windows.

At the command prompt, it is important to get the correct logical drive. Windows PE runs in a RAM disk on drive X:, while the Windows 10 installation has one of the drives C: or D:.

Boot an install media to invoke Windows PE

If the Windows PE environment can no longer boot on the machine using the automatic repair options mentioned above, you can also use a boot media (DVD or USB stick) to repair the machine. Simply boot the machine from this medium. Using a recovery disk, you can then select the language for the interface on a page and go to the Select option page (see below). For a setup medium, select the language in the Windows Setup dialog box shown below and click Next. 

Within the next Windows Setup dialog box click Repair your computer.

Then Windows PE environment is invoked and you are able to select the troubleshooting options mentioned above. Then you should be able to follow the steps outlined in the previous section to rename or uninstall the driver.

[German]Microsoft has responded quickly to audio issues that occurred under various Windows 10 builds after the October 2018 patchday. Update KB4468550, released on October 13, 2018, fixes these audio issues

What’s the problem with audio?

After installing the October 2018 updates, Windows 10 users may have discovered that the audio output no longer worked. People may have received a message that no audio device was installed. You can find a report on reddit.com: 

After laptop update, “No Audio Output Device is installed”

I run Windows 10 on a nearly-new laptop. Windows updated last night and suddenly the speakers don’t work. I restarted my laptop, deleted and updated the drivers, and restarted my laptop again – nothing. The troubleshooter is useless. I can’t find any solutions on the internet except “update the drivers until it works.”

Does anyone know what I should do?

On Twitter, a user answered a post by Bleeping Computer that he has audio issues on three HP Omen notebooks after installing updates.

I got 3 HP Omen Laptops today that lose sound after the windows update. The driver desapear and OS don’t detect any sound devices.

— Rick (@Bold_Rick) 12. Oktober 2018

In Microsoft Answers forum there is this thread, which now contains three pages with confirmations from other users: 

Audio Drivers

Since the Windows 10 October update my audio driver for RealTek High Definition Audio no longer functions correctly.  In particular when I play a game, there is NO sound.  I can play video files with sound and I can watch YouTube with sound, but there is no sound when I  play a game.  I’ve called my computer manufacturer ASUS and they walked me through several procedures to “reset” my drivers and correct the issue and finally  determined that there is a software glitch due to the Win 10 update that was auto downloaded to my computer.

How/When is Microsoft going to resolve this?

Some web sites like MS Power User or Bleeping Computer not only took up the topic, but also posted workarounds. In addition to uninstalling the update, it is suggested that you use Windows Device Manager to update the audio driver. Bleeping Computer has the most detailed instructions.

Update KB4468550 fixe the audio bug

But these manual fixes are no longer necessary, because Microsoft has released on October 13, 2018, update KB4468550, which fixes the audio problem. In the KB article Audio stops working after installing Intel audio driver from Windows Update Microsoft writes:

This update addresses an issue where after installing the Intel Smart Sound Technology driver (version 09.21.00.3755) via Windows Update or manually, computer audio may stop working. .

According to the KB article, the update is available for Windows 10 Version 1809, Windows 10 Version 1803 and Windows 10 Version 1709 via Windows Update. It will be downloaded and installed automatically. Alternatively, the update can be manually downloaded and installed via Microsoft Update Catalog. The installation of the update requires a restart of the system. After that the audio output should work again.

[German]Microsoft plans to modify his Windows Insider program in the future. Versions that have made it into the Slow Ring for testing by users will also get updates (like regular Windows 10 builds) in the future. 

Announcement of the change

This is the result of the following tweet and the linked blog post, which was published a few hours ago.

Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds in the Slow Ring now get serviced just like regular Windows releases. Find out why that’s big news.https://t.co/PfixO87s39

— Windows Insider (@windowsinsider) 14. Oktober 2018

Till now, insider preview builds only received updates in very rare cases (there had to be a serious issue and no successor build with a fix).

Insider Preview build rings at a glance

For blog readers who are not too firm with the terminology: Microsoft releases its Windows development versions, known as Windows Insider Previews, at regular intervals for interested participants of the Windows Insider Program. Microsoft uses a ring model to make the insider previews gradually accessible to an ever larger circle of users.

(Source: Microsoft, Click to open in tab)

According to the diagram above, the daily Windows insider builds are first tested internally in the so-called Caary ring. If a build passes this test, the Operating System Group (OSG) takes care of the build. Only after this group gives green light, an Insider Preview build makes it to the Fast Ring for Windows Insiders. Largely stable insider preview builds will later be made available in the so-called slow ring. Under Windows 10, Windows insiders can choose in the settings whether they want to test in fast or slow ring. Then new builds will only be installed if they are released in the corresponding ring.

In the picture above, the release ring model for Windows Insider Preview builds are not complete. Microsoft introduced later two additional rings. One is the Release Preview ring, used for a build just before general availability. And there is also a so-called Skip Ahead ring. Builds appear there when two development branches of Windows 10 are to be tested in parallel. The Fast Ring then has builds in the development branch for the next Windows 10 version, while the Skip Ahead Ring already tests builds for the next but one Windows 10 version.

What is changing for the slow ring?

Microsoft has summarized the change in an info graphic. In the Fast Ring there will still only be new builds with bug fixes. Such fixes can then be packed with the last cumulative update (Latest Cumulative Update, LCU) and rolled out for the slow ring with a function update. 

(Source: Microsoft, Click to zoom)

The change is intended to enable Microsoft to stabilize fast ring builds to send them faster to the slow ring. The change is planned in the upcoming RS6 release cycle for builds in the Slow Ring.

Interestingly, Microsoft continues to use the Redstone 6 name for a development cycle in its documents. According to reports Microsoft actually intended to go away from the nomenclature of the Redstone branches and name new development branches with 19H1, 19H2 etc.. Well, there must be a stable component in the process, and if it is the name Redstone.

Microsoft makes then still some interesting concessions, which I interpret as a (imho unfortunately not sufficient) answer to the disaster with the release of Windows 10 V1809 (which was stopped yet).

• All builds will receive the latest MSRC security fixes shortly after public availability. 
• Microsoft wants to orient itself on the so-called B-week updates with regard to the release of the security fixes on patch Tuesday (2nd Tuesday of the month).
• It is planned to select a build in the Insider Preview branch once a month and to “stabilize” it with selective corrections in a short time.
• This build is then to be rolled out into the Slow Ring for the Slow Ring in the ‘required quality’ (whatever Microsoft may understand by that).

I don’t know how you see this, I wouldn’t use the word quality in the context of buggy Insider Preview builds, but rather write of ‘stable enough for a test in the Slow Ring’. What’s interesting is that Microsoft writes that they are anxious to slow down all FAST builds if they meet the ‘quality criteria’. Unfortunately, I don’t read the message that in the future, feature updates are only planned once a year or in a 2-year cycle. So I quote that as ‘too late, too less’. Details can be found in the Microsoft article.

On October 17, 2018 Microsoft released the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18262 from branch 19H1 in the Fast and Skip Ahead ring. The announcement was made within the Windows Blog, where you can also find the list of new features (you can uninstall more Build-In apps), fixed bugs and known issues.