Next Windows update takes ‘only 30 mins’ says Microsoft

Microsoft

claims it has slashed the amount of time it takes for Windows updates to install, letting you start using your computer again quicker than before.

Its Spring Creators Update, expected on 10 April, will take an average of 30 minutes to install. This is because fewer elements will be installed during ‘offline time’, which is when you can’t use Windows.

It means that the ‘online time’ of installation will take longer, though you can use your computer as this happens because the changes take place in the background. During the ‘online time’ Windows downloads the new update, creates a temporary installation folder, and prepares to move data files.

Writing on Microsoft’s blog ( www.snipca.com/27366), senior program manager Joseph Conway said most users won’t notice the ‘online’ installation because it “won’t have a large impact on a device’s battery life or system performance”.

Conway added that the company was responding to users who have complained that previous installations took too long. He said installing the Creators Update (version 1703), released last April, took an average of 82 minutes, while last autumn’s Fall Creators Update (1709) took 51 minutes.

Postpone the update

These updates, released twice a year, are called Feature Updates. They are large updates, adding new tools and moving settings (see page 58), and therefore require multiple reboots.

They are different to the smaller Quality Updates, released on the second Tuesday of every month (known as ‘Patch Tuesday’), which are mostly security fixes and are quicker to install.

In his blog post, Conway explained that two processes had been added to the ‘offline’ phase of the installation: ‘User

content is prepared for migration’ and ‘New operating system is placed into a temporary working directory’.

Previous updates have caused such problems that many users have upgraded to Windows 10 Pro to take advantage of its option to defer updates for a year. At £219, the Pro version costs £100 more than Windows 10 Home.

Home users can delay a pending update, but for only up to seven days. Click Start, Settings, ‘Update & security’, then click ‘Restart options’. Under ‘Schedule a time’, click the switch to turn on the option, then choose a time and/or day from the options.