Skip to main content

After a month of bugs, the Windows 10 October 2018 Update is finally here

windows 10 october update
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Windows 10 October 2018 Update initially made its way to the public on October 2, but it was quickly pulled back due to a bug which deleted files for a subset of consumers who were quick to upgrade. After more thoroughly investigating and resolving all of those related issues, Microsoft is announcing the update is now again rolling out to consumers starting Tuesday, November 13.

Just as with prior releases, Microsoft is still encouraging for consumers to wait for the Windows 10 October 2018 Update to properly arrive on Windows Update before proceeding with any installations. This is part of a “more measured approach” which slows the rollout process and enables the company to study the health of all devices before installing the update. According to Microsoft, this also means if the update is not ready for your PC due to any compatibility issues, it won’t show up or install, even if you continue to manually check.

Recommended Videos

To further ensure a bug-free experience, Microsoft also worked on the feedback from its Windows Insiders who were beta testing the update. This is not an uncommon process, and it has been leveraged in the past before the release of the Windows 10 April 2018 Update.

“We have taken time to closely monitor feedback and diagnostic data from our Windows Insiders and from the millions of devices on the Windows 10 October Update, and we have no further evidence of data loss. Based on this data, today we are beginning the re-release of the October Update by making it available via media and to advanced users who seek to manually check for updates,” Microsoft said.

In the event that you want to take the bold step and install the Windows 10 October 2018 Update before Microsoft pushes it to your PC via Windows Update, there are more than a few ways to get it done. You can download an official Update Assistant to get the update early, a process in which we have previously explained. You also might want to consider checking up on Windows Update settings to ensure that you will have the best upgrade (and bug-free) experience once the October 2018 Update is ready for your PC.

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…
PC gamers still prefer Windows 10 over Windows 11
A man stands in front of a gaming PC.

Windows 11 saw a decline in the latest Steam hardware and software survey for July 2024. According to Valve's data, gamers using Microsoft's newer operating system dropped below the 46% threshold. Currently, Windows 11 accounts for approximately 45.81% of all Windows users on Steam, marking a decrease of 0.82% from the previous month.

In contrast, Windows 10 experienced an increase of 0.74%, reaching a 50.16% share. Although gaming performance is generally similar on both operating systems, a recent test by Hardware Unboxed reveals that Windows 10 may offer better performance in certain titles due to the core isolation feature, where memory integrity is enabled by default on Windows 11.

Read more
Here’s how much RAM Windows 11 actually uses
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Upgrading to Windows 11 comes with a few requirements, and that includes a bump in random access memory (RAM). And with Windows 10 nearing the end of support, many users will soon need to consider switching to Windows 11 regardless of how much memory it consumes.

Windows 11, while it introduces a host of new features, may consume more RAM than its predecessor, but the amount of memory that it uses is not universal. Below, we'll explain what RAM is, explore how much RAM Windows 11 actually uses, and how to lower that amount if your PC is having a hard time.
Windows 11: RAM usage when idle

Read more
I gave the Windows Media Player another shot. Here’s what surprised me
Media Player inside Windows 11.

Microsoft has had a strange relationship with local video playback for the past several years. It's one of those features that was caught in the purgatory that was created with the start of Windows 10, as Microsoft hung onto legacy apps like Windows Media Player while trying to push into a new, modern era. We've come a long way since that point, and Windows 11 is the closest to offering a full-featured video player that Microsoft has been in years.

Media Player, the app built into Windows 11 for video and audio playback, has come a long way in the two years since it was introduced. It's surprisingly feature-rich for such a simple application. Even with updates and new additions to Media Player, though, it still falls short of free, open-source options because of two key issues.
The history

Read more