We have previously reported on certain problems going on with the November update, and it looks the company is doing more to help its customers transition to Windows 10. There are some new patches for both Windows 7 and Windows 8 that will attempt to fix some of those problems with Windows 10 as well as other bugs.
This week, Microsoft has released two updates that contain improvements to the software that handles the transition from your current version of Windows to Windows 10, according to CNET. These updates, known as KB3112343 for Windows 7 and KB3112336 for Windows 8.1, enable "support for additional upgrade scenarios from Windows 7 [or 8.1] to Windows 10, and provides a smoother experience when you have to retry an operating system upgrade because of certain failure conditions. This update also improves the ability of Microsoft to monitor the quality of the upgrade experience."
InfoWorld states that the documentation is so sparse it's impossible to tell if the patches offer anything at all to users who don't intend to upgrade to Windows 10. These updates are optional for users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, and acquiring them requires the user to open the Windows Update feature on their PC and then select and install the appropriate update for your version of Windows.
Once the patch is installed, it should be easy to upgrade to Windows 10, either by going through the frequent pop-up messages or listing as an optional update. These new updates also support Windows Server 2012 R2 (Release 2) and Windows Server 2008, but these server versions are designed for larger organizations, and not the general public.
This November Update was supposed to allow both Windows 7 and 8 product keys to be used even for clean installations, but there were problems found. Bugs have been reported like machines that instantly wake after sleeping, excessive processor usage by the Mail app, the lock screen failing to hide the full desktop and more.
Microsoft has stated that "once these customers installed the November update, a few of their settings preferences may have inadvertently not been retained." The issue is with this type of upgrade is that Windows Setup is supposed to transfer or migrate all user settings to the new installation.
As for the November update, there has just been some news of some developments on Neowin. This new update brings the OS version up to 10586.17, but it isn't quite clear what has been applied or fixed with this new patch. This update, named KB3116908, applies only to systems update to version 1511, otherwise known as the November update.
To get this update, all a user needs to do is go into the All Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and then hit the "Check for Updates". It is possible that Windows 10 will automatically apply it. You will need to reboot your system afterward.
