Zak Doffman
Contributor
Zak Doffman writes about security, surveillance and privacy.
Nov 13, 2024,05:24am EST
Updated Nov 13, 2024, 05:28am EST
More bad news for millions of Windows 10 users
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A busy few weeks for Microsoft users continues, especially for the 850 million Windows 10 holdouts, who can’t, won’t or at least haven’t yet made the move to Windows 11. We finally have confirmation of extended support for home users—to add to enterprise options, albeit that will cost $30 and is for one year only. But there’s also an alarming hint that a Windows 11 upgrade could be taken out of your hands.
In confirming the deployment of patch KB5001716 to Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs, Microsoft warns that “when this update is installed, Windows may attempt to download and install feature updates to your device if it is approaching or has reached the end of support for your currently installed Windows version. Feature updates offer new functionality and help keep your device secure.”
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It’s entirely possible that today’s auto-installed feature update may become tomorrow's auto-installed upgrade—in the interests of security. At least not yet—but Microsoft does warn in its advisory that post this update, “Windows may periodically display a notification informing you of problems that may prevent Windows Update from keeping your device up-to-date and protected against current threats.”
According to Neowin, “[Microsoft] has been quietly installing this update on both Windows 11 and 10 systems after the Patch Tuesday of October 2024.”
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