14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just released a new Windows 10 cumulative update to insiders in the Dev channel, but this, the goal isn’t to introduce further enhancements that would then make their way to the production channel but to actually help test the servicing pipeline.
For production devices, Microsoft rolled out new cumulative updates earlier this week as part of the October 2020 Patch Tuesday cycle.
On the other hand, this update that is live today in the Insider program is supposed to help Microsoft test the servicing pipeline, therefore it doesn’t include any new features.
The new cumulative update is KB4587587, and it increases the OS build number to 20236.1005. To see what OS build you’re running, just click the Start menu, type winver, and then compare the numbers in the dialog with the one here.
“We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 20236.1005 (KB4587587). This update does not contain new features and is designed to test our servicing pipeline,” the Windows Insider Twitter account announced today.
On the other hand, it looks like Microsoft has also added two new known issues for build 20236, with the company explaining that both are under investigation and fixes are already on the way.
We’re investigating GPU Compute scenarios, such as using CUDA and DirectML, not working inside of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Windows Insiders on ARM PCs such as the Surface Pro X will notice that Windows PowerShell will fail to launch on this build. As a workaround, please use “Windows PowerShell (x86)” or “Windows PowerShell ISE (x86)” from the Start menu if you need to use PowerShell. Or download the new and modern PowerShell 7 which takes advantage of ARM by running natively. Plus the icon is prettier.
Windows 10 build 20236 was originally released earlier this week, and one of the biggest changes was the addition of a Settings page for refresh rates in the operating system.
“You can now go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings and change the refresh rate of your selected display. A higher refresh rate allows for smoother motion. The presented refresh rates can vary with the supported hardware on your device,” Microsoft said.
One particular fix that is welcome in the latest build concerns the Office productivity suite, as Microsoft said that in some cases, apps like Word and Excl crashed or even went missing completely after installing Windows 10 build 20236. Microsoft said it fixed this behavior, while also revealing that it implemented two important improvements for the Windows Defender antivirus as well:
We fixed an issue that could result in the icon next to “Scan with Microsoft Defender” (when right clicking a file in File Explorer) being very small or large. We fixed an issue where the icon next to “Scan with Microsoft Defender” when right clicking a file wasn’t updating to reflect high contrast when high contrast was enabled.
The new cumulative update that is released today to insiders in the Dev channel comes alongside a series of other changes, including the evolve Emoji Picker and the updated touch keyboard design, both now available for all testers.
If you are enrolled in the Dev channel of the Windows Insider program, you can download the new cumulative update today from Windows Update. The other channels in the program are already on Windows 10 version 20H2 build, as this is the next feature update to be released to the OS. Microsoft says the final build has already been completed and the public launch should start this month.