14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has already shipped Windows 10 version 20H2, or the October 2020 Update, but the company keeps working on refining the experience even further, so a few hours ago, it officially launched build 19042.608 to users in the Release Preview and Beta channels of the Windows Insider program.
Windows 10 build 19042.608 lands as cumulative update KB4580364 available via Windows Update, so the focus is on fixing issues and refining the performance overall and not on new capabilities.
First and foremost, this new build brings Meet Now, a new feature that debuted earlier this year and which allows users to start a call via Skype without the need for an account or anything else, right to the taskbar.
“Earlier this year we introduced Meet Now in Skype. Meet Now makes it easy to connect with anyone in as little as two clicks for free and each call can last up to 24 hours. Today, we’re excited to share that we will be extending this capability in Windows 10 by bringing Meet Now right to the taskbar. In the coming weeks, you will be able to easily set up a video call and reach friends and family in an instant by clicking the Meet Now icon in the taskbar notification area. No sign ups or downloads needed,” Microsoft announced.
There are several other improvements in this build, and many of them are aimed at business users. For example, this update resolves an issue that prevented some Windows Virtual Desktop users from searching for files using File Explorer, while also addressing a problem causing some apps to work improperly.
For consumers, one of the most important changes concerns the DiskPart utility, which now displays recovery partitions, and Microsoft says it also resolved the incorrect CPU frequency displayed for certain processors in Windows 10.
There are also additional refinements for Remote Desktop Services users in this update.
“We fixed an issue that occurs when you first sign in to an account or unlock an existing user session using Remote Desktop Services (RDS). If you enter an incorrect password, the current keyboard layout changes unexpectedly to the system default keyboard layout. This keyboard layout change might cause additional attempts to sign in to fail or lead to account lockouts in domains with low account lockout thresholds,” Microsoft explains in the official changelog.
The update also introduces new VPN refinements, and these improvements come just at the right time, as more people are now working from home, and thus connecting to their work networks is mandatory.
“We fixed an issue with virtual private network (VPN) connections that use Secured Password (EAP-MSCHAP v2) for authentication and have enabled the “Automatically use my Windows logon user name and password” property. When you connect to this type of VPN, an authentication dialog box incorrectly prompts for your credentials,” the company says.
You can check out the release notes of this cumulative update in full in the box after the jump.
Windows 10 October 2020 Update is now available for production devices, though the rollout happens in stages, as Microsoft first wants to make sure that everything is running correctly on all configurations and only then releases it to everybody.
In other words, only some devices can download the October 2020 Update today via Windows Update, and Microsoft has promised to release it to more computers in the coming weeks. For now, if you’re running Windows 10 version 1903 or later, you can just head over to Windows Update and manually check for updates to see if the new release is already available for you.