How to Prepare Your PC for the Windows 10 November Update
Microsoft is gearing up for the general release of its next major Windows 10 update, version 1909. These major releases arrive twice a year, first in the spring and then in the fall, and typically include a number of new features, updates, and fixes. However, they can also contain some serious bugs and annoyances, so it’s worth spending some time getting your PC ready before you dive into Windows 10 version 1909.
Let’s talk about the features first. Windows 10 version 1909 will add many new calendar and notification shortcuts , as well as a number of security settings for various Windows 10 applications. This Windows 10 update is much smaller in volume than previous Windows updates of this kind , so it is also possible that it will not contain any or serious mistakes.
However, if the last few updates are any indication, we should expect that something will go wrong. Here are a couple of precautions you should take to get your PC ready for Windows 10, version 1909 – and indeed any Windows 10 update.
Defer automatic updates
That’s right – the first thing you should do when preparing for any Windows 10 update is to delay automatic updates in Windows. This protects you from any zero-day bugs or unexpected stability issues that might be caught by anyone taking an early step. You can wait and see if it is safe to install the update; if not, wait until patches are distributed. The last section of our guide to uninstall Windows updates will show you exactly how to do this.
Include more accurate diagnostic data
While changing this setting will technically send more of your usage data to Microsoft, it will be helpful in the first few days after upgrading to a new build of Windows 10. If any bugs or stability bugs are present, submitting as much diagnostic data as possible to Microsoft will help them fix these errors much faster. You will find this by going to Settings> Privacy> Feedback & Diagnostics , then changing the setting to Full. (Note: This feature is disabled for Windows Insiders.)
Back up your files
Whether you’re manually copying files or using the built-in Windows 10 tools , always back up your files to an external hard drive or a cloud drive such as Onedrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox before installing a major update. If something goes wrong, it will be much easier to restore your most recent data later. Speaking of which …
What to do if Windows update crashes your PC
- Before you do anything too radical, report any errors to Microsoft through the center of reviews Windows and see whether the expected emergence of any corrections to solve your problem.
- If possible, try uninstalling the most recent Windows 10 updates .
- If that doesn’t work and you are desperate for a fix, try updating your Windows installation .
- In the worst case, you need to do a factory reset and completely reinstall Windows . This is a drastic measure, but backing up your files will make it much easier for you to restore your system and return to where you were before the upgrade.