Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

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ChrisGreaves
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Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by ChrisGreaves »

My Windows is Win10 20H2 and I see that 21H2 is about to be released. And Win11 has been released. I ran WinVer again a few minutes ago.
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A month ago I froze updates after requesting that all outstanding updates be installed. I believed that I had brought everything up to date, but if my “20H2” represents something in the year 2020, then I was not brought to a 2021 version of Win10.

If I have interpreted the Wikipedia table correctly, my Win10 Pro version is an “Older version, still maintained”, which suggests that if I had not blocked updates, I would be receiving periodic (fortnightly?) updates until “May 10, 2022”.

The table suggests that 21H1 was released in May 2021 and if so, a month ago, when I told WUMGR “Go For It!” to Windows Updates why wouldn’t I have been upgraded to 21H1 ? Too, the table suggests that 21H1 would then be kept up to date until December 13, 2022.

I think that this is unrelated to WUMGR/GPE since WUMGR is a front-end for GPE and/or registry settings.

So, 21H2 is on its way, released “November 2021”; my theory is that IF (today) I unblocked Windows Updates and asked for everything I would soon be at 21H2 (not that I will do that, I am still trying to understand update versions and in particular how it is that I didn’t get up to date a month ago).

If my interpretation is correct, Win11 means that, before too many years have passed, the Wikipedia Win10 table will turn completely pink and then vanish.

Thanks in anticipation for ant clarification/correction
Chris
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StuartR
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by StuartR »

I think that Windows spaces out offering major updates, so just running windows update once probably isn't enough. Here is what I see for the current release of Windows 10.
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by ChrisGreaves »

StuartR wrote:
05 Nov 2021, 09:44
I think that Windows spaces out offering major updates, ...
Thank you, Stuart.

"spaces out" as in "introduces a delay measured in days/weeks/months"? Do you think that a month is a long enough wait?

So, in the interests of science, I might see what happens when I
(a) re-enter WUMGR
(b) allow updates
(c) run updates
(d) disallow further updates.

Cheers
Chris
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StuartR
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by StuartR »

I think that the delay may relate to the amount of downloading that they currently have active, but I don't actually know how this works.
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by JoeP »

If you run Windows Update and are not offered 21H1 then your system may have something blocking 21H1. Usually, that is outdated drivers. Maybe you have a registry setting causing it to not be offered.
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by ChrisGreaves »

JoeP wrote:
06 Nov 2021, 22:45
... your system may have something blocking 21H1. Usually, that is outdated drivers. ...
Thank you, Joe.
Interesting!
This sounds as if I have some control over Windows Update (well, Upgrade to Win11 at any rate) just by stubbornly refusing to update some other software - in the example you use, drivers.

I have not heard of this before, but it sounds like a sort of "keystone" (in the arch), a foolproof way to maintain a stable platform

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Chris
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by StuartR »

Keeping an insecure version of a critical device driver is hardly the best way to "maintain a stable platform"
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by ChrisGreaves »

StuartR wrote:
07 Nov 2021, 18:24
Keeping an insecure version of a critical device driver is hardly the best way to "maintain a stable platform"
:hairout: :laugh: :scratch:
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! But don't forget that my great-grandparents were <your favorite nationality here>

As I was composing the post I knew that it wasn't right. I mean, it was a fact - in that sense it was correct, but I was left feeling that I should do a Google search for "cutting off your nose to spite your face".

I shall see which critical drivers are not yet updated and try again after my next system backup.
Thanks again
From Chris
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Jay Freedman
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by Jay Freedman »

On the AskWoody forum, you can (even without membership or logging in) view Susan Bradley's post https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/6 ... ture-rele/ of registry entries that can lock you into a specific Windows version.

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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by JoeP »

Remember, when a particular version of Windows 10 is about to go out-of-support Microsoft will force an update to the newest Windows 10 version.
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

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JoeP wrote:
09 Nov 2021, 15:30
Remember, when a particular version of Windows 10 is about to go out-of-support Microsoft will force an update to the newest Windows 10 version.
Hi Joe.
I can't remember that - because I didn't know it until you mentioned it.
How does that work?

If today Win10 won't update because my drivers are not updated, then does Win10 say tomorrow "Tough luck, man; you are going to get the latest Win10 even though I couldn't give it to you yesterday because your drivers are out of date"? That would leave me with much-newer code coupled with much-older drivers, and out of synchronization worse than I had yesterday, and that seems like a much worse combination.

If I have denied Win10 the update option, by GPE or WUMgr or whatever, does Win10 blindly ignore my needs/wants and just steam-roller right over Me?

Thanks
Chris
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by ChrisGreaves »

Jay Freedman wrote:
07 Nov 2021, 23:57
On the AskWoody forum, you can (even without membership or logging in) view Susan Bradley's post https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/6 ... ture-rele/ of registry entries that can lock you into a specific Windows version.
Thanks Jay.
" It will keep your system at that specific release until it is end of life on that platform." Susan doesn't say what happens at end-of-life; Joe suggests that I am going to get the latest Win10 on that day come you-know-what.

Another comment reads "Hi Susan. I used your link to download and execute the file which changes my registry for keeping my Win10 at 21H1." which reads a bit like my state of mind up to the time that I read Joe's comment.

From my point of view I *want* to stay on a stable platform as long as I can. Although I see no pressing need to go to Win11, by my argument I don't want to go beyond 20H2 until I have to because something related to Word2003/VBA is truly broken. Apart from security updates, of course.

And i suppose that some security updates will require updated Windows DLLs or similar, so I will have to update beyond 20H2 to get the new DLLs to stay secure.

AskWoody/Bradley are very good at highlighting problems with upgrades, most of which don't affect me at all. I have no network, no printers. I sometimes feel as if I am a glorified Radio Shack MC-10 (grin)
Thanks
Chris
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by JoeP »

If Microsoft tries to force the upgrade but you have something blocking the update, the update will fail. I suppose WU will keep trying and failing.
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Understanding (or not!) Win10 version identifiers

Post by ChrisGreaves »

JoeP wrote:
12 Nov 2021, 15:15
If Microsoft tries to force the upgrade but you have something blocking the update, the update will fail. I suppose WU will keep trying and failing.
OK. Thanks Joe.
I will, as we say in the trade, wait-and-see.
Cheers
Chris
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