Windows 10: Stuck with no new feature updates?

I have a Toshiba laptop with Windows 10 Home (Japanese edition, but I set the interface language to English), and the last semi-annual big update (apparently called a "feature update") I received was 1803, installed in June 2018. Small updates still happen - my "OS build" is 17134.829. Last autumn I was happy that I had not yet been upgraded to 1809 when that devastating bug was discovered, but even after that was fixed and the rollout resumed, 1809 never came to my computer, nor has 1903. I prefer to keep my distance from the bleeding edge of any software, but I'm starting to wonder if my Windows is somehow "stuck".


I don't want to click "Check for Updates", because of the warning in this article, and I wonder if even the "1903... Download and install now" link would have the same side effect. As I said, I'm happy to let versions be in the wild awhile and get debugged before they come to me, so I don't want Microsoft to think I'm anxious for early releases. In fact, I dread the feature updates because they usually change something I don't want changed, or change some of my settings back to factory defaults for no apparent reason.


But it's not healthy to wait too long, and who knows - maybe there is something I'll like. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever get my two long-desired changes: (1) more obvious warning when Windows is going to restart due to small updates (I don't mind restarting, but I want to do it myself because I normally keep lots of stuff open - I usually don't know about the forced restarts until after they have happened, which is infuriating), and (2) control of window border width like Windows 7 had (one pixel is way too thin for me, as it's hard to grab the edge and hard to distinguish foreground and background - as a workaround I use the undocumented Aero Lite theme, which includes a thicker border on three sides, but I'm sure someday that will no longer work).


Does anyone know if it's possible that something is stuck regarding the feature updates? How concerned should I be?

:)

 

Intel E5200 Gets Updated, R0 Stepping Coming Up

Intel's Pentium Dual-Core E5200 processor is getting on course for a specifications update. The chip will feature in a new, improved Wolfdale-2M core, spec'd out as the R0 stepping, from its current M0 stepping. The new stepping is intended to add new instructions, power-management features, and bring about changes in the chip-package. A short list of known changes is as follows:

• CPUID changed from 10677 to 1067A
• Power State Indicator (PSI) support with Intel 4 series chipsets
• New instructions - XSAVE and XRSTOR
• New S-spec and MM numbers
• New halide-free chip package

Due to the changed CPUID, users may require BIOS updates to detect the CPU. According to the company, E5200 R0 should be out by April 13.

Source: TechConnect Magazine

 

XBox 360 dashboard gets 125 new features

The next Xbox 360 update is coming along nicely. The download should take less than a minute and will be available to all Xbox 360 Live users. The feature list is quite long, so I suggest you click on the following link for the entire list:Xbox update.

Source: DailyTech

 

Intel Updates Core 2 Quad Q9550 to E-0 Stepping

We continue our Monday news list with another Intel story that brings to our attention information concerning the company and more specificly its 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad Q9550 chips that will move from the current C-1 to the newer E-0 stepping. The updated chips will start selling on August 22nd, featuring the following changes:

• New SSpec and MM numbers for the converting products
• CPUID will change from 0x10677 to 0x1067A
• Package change to Halide free package

Apart from that, the new stepping CPUs will not include any other changes. Of course, like most new stepping parts a BIOS update will be needed.


Product Change Notification 108663 - 00

Source: TechConnect Magazine