Starting from May Microsoft will not distribute optional cumulative updates for all supported versions of Windows 10 and Windows Server. The cause is obviously the pandemic of Coronavirus, which is forcing many employees to work from home, in non-ideal conditions and with timelines not aligned with others that could lead to imbalances in following the post distribution of an update. The goal is to avoid the spread of critical bugs that can be resolved quickly. With the same motivation Redmond’s house had already paused the updates of the new Edge browser, as among other things Google has also rivaled Google with Chrome.
In “normal times” Microsoft distributes updates for operating systems and their software with weekly. The first week of each month is internally defined by the letter “A”, and is usually dedicated to Office updates. The second, “B”, is the one where Patch Tuesday is fixed. The next two weeks, “C” and “D” are those where Microsoft releases optional cumulative updates designed to be “previews” for administrators and IT staff of non-security corrective measures. These are updates which, by their nature, are never installed automatically.
With a message on your Microsoft site explains that the “C” and “D” updates will jump to a date to be assigned. “We are assessing the public health situation and understanding the impact on customers. In response to these issues, we are giving priority to security updates. Starting in May, we pause all optional non-security updates (C and D updates) for all supported versions of Windows client and server products (Windows 10 version 1909 down to Windows Server 2008 SP2). ”
The decision, the company underlines, will have no impact on the distribution of Patch Tuesday security updates (week “B”). The Redmond house will also continue to publish “out of band” updates, disconnected from a predetermined schedule, should critical flaws emerge (which however, it has happened in these hours). Therefore, some non-priority fixes, usually tested thanks to the optional cumulative updates and then incorporated in the Patch Tuesday, will be distributed with longer times than the classic ones.
