All About Windows 10 Version 1803 aka Windows 10 April 2018 Update

On April 30^th, Microsoft is releasing the newest update to Windows 10 Version 1803. In this update there are some new features that have been added, as well as some features that have been removed. The following discusses the release date and rollout, features and changes with this update, how to get the update, how to delay installation of the update, known bugs of the update, and how to remove Windows 10 Version 1803.

Release Date and Rollout of Windows 10 Version 1803

Microsoft announced that April 30^th will be the release date of this update 1803. Beginning on April 30^th, devices that are deemed ready for the update by Microsoft will start to see the update available. Following these devices, then Microsoft will begin rolling out the update to other devices.

Features and Changes

There are many feature updates available and are listed here. For further description of each however, visit Microsoft’s site. Additionally, this page on ZDNet’s site is also a very good reference. The following is a list of features added

Windows Autopilot
Windows 10 in S mode
Windows 10 kiosk and Kiosk Browser
Windows 10 Subscription Activation
DISM Commands
Windows Setup
SetupDiag
Windows Update for Business (WUfB)
Feature update improvements
Co-management
OS uninstall period
Windows Hello for Business
Accessibility
Privacy
Security Baselines
Windows Defender Antivirus
Windows Defender Exploit Guard
Windows Defender ATP
Windows Defender Application Guard
Windows Defender Device Guard
Windows Information Protection
Office 365 Ransomware Detection
Upgrade Readiness
Update Compliance
Device Health
Microsoft Edge for iOS and Android

The following list is features that are removed in this update:

Groove Music Pass
People Suggestions
Language Control
HomeGroup
Connect to hotspots
Conversations
XPS Viewer

The features removed and alternatives for these features can be found on Microsoft’s site here.

How to Get Update 1803

When you’re ready to update to the newest release the following can be done to get the update. In Windows Update, simply check for updates. If the update is available for your device, it will show up in the available updates. Careful when checking… when checking for updates, once it’s found, it will begin the download process. This will just download the update, but then the update will continue to pop up messages that the update is available and ready to install. If you only want the update – without a clean install – it can be installed by visiting the Windows 10 update site. Simply click on this link and then click the Update Now button. If you’d like to perform a clean install of this version, visit the same site, but choose to create the install media by clicking the Download tool now If using the site to update your device, complete instructions can be found below the installation links.

How to Delay the installation of Windows 10 Version 1803

While Windows 10 Version 1803 was released, you’ll have about 18 months before all other currently supported versions will become unsupported, leaving version 1803 as the oldest supported version. To delay the installation, a couple of things can be done. As a default, Windows Update is set to Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted). This will make your computer one of the first in line to get the update. To delay the update until it’s widely supported on most devices, change the setting to Semi-Annual Channel To do this: Click Start, type Settings, then click on the Settings app Click Windows Update>Advanced Options Under the ‘Choose When Updates Are Installed’ heading choose the drop-down item Semi-Annual Channel If you wish to delay this for a set amount of time, you can also delay this update for up to 365 days. In the same Settings page, set the dropdown for ‘A feature update…’ to any number of days, up to 365. Leave the following dropdown set to 0 to allow for security and other critical updates for the current version. There are several other ways to delay this update, but here we consider them workarounds and don’t suggest them. However, a simple search for ‘How to delay Windows 10 update 1803’ will show many of these workaround ways to delay the installation for longer.

Known 1803 Bugs

The main known bugs as of this writing involve Chrome freezing. There currently are no updates to allow Chrome to operate properly. There have also been bug reports on Reddit groups suggesting that there are many Microsoft applications that are also freezing. This article on COMPUTERWORLD lists some of the other found bugs. Update 5/9: The newest patch for this version has been causing a crash loop.

Windows 10 Version 1803 Removal

As part of this update, also added to this update is the ability to assist in the removal of this update from devices after it’s been installed. You can change the amount of grace period for uninstallation as well as several other options. The default uninstall period is set to 10 days. To make the grace period longer, run the following command from an elevated command prompt or PowerShell DISM /Online /Set-OSUninstallWindow:xx xx represents number of days This command sets the number of days after upgrade during which uninstall can be performed. To remove Windows 10 Version 1803: Go to Settings>Update & Security>Recovery Under “Go back to the previous version of Windows 10,” click the Get started button Choose or type an answer of why you’re going back, and click Next Click No, Thanks on the Check For Updates dialog Review the What You Need To Know section and Click Next Review the Don’t get locked out section – Make sure you know your password – and click next Click Go back to earlier build to begin the removal

All About Windows 10 Version 1803