Slowly but surely Windows 10 has been getting better and the sizeable Creators Update due this month will improve matters further. But the biggest (and, for some, deal breaking) problem at the heart of the operating system has surfaced again…
This week Microsoft MSFT +0.31% pushed out a mysterious driver for Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 and it immediately began causing problems.
Listed only as “Microsoft - WPD - 2/22/2016 12:00:00 AM - 5.2.5326.4762” users were left confused as to what it did or what to look for to correct the problem. BetaNews quotes a Microsoft forum post user saying it "is the driver for Windows 10 Mobile devices" and Windows blogger Günther Born claims it is an Android driver.
And this is where Windows 10’s worst feature struck.
Windows 10 is getting better but there is still a problem at its core with now it handles updates. Image credit: Microsoft
For Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users the faulty driver was not a problem as it is an optional update that had to be manually installed. But Windows 10 owners didn’t get that luxury as the operating system installs all driver updates automatically and without warning.
Furthermore Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users who did accidentally install it can simply rollback their systems to a previous restore point, but Windows 10 does not create restore points automatically and the feature has to be manually enabled. This means affected users are in a lot more trouble.
The good news is Microsoft has been quick to acknowledge the problem. The company took to Answers Forum to admit:
“An incorrect device driver was released for Windows 10, on March 8, 2017, that affected a small group of users with connected phones or portable devices. After installation, these devices are not detected properly by Windows 10, but are affected in no other way. We removed the driver from Windows Update the same day, but if the driver had already installed, you may still be having this issue.”
Windows 10 will give you more control over your updates in the Creators Update but that doesn't help users with bad updates. Image credit: Microsoft
And this is the problem in a nutshell. Windows 10’s permissive approach to updates has the benefit of keeping Windows 10 computers up to date, but it also relies on Microsoft getting every update and driver release 100% bug free for thousands of PC hardware combinations. Mistakes do happen and Windows 10 Home users in particular have no easy way to protect themselves.
The good news is the Windows 10 Creators Update will bring a little more control to Home users with the opportunity to delay updates. But until Microsoft trusts users enough to give them full control over what their computers can and cannot install (more than the Metered Connections hack), those wedded to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are unlikely to be ungrading any time soon…
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