Windows 10: Microsoft reveals how Cloud Download reinstalls Windows 10

Windows 10’s 20H1 update (version 2004) will have a Cloud Download feature that has the potential to recover your desktop or laptop from a corrupted installation of the OS.

If you’ve ever had to reinstall or reset Windows 10 due to performance and technical issues, you know that the process required extra time and an uncorrupted Windows installation. If the OS installation files are corrupted, you cannot reset Windows 10 and you have to use an ISO image for a fresh install.

Currently, Windows 10’s reinstallation uses Windows image that shipped with your laptop and it could be months old. Microsoft says the standard recovery feature may require you to install the cumulative and other updates again after performing a system reset.

According to Microsoft, these problems will be addressed when Windows 10 version 20H1 releases in spring 2020.

How Windows 10’s Reset process works


Windows 10 currently includes a “Reset your PC” option that is a faster and more convenient way to reinstall Windows 10.

Windows 10 assembles all the system files it needs for reinstall when you reset the PC and it doesn’t require a recovery partition from the PC’s manufacturer.

With Windows 10 Cloud Download, Microsoft is addressing all the drawbacks of the traditional reset method. Rather than using the existing system files, Cloud Download feature instructs Windows to download the installation files from Microsoft’s servers.



As a result, you’ll get back to Windows 10 faster and reset process will not fail even when the previous installation is corrupted. During the process, Microsoft installs the most recent version of Windows 10 with the latest cumulative update fixes.

According to Microsoft, Windows downloads the files before booting into the Windows Recovery Environment. During the installation, Windows will gather the drivers from your current Windows 10 installation, so everything will be up and running after the process completes.



It’s also worth noting that Windows Cloud Recovery will apply OEM customizations and it will not remove bloatware on your PC. Microsoft has stated that users need at least 2.82GB of internet data (WiFi or cellular) to reinstall the OS via the cloud.

Recovery Environment




If your Windows PC isn’t booting properly, you can also use Cloud Download from the Windows Recovery Environment, also known as the boot options menu.

To use Cloud Download, you’ll have to head to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and select “Get Started” option under Reset This PC section. After going through the traditional options such as ‘keep your files’ option, you can choose Cloud Download and Microsoft will reinstall Windows 10 for you.

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[Solved] Windows 10 keeps reinstalling KB3119142

I noticed quite some time ago that KB3119142 (Update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Update 4 Redistributable Package) kept reinstalling itself for some reason. At least once daily. Sometimes up to several times a day. I just ignored it. It didn't seem to be doing any harm. And I figured they'd eventually fix it. Well...days turned into weeks, weeks into months, with no end to the problem in sight. It dragged on unsolved for at least the last few months. Literally reinstalling itself hundreds of(at least a hundred, felt like more) times in that period of time.

So I finally googled it a couple days ago. And just got around to fixing it today. Which appears to have worked. And it couldn't have been easier to do. I feel so stupid to have let it intimidate me for so long.*Oops!

Below are links to the thread that I got the fix idea from, and the official MS support info page for KB3119142(from which I quoted the above).
http://www.tenforums.com/windows-up...-windows-10-keeps-reinstalling-kb3119142.html
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3119142

 

Microsoft Reveals Windows 10 Variants

Microsoft revealed the six variants in which its next operating system, Windows 10, will ship in. The company decided to unify the Windows 10 brand across its PC, workstation, and handheld platforms. For PCs, workstations, and tablets running x86 processors, the lineup will include the Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Education, and Windows 10 Enterprise.

Windows 10 Home has everything a home and small-business user could ask for (including PC gamers and enthusiasts). It will include the Edge web-browser (so your post-install waltz to Chrome or Firefox websites is a few seconds faster), Microsoft Cortana voice-based assistant, richer Bing integration, Microsoft Hello face-recognition software, and support for biometric login methods. Gamers get DirectX 12 out of the box. Users of Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 8/8.1 get a free upgrade to this edition.





Windows 10 Pro adds features for power-users, such as advanced data protection, remote- and mobile-access, additional cloud features, and remote management for medium-sized businesses. Users of Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Windows 8/8.1 Pro get a free upgrade to this edition.

Windows 10 Education is a brand new SKU designed for schools, colleges, and universities. It will come with features to meed the needs of educators (teachers, management, exam-controllers, computer labs, etc.,). This edition will be sold through specially priced volume licensing to entire counties, groups of institutions, and universities.

Windows 10 Enterprise will be designed for desktops and workstations in a very-large enterprise environment, in which individual machines are expendable, and user data is centralized and portable between machines. It will come with advanced networking, data-security, and remote management features.

In addition, Microsoft is readying two variants of its operating system for smartphones and tablets - Windows 10 Mobile, and Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise. Windows 10 Mobile will be targeted at consumer smartphones, and will have a rich feature-set for communication, social-networking, and productivity; while Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise will be designed for devices given by companies to their employees, with access to privileged information and services.

Unfortunately, and breaking tradition, Microsoft didn't disclose box-art, marking Windows' transition from optical disc media, to one that's distributed by any which way possible, while Microsoft only sells licenses (keys). The company already gives away ISO disc images and USB flash drive install media creation tools for Windows 8.1 on its website; while selling licenses.

Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro, will be offered as free-forever upgrades to users of equivalent variants of Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1, if they upgrade within the first year of Windows 10 launch. Those using pirated Windows 7 may find the upgrade "free," but Microsoft has a slew of anti-piracy measures in store, which kick in after the upgrade.

Microsoft could dramatically change the way it monetizes Windows, in the near future. Gone will be the static $100-ish licenses, and the company will sell Windows as a service, much like Office 365. You choose your desired variant, and pay for using it, monthly or annually. We imagine unpaid installations suffering a worse fate than merely not getting software updates - the OS could become unusable after a "grace period," until you pay up.

On the upside, the monthly or annual fees for each edition could end up quite cheap. Also, the version will no longer be relevant. Microsoft will keep adding big new features every so often (which you normally expect from new versions that require you to buy new licenses). Windows will sell a lot like Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Windows 10 will be released in July, in 111 languages, and in 190 countries.

 

Microsoft Selects Dolby Audio for Windows 10

it would've been great if microsoft added HEVC decoders, LAV filters along with other codecs with Windows 10, and developing WMP to be better than VLC, KMPlayer and such sorts of media players.

Nevertheless, this is good step for microsoft, by far.