Well here comes trouble. With just two days to go before release Windows 10’s controversial automatic update system has struck again and this time it is arguably even more serious…
Following the Nvidia debacle, over the weekend Windows 10 pushed ‘KB3074681’ to Windows Insiders running Windows 10 Build 10240. This is presumed to be the same build as the final release consumers and businesses will receive on Wednesday.
KB3074681 had no detailed information about what it contained but as it was classified as a ‘security’ patch it installed immediately and without warning to all versions of Windows 10 (Home, Pro and Enterprise) then promptly caused Windows Explorer to crash for a number of users.
For the layman, Windows Explorer is not to be confused with the Internet Explorer web browser. Windows Explorer is the core file navigation system fundamental to using Windows. Without it you’re in big trouble.
And what could you do to prevent the KB3074681 bug problems with Windows 10’s mandatory update policy? Nothing. This was highlighted by affected users who tried to uninstall the update via Programs and Features>Uninstall as that just caused Explorer to crash again. Explorer also crashed any time a user tried to enable or disable a network adaptor.
The Temporary Fix
Gabe Aul, Microsoft’s Engineering General Manager, confirmed to Supersite For Windows that the company is working on a fix for KB3074681 and if users go toPrograms and Features > Uninstall, choose the patch by clicking it just once and then click the ‘Uninstall’ button at the top of the list it will be removed. The crash was being triggered by the shortcut of double clicking the program you want to uninstall.
Mark Wilson at BetaNews also found a second workaround using the Windows 10 Troubleshooter for those hit by KB3074681’s network adaptor crashes:
Hit the Windows key, type ‘Troubleshooting’ and click the Troubleshooting icon.
Click the ‘View all’ link to the left of the window.
Click the ‘Network Adapter’ link and then click Next.
Windows 10 will detect the disabled adapter and re-enable it without killing Explorer.
He warns: “Now… leave it enabled until a new update is released or you’re going to have to go through this time and time again!”
The Bigger Problem
Of course what all this highlights is the concern already raised by many Forbes readers following the Windows 10 automatic Nvidia driver update which broke multi-monitor setups, caused glitching graphics and disabled SLI setups (and still continues to do so at the time of writing):
Take control away from users to proactively stop specific updates and it creates a real problem if a bad update makes its way past Microsoft’s internal testing. You know it’s coming, but there’s nothing you can do.
And in reality bad updates will happen. Historically there have been some epic Windows patch meltdowns and Woody Leonhard at InfoWorld notes that: “40 or so” problematic patches have been released by Windows Update in 2015 alone.
In fairness to Microsoft it does have some security in place with the ‘Slow Ring’ default option for Windows 10 Home users delaying driver and feature updates up to month before they are installed. Furthermore Windows 10 Pro users can delay feature patches up to eight months and Windows 10 Enterprise users can stop feature patches altogether.
The trouble is no Windows 10 version can stop Microsoft’s mandatory security patches being installed immediately.
Or can they?
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