Windows 10 May 2019 Update Brings Triple Trouble

The latest Windows 10 update, which is rolling out now, has thrown up at least three highly reported problems for users. The most significant is that some computers are losing WiFi access.

The Windows 10 May 2019 update affects some computers which have a Qualcomm WiFi adaptor and don't yet have the latest driver for it. A driver is a small piece of software that helps a hardware device or component interact with an operating system.

Some users in this situation have suffered what Microsoft is calling an "intermittent loss of WiFi connectivity." It's responded by blocking the update from installing on machines that also have an outdated Qualcomm driver.

Microsoft says that all users have to do is get the latest driver from Qualcomm and then the automatic Windows update will run as normal. It warns against manually installing the Windows 10 May 2019 update before getting the new driver as this will likely cause the WiFi problems. (Source: betanews.com)

Update Doesn't Always Install

Meanwhile some users whose use AMD processors are finding the Windows 10 May 2019 update doesn't install at all, and instead freezes up before anything happens. Again, Microsoft says it's a driver problem and getting the latest system chipset drivers from AMD should get the update running smoothly.

The third problem isn't with the Windows 10 May 2019 update itself, but rather to a patch designed to fix the update. The patch is currently being tested with the Windows 10 Insider program, which is a select group of users willing to run Windows 10 beta software before it gets released to the general public.

Sandbox Feature Blocked

In this case the patch has caused a particularly embarrassing problem by stopping Windows Sandbox from working. That's a recently added feature in the Windows 10 May 2019 update that lets users run software in a completely isolated way so that any bugs or security problems don't affect the rest of the machine. This could be a very beneficial feature if testing software from an unknown source to see if it contained malware. (Source: theinquirer.net)

Taken individually, none of these are dramatically disastrous problems, but it's building up into a pattern of failings with the updates. In particular, Microsoft seems to be repeatedly thrown by discovering many users don't always have the latest drivers installed. While this would be the case in an ideal world, Microsoft may have to find a way of dealing with this reality.

In some cases, users have opted to block Windows 10 May 2019 update altogether, and wait a while until any major bugs have been dealt with.

What's Your Opinion?

Do you think Microsoft has a fundamental problem with its updates and testing? Do you actively make sure all your hardware drivers are up to date? Should Microsoft scan for drivers and warn users of potential problems before activating a Windows update?