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Windows 10 2004: New update fixes all these problems, says Microsoft

Microsoft chips away at the issues causing it to block the Windows 10 May 2020 update for some PCs.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

Microsoft has released an optional update for Windows 10 version 2004 that addresses a long list of bugs affecting the functionality of PCs, including several driver issues that caused Microsoft to block the feature update on some machines. 

This update brings a fix for an issue in certain LTE modems that prevented devices from reaching the internet after updating to Windows 10 version 2004, also known as the Windows 10 May 2020 Update. Microsoft fixed a similar problem in the optional update for Windows 10 versions 1909 and 1903 earlier this month.  

The new preview update, KB4568831, brings Windows 10 version 2004 up to build 19041.423. It's also the precursor to an update due out in mid-August that should allow Microsoft to lift compatibility holds on devices with drivers from Nvidia, Intel and Realtek, which were discovered to have problems immediately after Microsoft released the feature update.

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One fix in KB4568831 addresses an issue that caused Magnifier to stop working in Excel and stopped Excel from working. Microsoft also notes that 4K high dynamic range (HDR) content was being displayed "darker than expected when you configure certain non-HDR systems for HDR Streaming". That issue should now be fixed. 

Other glitches fixed include one that caused the Settings page to close unexpectedly, preventing default applications from setting up properly, as well as a bug that stopped some applications from printing to network printers. 

There are two fixes for recent problems affecting Storage Spaces, Microsoft's RAID-like data protection software. Microsoft confirmed user reports over problems with Storage Spaces in Windows 10 2004 in mid-June and two weeks later offered troubleshooters to partially mitigate the issues, particularly around damaged files in the utility's 'parity' archiving feature. 

According to Microsoft, this update "addresses an issue with in-memory parity bitmaps that can cause data-integrity issues on Parity Storage Spaces".  

Additionally, it cures a problem preventing users from creating a storage pool using Manage Storage Spaces in Control panel. 

There are several fixes for issues affecting enterprise security product Microsoft Defender ATP in Windows 10 2004. One prevented some PCs from automatically going into Sleep mode, while another prevented some PCs from running Microsoft Defender ATP Threat & Vulnerability Management successfully. 

Automatic investigations were also failing in Microsoft Defender ATP and the update improves the product's ability to identify malicious code injection activities.    

SEE: Windows 10: How long will your next feature update take to install?

Microsoft indicates on its Windows 10 2004 update health dashboard that it's fixed several driver-compatibility issues. However, the compatibility holds will remain in place until an update is released in mid-August, which is likely to be the next Patch Tuesday update. 

A compatibility problem with Windows 10 2004 and older drivers for Nvidia display adapters cropped up a day after Microsoft released this version of Windows 10, prompting it to block the feature upgrade for affected devices. 

Microsoft says it's been mitigated externally. But the block is still in place, and the company has now clarified that the affected Nvidia drivers are "any version lower than 358.00".

The optional update also resolves an issue preventing Windows 10 PCs with certain Realtek drivers from connecting to more than one Bluetooth device. That block will remain in place until mid-August, too. 

And it fixes a compatibility issue affecting devices with Intel integrated GPUs as well as an incompatibility issue with apps or drivers using certain versions of aksfridge.sys or aksdf.sys and Windows 10, version 2004. Again, a fix is due in mid-August. 

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