Skip to main content

That monthlong delay in Windows 10 Insider updates? There’s a reason for that

It’s been over a month since the last Windows 10 Insider update to the Fast Ring, with Build 14986 on December 7. While you might expect a bit of a delay for the holidays, MSPoweruser explains that there’s just a tiny bit more to it than that.

The site reports that Dona Sarker, the leader of the Windows Insider Program at Microsoft, said in a Feedback Hub post that “if the current build was released now there would be issues updating to the next one, which may require a full re-install, a less than ideal situation.” Full re-installs are never on the list of fun things to do, so this makes sense. Her post stated:

Recommended Videos

“Many of you have been asking about getting a new build this week. Unfortunately, we don’t have a good candidate to release to you right now. We have hit an issue with N + 1 updates (the update path going forward from one build to another).”

She also says that the hangup in question appears to have been resolved, and they hope to have a new build ready for this coming week (Windows Latest says it could arrive as early as this Tuesday following the completion of internal testing). Neurogadget.net says that the upcoming Build 15002, doesn’t come with dazzling new features — but there are a few new things to keep users interested. “Users have noticed a new toggle in Windows Update, which allows them to prevent drivers from automatically being updated via Windows Update, while ‘Continue App Experiences’ feature will be renamed to ‘Cross-Device Experiences.'”

Sarker’s post conveys a sense of reassurance as she continues, “We have a commitment to never leave our community in a bad state if we can help it. We certainly don’t want to release a build that would leave Insiders stuck and requiring a reinstall of Windows to get back into a good state.”

Brinke Guthrie
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brinke’s favorite toys include his Samsung Galaxy Tab S, Toshiba Chromebook 2, Motorola Moto G4, and two Kindles. A…
Windows 10 security risks are now more of a reality for users
Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating system logos are displayed on laptop screens.

It appears more and more Windows 10 users may be finally ready to let go of the legacy operating system ahead of the end of its life status on October 14. Microsoft has been urging system users to update to the latest Windows 11 software before that date and after months of ignoring the call, tens of millions of users are now opting in to the update.

Figures from StatCounter indicate that the percentage of Windows 10 usage has now dipped below 60% for the first time with 58.7% of global users running the system as of February 2025. Meanwhile, stats for Windows 11 are slowly creeping up toward 40% with 38.2% of global users running this version of Microsoft’s OS.

Read more
Windows 10 KB5051974 update adds a new app without asking
A Dell laptop with Windows 10 sitting on a desk.

Microsoft has released the KB5051974 cumulative update for versions 22H2 and 21H2, adding security fixes and patching a memory leak. However, as Bleeping Computer reports, the update also includes a surprise: the new Outlook for Windows app.

The update is mandatory because it includes the January 2025 Patch Tuesday security updates. Once you install it, you will notice the new app icon near the classic one in the Start Menu's apps section. Since the new app can operate concurrently, you don't have to worry about interfering with the old one.

Read more
Microsoft is cracking down on unsupported Windows 11 installs
A Dell laptop with Windows 10 sitting on a desk.

A support document showing users how to install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs was deleted sometime in the past two months. Its disappearance, noticed by Neowin, echoes Microsoft's recent "year of the Windows 11 PC refresh" rhetoric, encouraging (or forcing) users to buy new PCs that meet Windows 11 hardware requirements.

When Windows 11 launched in 2021, Microsoft announced that it was adding TPM 2.0 as a hardware requirement -- a move that was met with plenty of resistance. To soften the blow, Microsoft also published a support document detailing how users could edit their registry key values to bypass the TPM 2.0 check.

Read more