Despite Windows 10 issues, customers remain confident in OS
The issues surrounding the latest Windows 10 OS update have affected some users to the point of annoyance, while others remain unaffected and unfazed by the continued issues.
The Windows 10 update from May has had its share of hiccups.
From the roughly three-month delay of its release to reports of black screen problems and toolbox vulnerabilities, the Windows 10 issues seem to grow even as Microsoft looks ahead to October and its next update.
Despite the almost daily headlines and despite the issues irritating some users, Microsoft customers continue to express confidence in the operating system, according to Holger Mueller, analyst at Constellation Research Inc.
"Nobody is questioning their Windows strategy or looking for alternatives," he said. "We're far away from that."
That kind of vote of confidence won't be enough to stop what could be a headache or two for IT admins. One of the latest Windows 10 issues, for example, affects the VPN for Windows 10 Enterprise users, but only if a nondefault setting with the VPN is configured to "always on." Those settings will narrow the amount of users affected by this latest issue, but it can still be a nuisance for the users it does affect.
Daniel Beato
"Customers of ours using VPN clients have had issues due to their dependency on RasMan service and the 1903 version of the OS," said Daniel Beato, director of technology at TNTMAX, an IT consultancy based in Wyckoff, N.J.
RasMan, or remote access connection manager, is a system on Windows that helps make sure the VPN and OS are running properly.
Beato also pointed to another Windows 10 issue from several months back when Microsoft disabled the auto registry backup, a feature some of Beato's customers used.
"This is not something end users usually get involved with," Beato said in regard to the disabling of the auto registry backup. "[We] IT people are just noticing this now, and it's on us [to fix]."
Microsoft to add passwordless capabilities
Nobody is questioning their Windows strategy or looking for alternatives. We're far away from that.
Holger MuellerAnalyst, Constellation Research Inc.
While Microsoft works out its Windows 10 kinks, the software company continues to add new features to the OS. Microsoft announced it is adding passwordless capabilities for Microsoft accounts in its latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build blog post.
Passwordless capabilities use biometrics and text messaging confirmation instead of the traditional secret phrases, which have become a common point of entry for hackers.
In the blog post, the company noted that the feature will only be rolled out to a small portion of insiders, and the feature will not show in the settings for all users. Microsoft said to "check back in a week or so."
Test app within Windows 10 environment
On July 8, Microsoft also released a public preview of a service that assesses app compatibility before deploying Windows 10 updates.
"As with any new service, [updating Windows 10] requires change in process, and IT departments have to first get a feeling for it before they change practices," Constellation Research's Mueller said. "No one wants to be the guinea pig."
To access the service, Windows users need a subscription to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5; Microsoft 365 F1, E3 or E5; Windows 10 Education A3 or A5; Microsoft 365 A3 or A5; or Windows VDA E3 or E5.
Daniel Beato
