Microsoft's next Windows 10 feature update gets a name: the Windows 10 November 2019 Update – PCWorld, Pcworld.com

Microsoft has made it official: Windows 10 ‘s “ (H2 ”release will now be officially known as the Windows) ************************************************************************** (November) Update.

Microsoft is giving itself plenty of runway with what’s also known as the version 1909 release. Typically, the version number incorporates the month and the year, so that “1909 ”would be assumed to ship in September. That’s the scheduleMicrosoft committed to, anyway. Microsoft hasn’t changed the November 2019 Update’s version number to accommodate the revised shipping date.

Microsoft hasn’t committed to an official rollout date for shipping the Windows (November) Update to the millions of “stable” PCs who aren’t in the Insider testing program, either, though sometime in November is a safe bet.

Brandon LeBlanc, the senior program manager responsible for the Windows Insider Program,wrotethat the Windows (build) . 418 that is currently in the Release Preview ring is anticipated to be the final release. That’s just a notch higher than the current version of the Windows 10 May (Update, which is officially) . 418. (“Because they use the same servicing content, the build revision number (the number that comes after the dot) will always match between May 2019 Update and November 2019 Update, ”LeBlanc explained.)

In part, that’s because the November 2019 Update was revised to be something more akin to a service pack than a full-fledged feature update. We’ve listed thefeatures of the 19 H2 or November 2019 Update here, and compared them against the so-called 20 H1 update, due in early 2020. Given the list of features that’s emerged in the Insider beta builds, Microsoft’s slating 20 H1 to be a more traditional “feature” release. Microsoft also hasn’t said when to expect 20 H1, or whether that will even take place during the usual March, 2020, or some later date.

In any event, while the Release Preview ring has already received the “final” November 2019 Update build , the Insider Slow ring will be migrated to the Windows (November) build in the coming weeks, LeBlanc said. As they normally do, Insiders will have to choose whether to remain in the Slow or Release Preview rings — which will eventually migrate over to the 19 H2 track.

If you’re not in the Insider program and want to test out the (H2 / November) Update, you’ll need to join the Windows (Insider program)Settings>Home>Update & Security>Windows Insider Programand follow the instructions, which involves signing in with a Microsoft account and rebooting your machine to download and install the update. Existing Insiders can switch rings to join Release Preview. Remember, there’s also an option to opt out of Insider Previews once the official “release” flight is shipped to your PC.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Joining the Insider program always involves the potential for buggy software, however, so it’s only for those who understand the risks. Remember that every PC will receive this update in a matter of weeks.

Now, Microsoft has to hope that its November 2019 rollout goes smoothly. Microsoft was scheduled to roll out its Windows 10 October 2019 Update automatically starting October 9, 2018. Several days later, the update (also known as “version 1809 ”)was pulledas reports surfaced of user files being deleted during the installation process. Though Microsoftlater saidthat just 1 percent or so of users were affected, the numbers would have worked out to hundreds of thousands of users .

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As PCWorld’s senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats.