Windows 10’s October 2018 Update Is Almost Back, Just in Time for Halloween

As Halloween approaches, Microsoft is set to unleash the October 2018 Update on the world once again. This time, Microsoft is sure it won’t delete your files. Microsoft has fixed two different data loss bugs in the original “stable” release.

On October 30, 2018, Microsoft released build 17763.104 Windows 10 October 2018 Update to Windows Insiders in the Slow and Release Preview rings. The “Release Preview” ring is the final step that occurs before Microsoft releases the update to everyone, so that means it’s almost done. Unless any other show-stopping bugs are found, the October 2018 Update is on the cusp of final release.

This latest build fixes the nasty bug that could result in data loss when working with .zip files. Microsoft has also fixed a few other bugs, including issues with incorrect information being show in the Task Manager. And, of course, Microsoft has already fixed the huge problem where Windows 10 was deleting folders full of some people’s files.

Windows 10’s October 2018 Update will likely start rolling out to everyone at some point in the next week or two. We recommend always having up-to-date backups of your files, just in case. If you have Professional edition of Windows 10, you can also delay the update. But, if you have a Home version of Windows 10, all you can do is avoid clicking “Check for Updates.” (Seriously, Microsoft has said you shouldn’t click that button!)

It’s good to see Microsoft actually using the Release Preview ring this time. The October 2018 Update was originally released during a press event, and Microsoft skipped the normal Release Preview process completely. What could go wrong, right?

As Ars Technica has argued, the Windows 10 development process is flawed. Big bugs like this shouldn’t be making it to average Windows users. Microsoft has laid off or reassigned so many of its internal testers, and so much testing is done by Windows Insiders.

Even worse: Most Windows Insiders would never dare install these builds on their primary PCs. In fact, Microsoft recommends against it. That means new versions of Windows 10 don’t get enough real-world testing before they’re unleashed on unsuspecting users.

For now, it looks like Microsoft finally fixed the October 2018 Update’s problems. But Microsoft should have gotten it right the first time around.

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