14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 version 2004, or May 2020 Update, is still being rolled out to devices across the world gradually, despite the first wave of computers actually getting it in late May.
Needless to say, it’s pretty clear that the Redmond-based software giant is clearly taking its time with this update, so the company just wants to make sure that everything is running as smoothly as possible for everybody.
And this is why the rollout advances slower than anticipated, and while most people expected the general availability to be announced by September 1, here we are today with Microsoft acknowledging a new bug in Windows 10 version 2004 and setting up a new upgrade block to prevent some devices from getting it.
More specifically, the problem this time affects the Internet connection when certain LTE modems are being used. Microsoft says that devices that are affected by this glitch could no longer be able to connect to the Internet.
“After waking from sleep or hibernation, certain WWAN LTE modems might show no internet in the Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) in the notification area and might be unable to connect to the internet,” the Redmond-based software giant explains.
Of course, devices that come with the said hardware are no longer recommended to upgrade to version 2004, and Microsoft has also enabled an upgrade block to make sure Windows 10 May 2020 Update isn’t offered via Windows Update.
What this means is that if your computer is equipped with the affected modem that could hit the error described here, you shouldn’t see Windows 10 version 2004 showing up on Windows Update. On the other hand, other download methods continue to be available, so you can bypass the block by simply upgrading your device using stand-alone ISO images and a bootable USB drive.
Microsoft strongly recommends against using this way to get around the block, as the device could end up hitting issues that would prevent it from going online.
“We recommend that you do not attempt to manually update using the Update now button or the Media Creation Tool until the safeguard is removed,” the company says.
“To safeguard your update experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on Windows 10 devices with affected WWAN LTE modems drivers installed from being offered Windows 10, version 2004 until the issue has been resolved. If your organization is using Update Compliance, the safeguard ID is 28428232.”
On the other hand, worth knowing is that devices hitting the error described here can actually go online by simply toggling the airplane mode on and off. As weird as this may sound, simple enabling and disabling airplane mode resolves the issue, sometimes temporarily until you reboot the device, and while it’s not necessarily the most convenient workaround, it’s still an easy way to continue connecting to the Internet until a fix lands.
“To mitigate this issue if you are already on Windows 10, version 2004, you can enable then disable Airplane mode. To do this, you can select the Start button, type airplane mode and select it. In the settings dialog, toggle Airplane mode on then off again. You should now be able to connect as expected,” Microsoft says.
The good news is that the software giant is already working on a full fix for the bug, and the company says that the patch should go live in mid-September. Most likely, the next batch of cumulative updates would resolve the bug, and these could be part of this month’s Patch Tuesday cycle, which is due on September 14.