Many were looking forward to the launch of the new Windows 10 update, codenamed Redstone 4, but it appears as if the release is being pushed back due to a bug that can cause a blue screen of death.
The targeted release date for the new Windows 10 update was April 10th, but a bug that was discovered at the last minute that can lead to a blue screen of death meant pushing the release back further. Rather than releasing a cumulative update to fix the bug, Microsoft took a rather unusual approach by issuing a new build rather than the typical path of patching the issue through Windows Update.
Microsoft’s Dana Sakar commented on the issue, saying that “In certain cases, these reliability issues could have led to a higher percentage of (blue screen of death) on PCs for example…Instead of creating a Cumulative Update package to service these issues, we decided to create a new build with the fixes included.” At this point in time, we don’t have any idea why the blue screen of death bug was occurring with this new build of Windows 10, but it’s good that Microsoft is taking quick action to address the issue.
The update is rolling out as a preview build to the Windows 10 Insider team, a group of testers that receive pre-release builds in order to test things and make sure features are implemented without any major issues. Addressing the blue screen of death problem before releasing the new Windows 10 update is obviously a major priority, and the new build offers fixes for the problem in addition to preparing a path for the introduction of brand new features.
Sources have told the Verge that the current build is the last version of the new update, meaning that we’ll soon see a public rollout of Redstone 4 – hopefully within the coming weeks. While Microsoft has not officially named the update (despite using the term “Spring Creators Update” in materials several times) sources state that it will be called the “Windows 10 April 208 Update,” according to a video discovered by Microsoft aficionado WalkingCat. However, it’s possible that the blue screen of death bug could push this new release into May, making the title a little inaccurate.
As far as the features being introduced in the new Windows 10 update go, we’ll see new additions like Timeline – a feature which gives users the capability to jump back to what they were doing at an earlier point in time – and Nearby Sharing, allowing simple sharing of files and links between PCs and smartphones. These two new features are the biggest additions to Windows’ new operating system, but there are a number of other introductions as well. Updates to the Windows 10 Defender for the Pro system should give IT professionals less of a headache by making web browsing more secure, and various bug fixes and stability issues should make for a more stable operating system overall. Also coming with the new Windows 10 update are further support for dictation, HDR support, and new Fluent Design changes. One major focus of the new release will be tabbed apps, making it easier to navigate through your programs while using your PC.
While we don’t have a ton of specific details on what is launching with Redstone 4, we’ll likely learn more about the specific features mentioned above during the Microsoft Build developer conference being held in May.
While Windows 10 has been out for quite some time and many are wondering at what point we’ll see a new operating system, Microsoft has stated in the past that they’re looking to keep the current release around for quite some time. The company has arrived at a formula that works well for them, and feature-rich updates like this upcoming build should help prolong the longevity of what many consider one of the best operating systems in recent history.
We’ll have to keep an eye on the Insider program as well as other official Microsoft outlets for more information on the blue screen of death fix as well as the final release of this new build, but it shouldn’t be too long before we have our hands on Redstone 4.
