Serious Discussion Windows 10 version 22H2 reaches final stage before official release

silversurfer

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Microsoft announced this week that it has released Windows 10 version 22H2 to the Release Preview channel; this marks the final stage of development before official release later this year.
Today we are releasing the first preview build of Windows 10, version 22H2. Windows 10 Build 19045.1865 (KB5015878) is now available in the Release Preview Channel for Windows Insider Program for Business participants to validate on devices in their organizations.

The company maintains several development channels that users and organizations may join for testing purposes. Development and testing starts in the Development Channel, moves then on to the Beta channel, before it arrives in the Release Preview channel.

Windows 10 Build 19045.1865 (KB5015878) is the first version of Windows 10 version 22H2 that is available in the Release Preview channel. The build is available for business and home users alike, provided that they are members of the Insider program and in the appropriate channel.
Microsoft has yet to reveal the official release date for Windows 10 version 22H2. The update could land as early as September 2022.
 

oldschool

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Just like Windows 11, Windows 10 22H2 could be getting a boost to Defender right at launch
Last month, Microsoft released its anticipated Windows 11 2022 feature update to the general availability channel. The new release brought with it, among many things, new security features. You can find a list of the changes and improvements made in this dedicated article.

Among the changes, Microsoft also updated its vulnerable driver blocklist and its functionality, which will now be enabled by default on Windows 11 22H2 under the following conditions:

Vulnerable driver blocklist enablement on Windows 10 and 11 vs Windows 11 22H2


Now with Windows 11 22H2 is out of the way, the Redmond giant has turned its focus on the Windows 10 22H2 update, which is anticipated to be heading out soon. This has been confirmed via leaked ISO links that were spotted recently. Microsoft has previously suggested that a "scoped" set of features will be coming and it looks like Defender will be one of the aspects of Windows 10 22H2 to receive some of them.

According to its driver vulnerability block rules documentation that the company updated today, Microsoft is apparently planning to release an updated driver blocklist on Windows 10 22H2. The document says:

The blocklist is updated with each new major release of Windows. We plan to update the current blocklist for non-Windows 11 customers in an upcoming servicing release and will occasionally publish future updates through regular Windows servicing.
This means the upcoming 2022 feature update on Windows 10 could be getting the same treatment as Windows 11 did. Also, the October Patch Tuesday is less than a week away and we could also be seeing the updated driver block-list roll out with it, instead of with the 22H2 release. Either way, the two incidents are unlikely to be far off from one another.
 

Gandalf_The_Grey

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Last month, Microsoft announced Windows 10 2022 Update or 22H2 with a "limited set of productivity features" for those who do not want or cannot update to Windows 11. Now the company says the release is ready for broad deployment. Even though Microsoft has yet to tell more about those mysterious productivity features, we managed to dig out some details about what is new in Windows 10 2022 Update.

Broad deployment is the final rollout phase in the lifecycle of a Windows release. It means more users with compatible computers receive offers to update, not only those daring to press the "Check for updates" button. For reference, Windows 11 2022 Update (also 22H2) is currently available to all who check for updates manually. The initial Windows 11 release (21H2) became ready for broad deployment in May 2022.

You can update to Windows 10 22H2 from version 20H2, 21H1, and 21H2. The process will not take much time or bandwidth since all those releases are enablement packages only and work as regular cumulative updates.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Microsoft is about to stop supporting Windows 10 version 21H1, so users must prepare for a forced upgrade to a newer release. According to the official documentation, Windows 10 21H1 will reach its end of life on December 13, 2022. Version 20H2 went out of support on May 10, 2022.
 

silversurfer

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Will Microsoft release additional feature updates for Windows 10, or is the Windows 10 version 22H2 update the last for the operating system?

Microsoft plans to support Windows 10 until October 14, 2025. The Home and Pro editions of last month's Windows 10 2022 Update release reach end of support on May 14, 2024 according to Microsoft. The Enterprise and Education editions of the Windows 10 2022 Update reach end of support on May 13, 2025. Only Enterprise Long-Term Servicing Channel and IoT Enterprise Long-Term Servicing Channel and Long-Term Servicing Branch editions are supported for longer. Version 21H2 will be supported until January 13, 2032 by Microsoft.

If you look at the dates, you may notice that there is not a lot of room left for future feature updates, provided that these follow the same support lifecycle. The Home editions could see an update in the second half of 2023, which would then be supported until October 2025. The Enterprise and Education editions, on the other hand, have no room left for a feature update that follows Microsoft's current support lifecycle. A 2023 update for Enterprise and Education would push support into 2026 under current terms.

Microsoft could adjust the support lifecycle again, or, decide to make Windows 10 2022 Update the last update for Windows 10, [...] There is still the six months period to consider between support end for Windows 10 version 22H2 and the end of support for the operating system.

Microsoft has yet to reveal its plans, and it seems unlikely that Microsoft will reveal how it plans to proceed in the coming months. I expect an update closer to the potential 2023 feature update release, if it will ever happen.

When you look at last month's feature update for Windows 10, you may come to the conclusion that it does not really matter if Microsoft releases another one. The last was unspectacular and there is a great chance that any other feature update that Microsoft may release will be equally unspectacular. Most Windows 10 customers may not even mind if Microsoft won't release another feature update, considering that it is unclear what the last feature update included.
 

silversurfer

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A few days ago, Microsoft has started offering the next Windows as an Out of Box experience (OOBE) update to Windows 10 22H2 users for the first time.
You may find more information on Microsoft's official website.
 

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