Hello everyone,
September has passed us by! Have you applied the latest Microsoft and non-Microsoft updates? A machine with the latest patches installed will be secure and protected from malicious outside entities. Get updated now!
Windows Updates
27 September 2019
Microsoft has released a Cumulative Update for Windows 10 version 1903 which contains a range of bug fixes, including a fix for the game audio issues reported earlier.
Windows Updates
25 September 2019
Microsoft has released Cumulative Updates for Windows 10 versions 1809, 1803, 1709 and 1703. These contain a range of improvements fixes, but also list several known issues.
Windows Updates
24 September 2019
Microsoft has released a Cumulative Update for Windows 10 which addresses an Internet Explorer security vulnerability.
Windows Updates – Start Menu & Desktop Search Issues Resolved
22 September 2019
Microsoft has updated the Known Issues page for Windows 10 version 1903 to note that the general Start menu and Desktop Search issues reported by users last week due to the latest Windows 10 update are ‘Resolved’. The resolution comes in the form of MS saying it can’t detect any significant Search or Start issues affecting users.
Chrome 77.0
19 September 2019
Google has released Version 77.0.3865.90 of the Chrome browser. This update provides security and bug fixes.
Firefox 69.0.1
19 September 2019
Mozilla has released Version 69.0.1 of the Firefox browser. This update fixes several issues.
Windows Updates – Windows Defender Issues
19 September 2019
There are now numerous reports on the Microsoft support forums that Windows Defender is not working properly after the last update. Selecting a Full Scan and clicking the ‘Scan Now’ button results in only 8 files being scanned before it stops and announces that no threats have been found.
Update: The workaround at the moment is to use the Custom Scan option, and select your hard drive for a full scan of the files on it.
Update 2: The latest definition update for Defender fixes this issue. Check for updates under Windows Update and it will install automatically as usual.
Windows Updates – WiFi Issues
16 September 2019
Microsoft has now added another bug to the general Known Issues page for Windows 10 version 1903. This one affects Intel Centrino 6205/6235 and Broadcom 802.11ac WiFi cards – the update can disable WiFi altogether. The workaround is to disable and re-enable the WiFi adapter in Device Manager, but this only works until you reboot. MS is preventing systems with this hardware from upgrading to the latest update, and no ETA for a fix is given.
Windows Updates – Audio-Related Issues
15 September 2019
Microsoft has listed an audio bug in the Known Issues section of the latest Windows 10 version 1903 update (KB4515384). The bug can result in audio being quieter in certain games, and MS has provided a workaround which involves disabling multi-channel audio in the game(s), as well as disabling multi-channel/virtual surround audio in any third party audio control panels, until a fix can be issued later this month. Microsoft has also released an Update that addresses a problem with USB audio 2.0 multi-channel microphones. If Windows detects that you have such a device, the update will download via Windows Updates.
Fixing Search Issues in Windows 10
13 September 2019
Aside from acknowledging the bugs caused by recent Windows 10 Updates, Microsoft has now also released a Support Article that covers several different methods for attempting to fix Search-related issues.
iTunes 12.10
13 September 2019
Apple has released a new Version 12.10 of the iTunes software. If you don’t wish to use the Windows Store to download iTunes, direct download links are provided: 64-bit Version, 32-bit Version. This version adds iOS 13 support, as well as security and bug fixes.
Windows Updates
12 September 2019
Once again there are mixed reports about the latest Cumulative Update for Windows 10 version 1903 (KB4515384), such as those on Reddit. These include continued search problems and Start Menu errors. At the moment, Microsoft has not listed any Known Issues on the Update’s Page. Update: Microsoft now acknowledges these issues in the latest update on their general Windows 10 Issues page. No ETA for a fix is provided.
Chrome 77.0
11 September 2019
Google has released Version 77.0.3865.75 of the Chrome browser. This major update provides new features and improvements, along with security and bug fixes.
Microsoft Security Updates
11 September 2019
Microsoft is releasing its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can view here, and obtain via Windows Update as they become available today. This includes the latest Windows 7 Rollup and Windows 8.1 Rollup updates, as well as Windows 10 Cumulative Updates.
Update: The latest Windows 10 Cumulative Update contains a fix for the Cortana High CPU Usage bug. There also seems to be a slight change to the way Windows Update now works in Windows 10.
Flash Player 32.0
11 September 2019
Adobe has released Version 32.0.0.255 of the Flash Player plugin for browsers. To download the full offline installer, use these links depending upon your browser: Internet Explorer or Firefox or Opera. Use Windows Update to update the built-in Flash Player in IE11 under Windows 8 and 10, and Edge under Windows 10. Update to the latest version of Chrome to update its built-in Flash Player.
Windows Updates
4 September 2019
Microsoft has acknowledged the bug in the latest update for Windows 10 Version 1903 which can result in Cortana using large amounts of CPU resources unnecessarily. However, it has not done this in the normal manner, which is to add it to the list of Known Issues on the Update’s Page, rather it has posted it on Twitter.
Office Updates
4 September 2019
Microsoft has released its latest Updates for the Office Suite.
Firefox 69.0
4 September 2019
Mozilla has released Version 69.0 of the Firefox browser. The changes in this major update include improved CPU prioritization in Windows 10, strengthening of Enhanced Tracking Protection, the Block Autoplay setting now has the option of blocking audio and video, removal of the ‘Always Activate’ option for the Flash plugin, and the disabling of userChrome.css and userContent.css loading by default – if you want any customizations in these files to execute at launch, you need to set toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets to True in about:config. This update also provides security and bug fixes.
Best wishes,
Randy The Computer Tech
