Reminder: Windows 10 version 1909 support ends in May for Home users
Support for Windows 10 version 1909 will end on May 11, 2021 for Home users. Each year, support runs out for two versions of Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system. Devices won't receive security updates anymore when the operating system reaches end of life. Microsoft recommends that administrators upgrade systems to new versions that are still supported.
Windows 10 version 1909 was released in November 2019. Feature-wise, it was a lighter update that did not introduce many new features to the operating system. Notable features were improved OneDrive integration, or action center & notification improvements.
The version reached "ready for broad deployment" status in 2021 alongside the newer 2004 version of the operating system. Enterprise customers get extended support when they install the feature update released in the second half of the year. While the consumer version will run out of support in May 2021, the Enterprise version remains supported until May 2022.
Update notifications are displayed on, at least, some Windows 10 version 1909 devices already. The update reminders, displayed in the lower right hand side of the task bar, suggest to update to Windows 10 version 2004. It is unclear if the designated version is offered exclusively, or if newer versions of Windows 10, particularly Windows 10 version 20H2, is suggested as an upgrade on some devices.
Ideally, administrators would get the offer to upgrade in Windows Updates. It appears that this is not the case for some users. We received several emails in the past weeks from users who are still on version 1909 who stated that they were not offered the upgrade, but got a "The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is on its way. Once it’s ready for your device, you’ll see the update available on this page" message instead.
Windows 10 version 2004 has two issues listed on the official Release Health website, and it is likely that affected devices have been linked by Microsoft to one of these issues. Both affect devices with Conexant audio drivers. Microsoft notes that it is working on a resolution with Synaptics, and that it started to allow "certain devices with the affected driver" to update to the new version of Windows 10.
Administrators should not "attempt to manually update using the Update now button or the Media Creation Tool" until the issue is resolved, according to Microsoft. The main issue was opened in May 2020, and last updated in January 2021. In two months, Windows 10 version 1909 will run out of support, and it is unclear right now whether the issue will be resolved by that time.
Now You: do you run Windows 10? Which version and why?
My Windows (1909 version) is complaining that end of support is about to happen, but I still cannot download the new version via Windows update … Why not? I refuse to manually download it just fyi. It’s not a total potato I have (Ryzen 5 2600, STRIX B450F motherboard, 16GB DDR4 3000mhz, GTX 1060 6GB) so I dont understand what the problem is.
I didn’t avail myself of the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 when it first became available due to all the furore over privacy which was circulating at that time.
But I’m so glad I didn’t now and Windows 8.1 continues to perform well without all the ‘new features’ and telemetry crap users have to put up with these days.
personally i can’t wait for when W10 Pro 1909 gets unsupported, if it does, not too sure, because at least i wont have to put up with monthly ‘issue inducing’ updates.
‘Windows 10 20H2 …Windows 10 2004 ….Windows 10 1909’ ..and multiple ongoing bugs.
No wonder us users of Windows 7, Linux and Mac look on in puzzled bemusement.
Riiight, because none of those OSes or their updates have any issues or bugs at all.
Thanks for the laugh!
AdDuplex Report for February 2021
Windows 10 20H2 crosses 20%.
Windows 10 2004 crosses 41.8%
Windows 10 1909 crosses 26.8%
https://reports.adduplex.com/#/r/2021-02
My current system overview is Windows 10 (x64) Version 1909 (build 18363.1441).
By the end of its support, I will update to some supported Windows 10. I am paying attention to the situation of candidates (presence or absence of trouble and reputation) as to what is appropriate.
I too jumped from 1909 to 20H2 directly some time back. Upgrade went off without a hitch on multiple systems.
WU just started to ask to update to 2004 here. Pro version with 290 days defer updates.
All has been going well with 1909. It’s time to bite the bullet again. Turn on update and figure out why any feature update is yet to be offered. Sigh!
