As Windows 10 version 19H2 or v1909 continues to roll out Insider Preview testing is under way for the next incarnation which will be launched in Spring 2020. The minor update that appeared in November was celebrated by many but we are back to a major update for the next release. Many are hoping the pattern will be followed with a minor update in the Autumn and a major update in the Spring instead of 2 major updates a year but Microsoft haven't confirmed whether the minor update was a one off or new pattern. I think one major update a year is enough but that's just my opinion. Many people will have noticed that whilst the name is v20H1 during the build and testing phase that the final release will be called v2004. This breaks with the tradition of ending the names with XX03 and XX09. I suspect this is simply because the new versions are never available for release in March and September and therefore they have changed to April with a view to releasing it on time.
As usual there are a large number of improvements and rather than write about all of them I have just focused on those that are of most interest to Home users or a Technical Support person like myself. The first feature that caught my eye is the creation of a banner on the Home Page of the Settings App. If you are logged on with a Microsoft Account and have a photo uploaded this will be be included along with your name and a link to your Microsoft Account. There are also shortcuts to Windows Update and Onedrive with a status indicator showing whether everything is up to date. If all is good you will see a reassuring green tick.
A feature that I frequently use is the Disk Cleanup tool. I often get called out to look at Computers that are 100% full and this is a good starting point to free up a small amount of space that then allows me to install other programs for a more comprehensive clean up. The Utility was changed by Microsoft in Windows 10 v1809 to include Downloads and many people both experienced and inexperienced promptly cleared their Downloads when they realised how much space they could free up. They then regretted this action at a later date because whilst there is inevitably lots of junk in a Downloads folder some people leave Music and Pictures in there that they have failed to move to other folders and then of course it is gone. Anyway the change that Microsoft have made in v2004 is to remove Downloads from the list of items that can be cleaned up. This ensures you cannot make the same mistake. If you are not sure where Disk Cleanup is then just open File Explorer and right click the mouse on the C: Drive and choose Properties.
An interesting new feature is a Cloud Download for reinstalling Windows. This only comes in handy when you are having issues with your Computer and you decide to do a reset. It is inevitable that when you do this that if you use a locally stored copy of Windows 10 that it will be out of date whereas if you use the latest version from the Cloud it could save you having to do a lot of updating afterwards. You receive a message advising you that a Cloud Download could be more than 4GB so be aware that you may be in for a long wait if you don't have high speed Broadband. If you do want to do a reset and don't know how then navigate to Start then Settings, Update and Security and then Recovery. You will then see an option to reset your Computer.
The new feature that is likely to generate the most excitement is Passwordless sign-in. However, this is really just a bit of a facelift for something that is already there. Many people will already logon with a PIN as part of Windows Hello or use a fingerprint sensor or face recognition rather than a password. The change is really just a radio button where you can choose to force Passwordless logon. The new switch is found by accessing Start then Settings, Accounts and then Sign-in page. An interesting development of this feature is that you can now sign in to Safe Mode using a PIN created via the Windows Hello feature. Safe Mode always used to require a password and people that have been using a PIN for a long time can struggle to remember it, which causes a problem in the event they require Safe Mode.
Windows 10's search feature has received an improvement to try to speed it up. In the early days of Windows 10 the Search feature didn't work very well and then Microsoft made a change in v1903 by turning back on the old search indexer that used to run in the background. However, this is known to monopolise resources particularly Disk and CPU while it compiles its Database of Search items. Microsoft discovered that many of its testers turned the feature off in order to have a faster Computer. Their solution to the problem is therefore to create some parameters for the program which determine when it can and can't run. It now doesn't run in the following circumstances. When gaming mode is on, when power saving mode or low power mode is on, when the CPU usage exceeds 80%, when Disk usage exceeds 70% or Battery life is below 50%.
The new feature that I am looking forward to is an improved Network Status page. All the information was available before but in multiple places and now you can get a good overview in one place. This will be very handy when diagnosing Network problems. For example it is not always immediately apparent if somebody has a cabled connection and has also connected to wi-fi at the same time. All this information is now in one place. You can also see the Data usage on this page and this may be of interest to those with a restriction on the amount of Data that they can use. The new page can be found by by navigating to Start then Settings, Network and internet then Status.
The final item for this article is that further testing has been taking place on linking mobile phones and Computers. As this is Microsoft we are talking about the feature only applies to Android phones running version 7 or later. Using the Your Phone App you will be able to make and receive calls on your PC. The good news is that if this feature goes live it will be backdated to those running Windows 10 v1903 and v1909 so you don't necessarily have to update to v2004 to get it.
If you have any questions on the above or Churchdown Computers can help with any of your other Computer requirements then call Mark on 07557 483438, e-mail mark@churchdowncomputers.co.uk or fill out the form at the bottom of theContact page.
