Windows 10 as a service -- how's that working out? Spyware claims aside, here comes the first update rollup, which some are dubbing Service Release 1 (SR1). And some aren't.
This is the first concrete evidence we've seen of the otherwise-woolly WaaS concept.
Yes, there was a security rollup on the release date, but this is the first general cumulative bugfix package in this Brave New World of enforced updates.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers dissect KB3081424 for clues. Not to mention: A vs. B...
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.
[Updated 8:44 am PDT with more comment]
Tom "middle-finger" Warren was among the first to notice:
OK a little later than I expected but Windows 10 SR1 (KB3081424) appears to be rolling out now.
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I installed the Windows 10 update. Seems faster ;). MORE
And Mary Jo Foley runs with it:
Microsoft is rolling out the first cumulative package of non-security-focused updates...one week after the company began making available to users the...RTM version of the operating system.
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There's not a lot of information so far about what's in today's update [but it] is one of a series of regular performance and reliability...updates for Windows 10 that Microsoft is expected to deliver.
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Microsoft is [said to be] planning to deliver more...update rollups possibly on a weekly basis at least for the first month...as part of its "Windows as a Service" strategy. MORE
Worryingly, Paul Thurrott knows what you're thinking:
I know what you’re thinking. SR1? Seriously? But it’s true.
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Dubbed Service Release 1...internally, this cumulative update...provides no new features but does offer a ton of small fixes. ... This is certainly a large update, weighing in at about 325 MB...but it’s also not clear exactly what’s in this update, despite a long change list on the KB page.
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This will be the first taste of Microsoft’s “rapid release” vision for many. MORE
Respectfully, Kurt Mackie disagrees:
Press accounts...have labeled it..."SR1," but Microsoft isn't using that phrase. Gabriel Aul, Microsoft's main spokesperson for the Windows Insider releases, indicated [it] "doesn't have a name." ... Microsoft seems to be deliberately ignoring its past nomenclature...in its new "Windows as a service" world.
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Organizations have some control...based on Microsoft's service-branch models. Microsoft has three. ... The "current branch" functions much like Windows Update. ... The "current branch for business" model adds the ability to defer updates for eight months. ... Organizations only [need] take security updates under the long-term servicing branch option.
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System Center Configuration Manager...and Windows Server Update Services [can] control patch delivery for Pro and Enterprise Windows 10 editions. MORE
But it's causing problems for some, notes Bogdan Popa:
It turns out that this update fails to install on a number of PCs that get it via Windows Update. [They're] stuck in a continuous reboot loop.
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It fails...and triggers a computer reboot. Once the user logs back in...the update attempts to install once again with the same result...over and over again.
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Here’s a possible workaround. ... Launch the registry editor...and navigate to:..
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
It turns out that some invalid registry entries...might be related to user accounts that no longer exist on your computer, so removing them should do the trick. MORE
Meanwhile, async2013 eyerolls at the reboot requirement:
Have they still not got around to updating WITHOUT restarts? How very primitive. MORE
Update: Woody Leonhard adds confusion:
KB 3081424...replaces the earlier cumulative update KB 3074683, which, in turn, fixed...KB 3074681. To install KB 3081424, you must already have KB 3074683.
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The other update, KB 3081427, is an odd bird, called a “Compatibility update for upgrading to Windows 10” and/or “Dynamic Update for Windows 10.” [And] more updates were pushed for the Windows 10 nagware patches, KB 2952664 and KB 2976978. MORE
And Finally...
Peculiar Bop (The Ramones vs Marvin Gaye)
[more at Go Home Productions]
You have been reading IT Blogwatch by Richi Jennings, who curates the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites… so you don't have to. Catch the key commentary from around the Web every morning. Hatemail may be directed to @RiCHi or itbw@richi.uk. Opinions expressed may not represent those of Computerworld. Ask your doctor before reading. Your mileage may vary. E&OE.