This month’s Patch Tuesday cycle brought new cumulative updates for all Windows 10 versions released so far, though some are currently being serviced only as part of the LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) since they are out of support.
This is the case of the original Windows 10 version (10240) released in July 2015 and Windows 10 November Update (version 1511), while Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1607) will receive its last batch of updates in April.
Since they were published on Patch Tuesday, these updates are first and foremost focused on delivering security improvements, but other performance and reliability refinements are included as well.
Below you can find the Windows 10 cumulative updates released in March 2018 along with the changes they brought to devices running each specific version:
KB4088776 for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (1709)
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is the most recent version of Microsoft’s operating system, and the company says it’s also the most secure, and this is the reason it encourages everyone to install it.
Also known as version 1709, the FCU is being provided with KB4088776, and the first change you should notice is the updated build number to 16299.309.
Other than that, there are several other improvements, including security fixes for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, the Windows Kernel, and others.
KB4088776 also removes the antivirus check that Microsoft introduced in January and which verifies Windows for a dedicated registry key in order to block updates on systems running incompatible security software.
There are already reports that KB4088776 fails to install on a number of computers, but Microsoft is yet to acknowledge any bug.
What’s new in cumulative update KB4088776
· Addresses issue where Internet Explorer stops working when using F12-based developer tools.
· Addresses issue with printing XML documents with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
· Updates legacy Document Mode cell visibility in Internet Explorer.
· Addresses issue with pinch and zoom gestures on some hardware in Internet Explorer.
· Addresses issue where Internet Explorer is unresponsive in certain scenarios when a Browser Helper Object is installed.
· Addresses issue to prevent media and other applications from becoming unresponsive or failing when upgrading graphics drivers.
· Addresses issue where customers receive "Check your account, you don't own this content” errors when attempting to play or install owned content. This issue can also result in customers getting kicked out of a game in the middle of play.
· Addresses issue where, after installing KB4056892,KB4073291, KB4058258, KB4077675, or KB4074588 on a server, you may not be able to access SMB shared files in directory junction points or volume mount points hosted on that server. The error is "ERROR_INVALID_REPARSE_DATA”. As a result, editing some group policies using GPMC or AGPM 4.0 may fail with the error "The data present in the reparse point buffer is invalid. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80071128)".
· Addresses issue where an AD FS server issue causes the WID AD FS database to become unusable after a restart. This might prevent the AD FS service from starting.
· Addresses issue where, after installing KB4090913, the Mixed Reality Portal may fail to initialize. This results in an “SXXXXXXX-X” error or a “We couldn’t download the Windows Mixed Reality Software” message may appear after the software is successfully downloaded.
· Due to recent work with our antivirus (AV) partners, AV software has now reached a sustained level of broad compatibility with Windows updates. After analyzing the available data, we’re lifting the AV compatibility check for the March 2018 Windows security updates for supported Windows 10 devices through Windows Update. We’ll continue to require that AV software be compatible. Devices with known AV driver compatibility problems will be blocked from updates. We recommend that customers check installed AV software compatibility with their AV provider.
· Security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Desktop Bridge, Windows Kernel, Windows Shell, Windows MSXML, Device Guard, Windows
Hyper-V, Windows Installer, and the Microsoft Scripting Engine.
KB4088782 for Windows 10 Creators Update (1703)
In the case of the Creators Update, also called version 1703, Patch Tuesday comes down to cumulative update KB4088782.
The OS build number is bumped to 15063.966, and as it happens with the Fall Creators Update, the cumulative update lifts the antivirus restriction blocking updates on systems with unsupported software.
Additionally, it also brings security fixes for Windows and the other OS components, like the two browsers, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, the latter being offered as default.
There are no known issues in this update, which is good news to say the least, especially given how big of a fiasco cumulative updates have proved to be.
What’s new in cumulative update KB4088782
· Addresses issue with printing XML documents in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
· Addresses issue where Internet Explorer stops working when using F12-based developer tools.
· Updates legacy Document Mode cell visibility in Internet Explorer.
· Addresses issue where Internet Explorer is unresponsive in certain scenarios when a Browser Helper Object is installed.
· Addresses issue that causes online video playback to stop responding.
· Addresses issue where, after installing KB4056891, KB4057144, or KB4074592 on a server, you may not be able to access SMB shared files in directory junction points or volume mount points hosted on that server. The error is "ERROR_INVALID_REPARSE_DATA”. As a result, editing some group policies using GPMC or AGPM 4.0 may fail with the error "The data present in the reparse point buffer is invalid. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80071128)".
· Due to recent work with our antivirus (AV) partners, AV software has now reached a sustained level of broad compatibility with Windows updates. After analyzing the available data, we’re lifting the AV compatibility check for the March 2018 Windows security updates for supported Windows 10 devices through Windows Update. We’ll continue to require that AV software be compatible. Devices with known AV driver compatibility problems will be blocked from updates. We recommend that customers check installed AV software compatibility with their AV provider.
