Windows 10's "Spring Update", 2020 edition

Windows 10 version “2004” is scheduled to release on May 28th according to current timelines, and will be the latest in a twice annual upgrade cycle for Windows 10. Let me explain how this will affect your computers (users with older/cheaper computers will want to upgrade sooner), and what you’ll want to watch out for to avoid disrupting your productivity.

Windows 10 has adopted a biannual release cycle for major updates to it’s operating system. Each of these updates are supported for 18 months from their release (an exception being Windows 10 Enterprise customers, who are supported for 30 months on some releases), meaning that we can expect Windows 10 computers to all be running the same base operating system code released within the last 18 months. In the past, Windows used to release patches frequently, with individual patches release for each component of windows, with 20-30 updates coming out every month. This led to additional software unreliability, as one computer may have 270 of the latest updates installed, but be missing 1 critical update from 3 years ago that a new software application is counting on being present. Microsoft has greatly simplified things with “cumulative updates” being released containing patches for large sections of Windows 10/Windows 8.1. This means that as long as you have the latest cumulative update, you have ALL of the updates for that version of Windows 10. There’s no more inconsistency where some machines have this patch for the printing subsystem, but others do not.

Back to Windows 10 “Feature Upgrades”, which are biannual. These major updates introduce new changes to Windows 10, including new features, and often work to further simplify the operating system and adjust to technology changes over time. This is similar to “service packs” back in the days of Windows 7 and earlier, where major elements of the operating system would change all at once, making a new operating system effectively. With Windows 10 2004 (named for it’s targeted release date of 2020, in April 04), Microsoft is introducing several major changes.

#1. Indexing optimization for improved system performance. The indexer reads and catalogs the contents of all of your files on your system to allow you to search for and find content easily. Older computers and cheap computers without Solid State hard drives would typically run slower during these indexing scans, resulting in slow computer response and decreased battery life on laptops. Windows 10 2004 will significantly change the indexer, allowing it to intelligently determine idle periods suitable for indexing without impacting your experience.

#2. Bluetooth Pairing improvements. Pairing should be easier and less disruptive with Windows 10 2004, requiring less visits to the settings panel to connect your bluetooth devices.

#3. Virtual Desktop changes. Virtual desktops are retained over reboots, and can be named for specific tasks or projects.

There are other changes related to searching, Cortana (Microsoft’s voice assistant similar to Siri or Google Assistant) and more. As with any Windows 10 update, it can help to be patient and evaluate the update on a variety of systems prior to deploying it across all of your systems.