Microsoft's Spectre Fix For AMD CPUs Is Now On Windows Update

The AMD-compatible Spectre fix for Windows 10 is now live and being distributed through Windows Update.

When the Meltdown/Spectre vulnerabilities first surfaced, Microsoft was quick to respond by rolling out software mitigations in its operating systems. Unfortunately, the fixes in Windows 10 had an unintended consequence for some older AMD CPUs, making them unbootable. Microsoft stopped issuing the update to affected AMD systems, but already affected users either had to use System Restore or reinstall their OS.

The issue was technically officially fixed on January 19 and Windows patches with the fix were manually downloadable on Microsoft Update Catalog, but manually updating is only recommended if you have an urgent need and know your current Windows build. For everyone else, Microsoft has just made the fix live on Windows Update with Windows 10 Build 16299.214. Like all patches delivered through Windows Update, users will get them automatically or by clicking “Check for updates” in Windows Update.

Users should note that this update only applies to older AMD CPUs. Ryzen and Threadripper-based systems weren’t gated from receiving the original patch. Also, this patch has no relation to the recently announced optional Windows patch that disables Spectre Variant 2 fixes for Intel CPUs. If you’re on an AMD system, then you should be glad that you’re, at least, not stuck with a randomly rebooting system.