· Security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Desktop Bridge, Microsoft Graphics component, Windows Kernel, Windows Shell, Windows MSXML, Windows Installer, and Windows Hyper-V.
KB4088787 for Windows 10 Anniversary Update (1607)
Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1607) users need to install KB4088787 for their computers to be brought up to date. Keep in mind that this version reaches end of support next month, so no other updates would be provided after that.
The changelog is not as long as in the case of the updates shipped for newer updates, but it also includes the lifted restriction for antivirus solutions.
There are also security updates for Edge, Internet Explorer, Windows Desktop Bridge, Microsoft Graphics component, and others, as well as minor fixes and refinements for bugs reported by users.
Again, there are no known issues affecting cumulative update KB4088787 and the experience with this update should be flawless.
What’s new in cumulative update KB4088787
· Addresses issue with printing XML documents with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
· Addresses issue where Internet Explorer stops working when using F12-based developer tools.
· Updates legacy Document Mode cell visibility in Internet Explorer.
Addresses issue where Internet Explorer is unresponsive in certain scenarios when a Browser Helper Object is installed.
· Addresses issue that causes online video playback to stop responding.
· Addresses issue where an AD FS server issue causes the WID AD FS database to become unusable after a restart. This might prevent the AD FS service from starting.
· Due to recent work with our antivirus (AV) partners, AV software has now reached a sustained level of broad compatibility with Windows updates. After analyzing the available data, we’re lifting the AV compatibility check for the March 2018 Windows security updates for supported Windows 10 devices through Windows Update. We’ll continue to require that AV software be compatible. Devices with known AV driver compatibility problems will be blocked from updates. We recommend that customers check installed AV software compatibility with their AV provider.
· Security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Windows Search component, Windows Desktop Bridge, Microsoft Graphics component, Windows Kernel, Windows Shell, Windows MSXML, Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Installer, and Windows Hyper-V.
KB4088779 for Windows 10 November Update (version 1511)
Windows 10 November Update (version 1511) no longer receives security updates unless the systems are enrolled in the LTSC branch.
KB4088779 is the update that’s shipped for this version in March 2018, and it includes just three big changes, including a bugfix that restores Internet Explorer functionality when using F12 developer tools.
Additionally, there are security improvements and patches for vulnerabilities in the Windows Kernel, Windows Shell, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge.
No known issues are available for cumulative update KB4088779 either, and at the time of writing this article, we’re not aware of any problems with it.
What’s new in cumulative update KB4088779
· Addresses issue where Internet Explorer stops working when using F12-based developer tools.
· Due to recent work with our antivirus (AV) partners, AV software has now reached a sustained level of broad compatibility with Windows updates. After analyzing the available data, we’re lifting the AV compatibility check for the March 2018 Windows security updates for supported Windows 10 devices through Windows Update. We’ll continue to require that AV software be compatible. Devices with known AV driver compatibility problems will be blocked from updates. We recommend that customers check installed AV software compatibility with their AV provider.
· Security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Graphics component, Windows Kernel, Windows Shell, Windows MSXML, Device Guard, Windows Installer, and Windows Hyper-V.
KB4088786 for Windows 10 original version (10240)
Just like the November Update, the original Windows 10 version is already out of support and updates are only shipped for LTSC on Windows 10 Enterprise.
In this case, the update that brings security and non-security fixes is KB4088786, and it bumps the OS build to 10240.17797.
There are several security improvements, including for the components and apps mentioned above, as well as other refinements, like updates for the legacy Document Mode cell visibility in Internet Explorer.
Of particular note is a fix resolving a bug that corrupted files protected with the Encrypted File System (EFS) during BitLocker decryption or drive encryption.
What’s new in cumulative update KB4088786
· Addresses issue with printing XML documents with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
· Addresses issue with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook integration.
· Addresses issue where Internet Explorer stops working when using F12-based developer tools.
· Updates legacy Document Mode cell visibility in Internet Explorer.
· Addresses issue where Internet Explorer is unresponsive in certain scenarios when a Browser Helper Object is installed.
· Addresses issue where files protected with the Encrypting File System (EFS) may become corrupted during BitLocker decryption or drive encryption.
· Addresses issue where booting with Unified Write Filter (UWF) enabled may lead to stop error 0xE1 on embedded devices, particularly when using a USB hub.
· Addresses issue where IoT devices may stop working because of an “unmountable_boot_volume” error when UWF is enabled.
· Due to recent work with our antivirus (AV) partners, AV software has now reached a sustained level of broad compatibility with Windows updates. After analyzing the available data, we’re lifting the AV compatibility check for the March 2018 Windows security updates for supported Windows 10 devices through Windows Update. We’ll continue to require that AV software be compatible. Devices with known AV driver compatibility problems will be blocked from updates. We recommend that customers check installed AV software compatibility with their AV provider.
· Security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Graphics component, Windows Kernel, Windows Shell, Windows MSXML, Windows Installer, Device Guard, and Windows Hyper-V.
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