Windows 10 20H2 KB5001391 Cumulative Update Preview Released

silversurfer

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Microsoft has released the optional KB5001391 Preview cumulative update for Windows 10 2004 and Windows 10 20H2.

This cumulative update is Microsoft's April 2021 monthly "C" update that allows users and admins to preview the upcoming fixes scheduled for release in the forthcoming May 2021 Patch Tuesday.

With this release of this preview update, Microsoft is rolling out the new News and Interests taskbar newsfeed feature, which will become available to everyone during the May 2021 Patch Tuesday updates.

Otherwise, this preview update only contains bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features and does not include any security updates.
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The Windows 10 KB5001391 preview update
You can install the update by going into Settings, clicking on Windows Update, and selecting 'Check for Updates.' As this is an optional update, you will then be required to click on the download and install button.

The good news is that Microsoft is now combining the latest servicing stack update (SSU) with cumulative updates, which means you do not have to install the SSU update first.

However, if you attempt to install the preview update and receive an "0x800f0823 – CBS_E_NEW_SERVICING_STACK_REQUIRED" error, you should first install the most recent standalone SSU (KB4598481) and try installing the cumulative update again.

What's new in Windows 10 KB5001391​

After installing this update, Windows 10 2004 will be updated to build 19041.964, and Windows 10 20H2 will be updated to build 19042.964.

The Windows 10 KB5001391 cumulative update preview includes 24 improvements or fixes. Below are the highlighted fixes and improvements with this update:
  • With this release, Microsoft brings the News and Interests taskbar news feed to Windows 10 2004 and Windows 10 20H2 that allows you to see the latest news directly on your desktop.
  • Fixes an issue that causes blank tiles to appear in the Start Menu after installing a new version of Windows 10.
  • Let users change the idle time before a Windows Mixed Reality headset goes to sleep.
 

Gandalf_The_Grey

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silversurfer

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Why you should not install KB5001391 or any other optional update

KB5001391 is an optional update. Microsoft releases these to collect Telemetry data to discover issues before the update is released on the second Tuesday of the following month.

While organizations and administrators may use the update for testing, it is generally not a good idea to install the update on production machines.

Preview updates should be considered beta, which means that they may introduce new issues on machines running Windows 10.

Preview updates caused all kinds of issues on devices in the past, from bluescreen errors and crashes to performance issues.

Microsoft lists known issues on the support page of the update. For KB5001391, three issues are listed that are all long-standing.

Final update releases, e.g. those on the second Tuesday of a month, may also introduce issues, but Microsoft is fixing issues in updates released for preview before these updates are released as final versions for all devices running Windows 10.
Reasons for installing optional updates

Optional updates should not be installed on most Windows 10 devices. There are legitimate reasons for installing these updates:
  • For testing purposes -- The optional updates give system administrators about two weeks to run tests before the final version of these updates are released. It is helpful, as it enables administrators to make sure that the update installs and runs fine on systems, or to spot issues quickly to prevent the installation of updates until the issues are fixed-
  • For fixing purposes -- All optional updates include fixes for issues that users may experience when they work on Windows 10 devices. Bugs that affect users critically may be fixed by these updates, and it is often a good idea to install these to resolve the issues about two weeks before the final update release.
 

mlnevese

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I have two machines in the Preview Release of Insiders. For some reason the machine with Windows 10 Pro has the News & Interests taskbar but the one with Windows 10 Home doesn't. Both are fully updated.
 
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Stopspying

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I have two machines in the Preview Release of Insiders. For some reason the machine with Windows 10 Pro has the News & Interests taskbar but the one with Windows 10 Home doesn't. Both are fully updated.
I don't have the answer to your particular situation, but, I've installed Win 10 on the same machine(s), using the exact same installation version and media in a short timespan (several days max) and the initial setup has had variations. I don't recall exactly what the differences were now, my memory is getting foggier, but I'm wondering if its something similar that has occurred with your two preview release machines.
 

Digmor Crusher

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Just got news feed yesterday, installed the day it came out. Also, yesterday I stopped using Firewall Hardening.. coincidence or not, only the Shadow(Andy) knows. ( insert evil laugh here).
 

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Windows 10 KB5001391 update causes News & Interests display issues​

Microsoft has confirmed a known issue causing the text on the "News and Interests" Windows Taskbar to get blurry after installing recent Windows 10 updates.

"After installing KB5001391 or later updates, the news and interests button in the Windows taskbar might have blurry text on certain display configurations," Microsoft said.

Impacted platforms include only the following client Windows versions: Windows 10, version 21H1; Windows 10, version 20H2; Windows 10, version 2004; Windows 10, version 1909.

Microsoft is currently working on fixing this issue, with a resolution to be provided in a future Windows release.
 

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