Windows 10 Could Automatically Delete Bad Updates

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Windows 10 at launch was its automatic update system. It often picked the worst times to install an update, rendering a device unusable until it was done. A new support article shows that Microsoft plans to implement the opposite feature: a tool that automatically deletes (some) updates.

Windows Latest spotted the support article, which Microsoft has apparently prevented search engines from indexing, today. The article’s title, “Why were recently installed updates removed?” pretty much summarizes what it’s about. Microsoft is uninstalling bad updates so its users don't have to do so themselves.

That seems like good timing on Microsoft's part. Cumulative update KB4482887 to the so-called Windows 10 October 2018 Update was found to cause frame rate issues, mouse input lag, and other problems in numerous games. We suspect that many people would prefer not to install this update until it's fixed.

But the company said in its support article that Windows 10 specifically removes updates that caused startup failures. Updates that cause other issues will still need to be removed manually, which is probably good for people who don't care if an update breaks games they don't play.

Microsoft said that removed updates would be blocked for 30 days so people don't have to worry about them being installed and uninstalled repeatedly. Updates can be manually installed, too, if someone believes they were removed by mistake. (Although Windows 10 will just go ahead and remove them again if they continue to cause startup failures.)

KB4482887 almost certainly won't be the last Windows 10 update with problems, though. The operating system is used on 800 million devices—it would be nearly impossible for Microsoft to guarantee a given update would work flawlessly on all of them. Better to find a way to remove those updates than just to let them lie.