Microsoft starts forcing Windows 10 1809 stragglers to upgrade

1809, danke

MODERNIST SOFTWARE HOUSE Microsoft has begun pushing mandatory updates of its Windows 10 operating system to customers who are straggling.

Microsoft policy introduced earlier this year says that users can defer updates using whatever tools they see fit for a year after release. After that, they'll start to lose their right to choose.

The reasons are fairly sound - it prevents unnecessary fragmentation of the operating system, and more importantly, it ensures that users have all the latest security features and patches.

This is the same process it followed earlier this year ahead of Build 1803 (Spring 2018 Update) going end-of-life, in accordance with a policy of only having two ‘stable' builds being supported at the same time.

Says Microsoft: "Beginning today, we will slowly start the phased process to automatically initiate a feature update for devices running the October 2018 Update (Windows 10, version 1809) Home and Pro editions, keeping those devices supported and receiving the monthly updates that are critical to device security and ecosystem health.

"We are starting this rollout process several months in advance of the end of service date to provide adequate time for a smooth update process."

Long story short, Microsoft is getting ahead of the game. Although Build 1809 (yes, that 1809) won't reach end-of-life until next May, by pushing the Windows 10 November Update now, it hopes to avoid problems with stragglers who may as well be using Windows Vista once the support runs out.

Microsoft still allows you to defer non-essential updates for up to two months in total, before the nagging kicks in again.

If you need evidence that this is the way of things to come, you only need look at the current Build 1909 - fail to update to it, and you'll be forced to, come next summer.

Although 1909 has been largely free of errors (relatively) some users have complained that a few familiar gremlins have crept in again - most notably, the search box which has been borking for several builds running now. μ