Windows 10 Gets Forced Update

Microsoft is to forcibly upgrade computers running a version of Windows 10 that's about to stop being supported. It's billed as a way to keep users "protected and productive."

The update will cover consumer devices plus "non-managed business devices" running Windows 10 version 21H2. That was the version with the major feature update in the second half of 2021. (Source: theregister.com)

The move should only affect users who have switched off automatic updates, which is why the forced update won't be to everyone's taste. The chances are that many people in this position have deliberately avoided automatic updates, for example because they would rather wait until new versions of Windows have been used by the general public for some time so that they can see if any new bugs are revealed.

Security Patches Stopping

Microsoft says the move is necessary as it's about to release the last security patch for computers running Windows 10 21H2. That creates the unusual situation that a new computer bought in late 2021 could be unprotected from security vulnerabilities barely 18 months later. According to Microsoft, getting monthly security patches is "critical to security and ecosystem health." (Source: microsoft.com)

The forced update appears to be Microsoft's way of avoiding a common dilemma by which it doesn't want to stop issuing security fixes for widely used versions of Windows, but people have less incentive to stop using those versions while they are still getting security updates.

Out Of Hours Access

Microsoft hasn't said exactly when and how it will do the forced update, but it did remind users they have two ways to influence when updates happen. Both involve selecting "Start -> Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Update" and then selecting "Change active hours".

One option here is to manually select active hours, such as when the computer is usually in use. The other is to have Windows automatically set and adjust the active hours based on the actual use pattern.

In both cases the idea is that Windows will carry out automatic updates (apparently including any forced update) outside of these hours. Users who choose the manual settings can only select active hours up to a period of 18 hours, so there's no easy way to game the system here.

What's Your Opinion?

Do you know what version of Windows you run? Is Microsoft right to automatically update people to a version that will receive security updates? Should users have the right to block updates completely?