Microsoft forces Windows 10 users to version 1903

Windows 10 updates are like fast food: There’s waiting involved, there’s miscommunication, there’s trepidation, and you already know going in that there’s going to be issues with it. Oh, and when you open the lid it never looks as good as it did in the picture.

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It’s been a rocky year for Windows 10, and updates that sound great before you install them turn out to be yet another minefield. It’s no surprise that many users don’t want to update at all, or choose to hold off until the last minute out of mistrust. You can only get burned so many times. Microsoft’s also gotten a lot of flack for being annoyingly insistent when pushing their updates (even when users opted out of receiving them). The company has recently acquiesced and made updates starting with 1903 optional (unless a version you’re on stops being supported), but surprise, surprise – this build has issues, too.

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Good-bye, 1803

A Windows 10 version wouldn’t be complete without some kind of roadblock, but that’s not the red flag today. It’s that Microsoft has begun pushing its 1803 users on to the troublesome 1903. Starting on November 12, 1803 will no longer be supported, so 1903 will be the only way to go from that point on. This forced update is hitting Pro and Home editions already “to help ensure adequate time for a smooth update process,” the company claimed in a support document.

Why Microsoft is pushing 1903

As for why the company is making such an aggravating decision, they’re presenting the same argument as usual: “Keeping these devices both supported and receiving monthly updates is critical to device security and ecosystem health.” In other words, if you’re not on the latest patch, you’re not receiving the latest protection. It sounds logical until you consider the new problems that 1903 brings with it.

The problem with 1903

There’s a litany of issues with the 1903 build that are still being investigated, such as:

• An unresponsive display brightness
• Graphic issues with some of its apps and games
• A black screen that pops up when you initiate Remote Desktop connection
• A literal error message that pops up when you try to start up the Windows Sandbox

For a full list of problems you might run into, check out Microsoft’s bug list here. According to Microsoft’s own news site, there are more than 800 million devices that use Windows 10, an estimated half of which will be affected by the aforementioned flaws.

Thank you to all our customers and partners for helping us achieve 800 million #Windows10 devices and the highest customer satisfaction in the history of Windows. https://t.co/G3CRdkFoPT pic.twitter.com/je9kvBvYhj

— Yusuf Mehdi (@yusuf_i_mehdi) March 7, 2019

We see what you did

The switch to 1903 won’t become mandatory until November, but it’s the principle of it that bothers us: For a hot minute there, we thought Microsoft was listening to its users. Not having to update until your current version isn’t supported anymore? Very cool. But it won’t matter if they start cutting support for older versions earlier! Nice loophole, guys.

Stay tuned with Softonic for more info about 1903 as it’s made available, and learn what steps you can take to keep your OS healthy.

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