Window 10 Version 2004 – whats new?

This entry was posted in Software Tips Windows 10 on by

The first thing that strikes me about the new release is the additional of a tool that helps figure out why a windows 10 update fails. Having spent too much time working out the vagaries of why a particular model of PC or even a particular PC fails to update when other “identical” models don’t – this jumped out from the list of new things we can enjoy. So in summary – this is what you get.

In Windows 10, version 2004, SetupDiag is now automatically installed.

SetupDiag is a command-line tool that can help diagnose why a Windows 10 update failed. SetupDiag works by searching Windows Setup log files. When searching log files, SetupDiag uses a set of rules to match known issues.

During the upgrade process, Windows Setup will extract all its sources files to the %SystemDrive%$Windows.~bt\Sources directory. With Windows 10, version 2004 and later, Windows Setup now also installs SetupDiag.exe to this directory. If there is an issue with the upgrade, SetupDiag is automatically run to determine the cause of the failure. If the upgrade process proceeds normally, this directory is moved under %SystemDrive%\Windows.Old for cleanup.

Another very welcome feature is the enhanced Windows Sandbox – which I had actually (falsely) predicted when Windows 10 first arrived. The idea of a contained environment for testing or privacy would have been a game changer then but its better late than never.

Windows Sandbox has the following properties:

  • Part of Windows – everything required for this feature ships with Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise. No need to download a VHD!

  • Pristine – every time Windows Sandbox runs, it’s as clean as a brand-new installation of Windows

  • Disposable – nothing persists on the device; everything is discarded after you close the application

  • Secure – uses hardware-based virtualisation for kernel isolation, which relies on the Microsoft’s hypervisor to run a separate kernel which isolates Windows Sandbox from the host

  • Efficient – uses integrated kernel scheduler, smart memory management, and virtual GPU

 

You can read more about the other detailed additions in version 2004 of  Windows 10 here