Woody Leonhard
Columnist
Woody Leonhard is a columnist at Computerworld and author of dozens of Windows books, including "Windows 10 All-in-One for Dummies." Get the latest on and vent your spleen about Windows at AskWoody.com.
Patching waters finally look calm; now is a good time to install the November Windows and Office patches
With the buggy Win10 version 1803 cumulative update officially yanked, two bad Office patches pulled, and the Win10 1809 forced upgrade momentarily defanged, the coast is clear to install November’s patches. Here’s what you need to...
Nine weeks later, Microsoft resumes its ill-fated Win10 1809 rollout — but only for seekers
The worst version of Windows in recent memory, Windows 10 SOND 2018 Update, just received its first cumulative update in more than three weeks. The fifth version of the “non-security” update, KB 4469342, was released late yesterday....
Microsoft, acknowledging Win10 1803 update blue screens, offers limited remediation
The cumulative update turns the Surface Book 2 into a quivering pile of blue screen mush. A week after pushing the patch, Microsoft acknowledges the problem, tells blue screen beneficiaries to pull the patch, and promises it won't...
Win10 version 1809 gets yet another jolt, fourth KB 4469342 now runs build 17763.168
While Win10 1809 is back in the garage getting fixed, we have news of yet another cumulative update, which brings the test build number up to 17763.168. Other than a new acknowledged bug in 1809, we have no documentation, but Win10...
Microsoft Patch Alert: After months of bad news, November’s patching seems positively serene
After a disastrous month of patching in October, Microsoft seems have finally decided to slow down and get its Windows 10 (version 1809) patch routine right.
New cumulative updates for Win10 1803 and 1709 — and a taste of what might be right in 1809
Yesterday saw the usual Fourth Tuesday barrage of Win10 cumulative updates, with all currently supported versions getting a jab, except Win10 version 1809. With 1809 we got a look at expected fixes, while the testing pot still...
New beta-test version of Win10 1809 arrives, and — mirabile dictu! — it’s in the Release Preview ring
Once again, Microsoft brings hope to avid Windows watchers as it uses the correct, defined method to test build 17763.167 of Win10 1809. Remains to be seen if this is a fly-by-night fix for a hastily pushed patch, or a sign that the...
Heads up: A ‘critical’ Win7/Server 2008 patch coming in February/March that’s really critical
Microsoft is changing its method for electronically signing patches from an old approach known as SHA-1 to the much more secure SHA-2. If you want to continue to get Win7, Server 2008 and WSUS security patches, you need to install a...
Microsoft yanks two buggy Office patches but keeps pushing one that crashes
On Friday afternoon, Microsoft pulled KB 4461522 and KB 2863821, two non-security patches that trigger Entry Point errors in various Office 2010 products. Security patch KB 4461529 is still being distributed, in spite of acknowledged...
Kudos to Microsoft: Resurrecting the Release Preview ring for Win10 1809 brings 17763.165 to heel
Somebody at Microsoft deserves a medal. There’s a new, test version of the next Win10 1809 cumulative update floating around – KB 4469342 – and it’s being distributed through the Insider Release Preview ring. That is precisely where...
