Windows 10: Windows 11; Microsoft is testing an option to install preview updates automatically

Microsoft is testing a way to install preview updates for Windows 11 automatically. The feature is currently available in the Canary Channel of the Windows Insider Preview Program.

In case you missed it, the Redmond company recently announced the Canary Channel for users who like to test builds that are fresh-out-of-the-oven. The channel will receive updates more frequently, which in turn will allow users faster access to experimental features.

What are Windows C and D Updates


Windows B releases are commonly referred to as Patch Tuesday updates, which are typically released on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. These are available for all users in the stable channel of Windows 11 and 10, and ship with bug fixes and security patches. Refer to Martin's article for additional information on the topic.

Windows C Updates, on the other hand, are optional, cumulative updates (also called quality updates) that do not contain security fixes. These are usually released in the third week of a month for older versions of Windows. Windows D releases are released a week later, i.e., in the 4th week, for newer versions of Windows 11 and Windows 10.

If you check for updates manually in the Windows Update section of the Settings app, you may have noticed that Cumulative Update Previews show up from time to time. These are the preview updates from the C and D releases, but unlike regular Windows Updates, these preview packages are not downloaded and installed automatically.

Windows 11 will allow users to install preview updates automatically


This is what the experimental feature is changing, by allowing users to decide whether they want to get the updates early, and install them automatically. For now, the option is available exclusively in the Canary Channel, in Build 25314 to be precise. WinAero reports that while the feature exists in Canary Build 25309, it requires the Update Stack Package version 1101.2303.8011.0 to work.

PhantomOfEarth says that the name of the feature is 'ContinuousInnovationOptin'. They also shared a screenshot of the option.



How to enable automatic installation of preview updates in Windows 11


1. Download the ViveTool utility, and extract its contents to C:\ViveTool.

2. Open a Terminal window with administrator rights.

3. Paste the following command in the Terminal.

C:\ViveTool\ViveTool /enable /id:43132439

4. Press Enter and the utility will enable the feature.

5. Restart the computer, and open the Settings app > Windows Update. You should now see an option that says "Get the latest updates as soon as they're ready for your PC".

You may toggle the option to set Windows 11 to download and install the preview updates automatically.

Note: I tried this in the latest Dev Channel Build, it doesn't work.

I think it goes without saying that these preview updates could be buggy, so we don't recommend enabling the option on your primary computer when it is eventually rolled out to all users. But if you are on the Canary Channel of Windows Insider Preview, I'd argue that you might as well enable it, as it may fix some bugs in what is considered to be unstable builds of the operating system.

Do you install cumulative update previews on your computer?

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windows automatic updates

i have some questions about the windows automatic updates in windows xp pro w sp/2. ive got about forty updates they recommend , mostly for security but i only installed two today. after installing them i found them in my add/remove programs in the control panel, if i add all these updates that is a lot of space on my hd almost 1 gig. i thought that updates just updated files and not created new programs. should i innore all these update suggestions from microsoft?

 

Microsoft to push automatic Windows 10 upgrades in 2016

"Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be automatically rolled out next year to all users of its older operating systems who have selected to receive updates.

Until now, users of Windows 7 and 8 have needed to register to upgrade to Windows 10. But that's about to change: soon the OS will be listed as an 'Optional Update' and -- from 2016 -- a 'recommended' update that will automatically install itself, if users have opted to receive updates in that way.*Shadedshun :shadedshu:

You can opt out of automatic updates to avoid this, but Microsoftsays that "we strongly discourage this in today’s connected world because of the constant risk of internet threats". You can also change your Windows Update settings to install critical updates but not recommended ones. Although it's still going to be possible to avoid installation, Microsoft seems quite determined for everyone to be using Windows 10 in near future.


The roll-out of reserved updates was initially staggered but, according to Microsoft, now Windows "will automatically kick off the upgrade process once you have made a reservation".

As an intermediate stage, Microsoft says that it will "soon" publish Windows 10 as an optional update, not installed by default, but accessible to all users."

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive...rade-to-be-rolled-out-automatically-next-year

 

Microsoft to Test Windows 7 Update System

Having propagated Windows 7 RC to a sizable amount of users, Microsoft has created an ideal environment to test the operating system's update system. To test it, Microsoft will release up to ten mock updates this week, starting from Tuesday. The updates do not affect the system in any way, except that they are used by Microsoft to test how the update system itself is able to deal with the various kinds of updates to the OS and its components, in various scenarios generated by people's different hardware configurations and software environments.

These however, won't be the first updates Windows 7 RC received so far. On May 7, Microsoft released a critical-update that fixes an important stability issue with the 32-bit version of Windows 7 RC. Most mock-updates will install automatically. A certain mock-update will also test a notification feature. This particular update will not install automatically, but rather the user will be prompted to install it (which is what is being tested). To decline from testing the updates, users must toggle Automatic Updates to a setting other than what the OS recommends. Under the hood, the mock-updates simply replace system files with their exact duplicates that are downloaded, hence the system isn't affected in any way. Tests such as these will help Microsoft come up with a much more stable OS when it finally releases.

Sources: WindowsTeamBlog, PC World