Not liking the new front page layout of Ghacks, the link to jump to comments is no more and the timeline is so confused now. :(
Straight from 1?09 to 20H2 this month on both HP Envy with Windows Home and Dell Vostro 7590 with Windows Pro. No problem.
Will use Windows 7 instead.
>use windows update to upgrade 1909 to 20H2…. crash & rollback
>use microsoft’s update assistant… crash & rollback
>reset windows update cache… crash & rollback
>use official 20H2 iso to create a bootable usb with rufus…. won’t boot
>use windows media creation tool to create a bootable usb… won’t boot
>try all the tech tips at microsoft’s forum…. nothing works
>try everything above again, in different order and combinations… nothing works
windows… it just werksâ„¢
If a bootable WIN10 USB stick created with Rufus or the MCT won’t boot, YOU are 100% doing something wrong. Sounds like you don’t even know how to modify your BIOS/UEFI settings to boot from a USB stick. Why blame MS for PEBKAC? So dumb…
You don’t have to fiddle in efi to change the boot order to usb then harddrive, you can access the boot menu manually using F12 (but a smart guy like you know this of course). And it makes no difference disabling/enabling secure boot.
Unfortunately Peter you don’t seem to have much experience with the various BIOS/UEFI implementations out there. Some most definitely need tinkering to ensure USB booting is enabled in the first place, or else the drive simply won’t show up in the boot menu. There are weird/faulty UEFI implementations as well (thankfully rare nowadays) where nothing short of disabling Secure Boot and turning on the CSM/Legacy Boot option will work to boot from USB successfully. Also, there is NO standard key to access the boot menu – it can be F10, F12 or a whole host of different keys depending on the manufacturer.
My point remains – if your bootable USB is not booting, you either messed up creating it or you messed up getting your system to boot from it, as simple as that. Blaming MS for your own fault is just childish. BTW have you ever got your system to boot from a USB drive successfully? If you simply cannot figure it out I suggest posting on your system/motherboard manufacturer’s forum if there’s one, asking for help with your specific model.
At 1909 like prev commenters. Have Conexant audio driver. Afraid to force WU of the promised update. lenovo G505 laptop – Lenovo offers no help. I think Conexant out of business. Afraid to try ASUS drivers because n
ot sure which might work.
WU took me from 1909 directly to 20H2 earlier this March and included an updated ASUS driver which apparently resolved the Conexant problem Martin referenced. All is good for me – better late than never.
So sad, because version 1909 is the best version according to my sister’s opinion and she is still using it in her computer. Furthermore, I am very disappointed with the version numbering of W10, it should be 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 and so forth, because it would be more user friendly and also it should leave Microsoft to maintain versions with different long useful lapses when needed. Sorry if I explain so bad, but releasing one main W10 version per year is so boring, so annoying and so absolute waste of resources than before. By the way, Ubuntu is releasing LTS versions each two years with five years of support and it is easier to update. :[
You can buy yourself 2 months time after the support ends, by adding TargetReleaseVersionInfo = 1909
Hey some1, where do we add this string? At least give proper and full info.
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/2000016-guide-for-windows-update-settings-for-windows-10/
John G, Should the numbering than not be 10.001 up to 10.999?
I am quite pleased with 20H2 maybe your sister should consider they upgrade to 20H2!
I’ve tried upgrading to Windows 10 20H2 several times now on my HP laptop. The last time was a few days ago. (It took over 8 hours to download!) And each time I’ve had to roll back to Windows 1909, as 20H2 slows down my computer, making it difficult for me to use. And each time I’ve rolled back, I’ve had to spend hours getting my computer back to its normal self. The last time I downloaded 20H2, it was a little better than the previous times I tried it, but I’m still not happy with it. Version 1909 has always worked very well for me on my laptop. I don’t know why Microsoft has to spoil things! Perhaps Microsoft could have offered a smaller update in order to make things easier?
Just remember MacOS numbering, from version 10.0 to 10.15 and now 11.0, imho better. :]
We care about features, not silly things like numbering.