This update is now live for version 2004 and 20H2

Dec 9, 2020 19:54 GMT  ·  By

This Patch Tuesday, which this time took place on December 8, Microsoft shipped a new set of cumulative updates for Windows 10 devices, and of course, version 2004 and version 20H2 received its very own pack of improvements.

Worth knowing is that Windows 10 version 2004 and version 20H2 are provided with the same cumulative updates, as the two operating systems share an identical set of system files.

In other words, you’ll get the same cumulative update on Windows Update, and the improvements it brings are the same in both cases. Microsoft explains:

“Windows 10, versions 20H2 and 2004 share a common core operating system and an identical set of system files. As a result, the release notes for Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows 10, version 2004 will share an update history page. Each release page will contain a list of addressed issues for both 20H2 and 2004 versions. Note that the 20H2 version will always contain the fixes for 2004; however, 2004 will not contain the fixes for 20H2. The update history page will provide you with the build numbers for both 20H2 and 2004 versions so that it will be easier for support to assist you if you encounter issues.”

The December 2020 cumulative update for Windows 10 version 2004 and 20H2 is KB4592438, and it increases the OS build number as it follows:  

  • Windows 10 version 2004 – OS build 19041.685
  • Windows 10 version 20H2 – OS build 19042.685

Given it’s a Patch Tuesday release, the focus is first and foremost on security improvements, and Microsoft explains this cumulative update includes security updates for Microsoft Edge legacy (the original version of the browser that has already been replaced by the Chromium-powered sibling), the Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Media, Windows Fundamentals, and Windows Virtualization.

There are no known issues in this cumulative update, though it inherits two of them from the previous patches released by Microsoft, and one of them causes system and user certificates to be lost when updating the device to one of the latest Windows 10 versions.

“Devices will only be impacted if they have already installed any Latest cumulative update (LCU) released September 16, 2020 or later and then proceed to update to a later version of Windows 10 from media or an installation source which does not have an LCU released October 13, 2020 or later integrated. This primarily happens when managed devices are updated using outdated bundles or media through an update management tool such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. This might also happen when using outdated physical media or ISO images that do not have the latest updates integrated,” Microsoft explains.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy workaround for this bug, and Microsoft itself confirms the only way to go is to just downgrade to the previous version of Windows 10 that you used before the update.

However, worth knowing is this is possible only if the update was performed recently (the default timing is 10 days, after which the previous OS installation is automatically removed). Of course, if you manually removed the previous OS, you can no longer downgrade either, so it goes without saying this isn’t necessarily the most convenient workaround right now.

Microsoft says it’s also working on a fix, and this one would be included in updated bundles and refreshed media. The company does claim the whole thing is supposed to go live in the coming weeks, but don’t expect the fix to land earlier than January.

In the meantime, there are no reports of failed installs for this cumulative update, so theoretically, everything should run correctly for everybody.