Skip to main content

Windows 10 error messages are finally about to become more useful

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’ve ever come across a problem in Windows 10, you’ve likely been faced with a string of error code or pointed to a knowledge base article that is hard to understand. Well, that is about to change. Microsoft has heard the complaints and is updating one of the most common Windows 10 upgrade error messages to be much more helpful, as first reported by German blog Winfuture.

Recommended Videos

Starting with the April 2019 Update, Microsoft will be adding new “Learn more” hyperlinks to an error code if there happens to be an issue with an incompatible application during a Windows 10 upgrade process. As Microsoft’s example from its Windows Insider Webcast shows above, there also will be a chance to directly resolve the problem from within the installer. It will now suggest for you to update any troublesome applications without having to uninstall.

Previously, in the October 2018 Update, this same upgrader only provided the visual cue of uninstalling the app, going back, or refreshing if an error came across. This all means you won’t have to pick up your phone or log into another computer to look up a KB knowledge base article and see what error is holding back your update. You’ll now be linked directly to a quick fix, eliminating most of the guesswork and frustrations as to what went wrong.

The change is one of the many consumer-friendly features coming in the Windows 10 April 2019 Update, still code-named 19H1. Microsoft is separating Cortana from search, allowing for the company to innovate on each feature independently. The update also introduces the ability to uninstall more of the stock apps inside of Windows 10, including 3D Viewer, Calculator, Calendar, Mail, Movies & TV, Paint 3D, Snip & Sketch, Sticky Notes, and Voice Recorder. As for privacy, the update adds an icon in the taskbar to show which apps are listening in on your microphone.

As its name suggests, the Windows 10 April 2019 Update is scheduled for a release sometime in April. Last year’s April 2018 Update was pushed out on April 30, so look out for a release around that same time this year. Microsoft has had a bit of trouble with updates recently, and a series of bugs forced it to pull back the release of the October 2018 Update.

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Microsoft is making a major change to using your iPhone in Windows
The Dell XPS 13 on a table with the Start Menu open.

In a recent Windows Insider Blog post, Microsoft announced it's adding the option for iPhone users to access their phones from the Start menu. Thanks to a special widget next to the Start menu, when you connect your phone, you can see data such as notifications, battery indicators, recent contacts, connection status, and more.

To enjoy this feature, you must use the recent Windows 11 preview build from the Dev and Beta channels, and you must be a Windows Insider. You must also update the Phone Link app to version 1.24121.30.0 or higher, have a Microsoft account, and have a PC that supports Bluetooth LE. Microsoft said it does not support PCs running Pro Education or Education SKUs. Even if this doesn't affect you, the update is rolling out in phases, so reaching your PC might take some time if you don't already have it.

Read more
Microsoft is axing support for its own apps on Windows 10
The Surface Laptop 7 on a table in front of a window.

Microsoft has announced that support for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 will end this year on October 14, as reported by The Verge. This is also the end-of-support date for Windows 10 as a whole, but the move is still a little surprising considering that Microsoft is now offering the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) Program.

Anyone who joins this program for $30 can continue to safely use Windows 10 for a whole extra year -- so you might think that Microsoft would let them continue to use the Office apps too. That said, it's not like the apps will disappear, they just won't receive any more updates. According to Microsoft, this could cause "performance and reliability issues over time" but whether these issues will pop up within the ESU program's duration or not is anyone's guess.

Read more
Another frustrating reason to upgrade to Windows 11
A person looking frustrated at a laptop while sitting at a table.

As if you didn't already need plenty of reasons to finally upgrade to Windows 11, here's yet another.

The latest Windows 10 update, version KB5048239, isn't just failing to install -- it's actually updating successfully over and over again. This is the update that Microsoft first released in November 2024 on 21H2 and 22H2. As TechRadar reports, the software giant is rereleasing it again this month.

Read more