Windows 10 October 2018 Update hit by more bug reports

Microsoft has warned of more bugs in its troubled October 2018 Update for the Windows 10 operating system, warning users that mapped network drives may fail to connect on login while blocking its installation altogether on systems that feature AMD Radeon HD2000 and HD4000 graphics processors due to a crashing bug in its Edge browser.

Microsoft's Windows 10 October 2018 Update has been one of the most troublesome releases in the company's long and storied history. Announced back in September with the promise of shiny new features including DirectX Raytracing support, the update was released to the public in early October after skipping the final stage of Windows Insider beta testing. That proved a mistake: A flaw was quickly found which deleted some users' personal files on installation, embarrassingly reported to Microsoft some three months prior to release by Windows Insider members but never fixed, which alongside other less serious flaws prompted Microsoft to pull the update. It wasn't until more than a month later that the company would resume its roll-out claiming to have fixed the issues, but its own release notes tell a different story.

In a document detailing known issues with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, also known as Windows 10 Version 1809, Microsoft admits to two fairly major problems which still remain. The first effectively breaks mapped network drive support, refusing to allow drives to automatically connect until a workaround script is installed and executed - and for which Microsoft isn't looking to release a full fix until some time next year, the company has confirmed.

Another flaw detailed in the release notes concerns those still running hardware based on AMD's Radeon HD2000 and HD4000 graphics processors, devices now well outside AMD's own support window having first been released more than a decade ago. While the hardware still works perfectly on Windows 10 versions prior to 1809, Microsoft admits, installation of version 1809 will cause the company's Edge browser to stop responding, and potentially cause the lock screen and other Windows functionality to crash. The company has stated it is investigating the problem, and has temporarily halted the roll-out of the update to affected systems.

The problems don't end there, however: Microsoft has also confirmed that it is blocking installation of the update to users of Trend Micro's OfficeScan and Worry-Free Business Security software packages following the discovery of a 'compatibility issue' - though this, it clarifies, is awaiting a patch from Trend Micro itself. Elsewhere, users on social media site Reddit have reported issues with audio distortion when the update is installed on systems with selected Realtek audio hardware, seemingly echoing a problem with the update's original release on Intel audio hardware. This latter problem, however, has not yet been confirmed by Microsoft.

With the string of issues relating to its latest update apparently not over, all eyes will be on Microsoft when it comes time for the company to release its first feature update of 2019.