The October 2020 Windows 10 feature update is available to everyone starting today. The installation of this new version can be done, via update, on all Windows 10 PCs running version 1903 and later. This is the second Update of the year after the May 2020 update, which brings Windows 10 to version 2009.
The installation will be very quick if you start from the previous version (2004), a little slower if you start from an older version. In any case, you will always need to restart your computer. During installation, the user may be required to uninstall and remove some incompatible programs or to change some privacy settings; if the removal of an important program is required, it will be possible to cancel the update and wait for a new version of that program to come out.
READ ALSO: What is the latest version of Windows 10?
There are two ways to update Windows 10 to the latest version: through the automatic Windows Update service or with manual installation.
In the first case, Windows 10 does everything by itself after a certain amount of time, if properly configured. However, you can check or speed up the process by going up Settings from the Start menu, to the section Updates and security, you can search in Windows Update the availability of new updates and then proceed with the installation.
If you do not want to wait for the latest version of the operating system to be delivered to your PC via Windows Update, you can proceed, in any case, with the manual download and installation by going to the site https://www.microsoft.com/it-it/software-download/Windows10. On the page that opens there are two buttons: Update now or Download the tool.
The first, Update now, leads you to download the update assistant, a small program that manages the automatic download and installation of the latest version of Windows 10. Once the update file has been downloaded, the name of which is Windows10Upgrade9252.exe, just run it and let it go on until it finishes its work.
The second one, Download the tool, leads to the download of the now famous Media Creation Tool. If the automatic update tool fails or ends with errors, you can then use the Media Creation Tool to do a full installation of the latest version of Windows 10, correcting any errors. The full installation is always automatic, it does not remove any files or programs from your PC and is absolutely safe and simple, it just takes a little more time.
There is also a third way, a little less practical and more suitable if you want to install Windows 10 on another PC: the direct download of the Windows 10 ISO, which is always available on the Microsoft website.
There are several reasons why Microsoft does not send the update to a PC: the first is that the release of an update is always gradual and it is possible that it will be delivered after several weeks; the second reason is that Microsoft may consider the PC not ready yet. A PC is considered not ready to receive an update if it has old or incompatible hardware components, if it is not updated with all required patches, and if it has problems with hardware device drivers.
Microsoft lists some known issues on the release information page. The bugs listed, often related to compatibility with computer sound cards, are not necessarily impediments to installation.
As mentioned in the past, it is therefore possible to force the update of Windows 10 if it is not possible to do it through Windows Update or through the automatic update assistant. Furthermore, it is always advisable to remember that if there were problems, if after a Windows 10 update the PC did not work correctly, if some program was impossible to use, it is possible to return to the previous version of Windows 10 with a click, without having to do any particular maneuvers and without any difficulty.
READ ALSO: Check if your PC is ready for Windows 10
What's new in the WIndows 10 2009 version
The 2009 version of the Windows 10 October 2020 update is a minor update, with some improvements and bug fixes.
the Start menu is renewed with a solid color design, as we had already anticipated a few months ago in the guide on how to activate the new Windows 10 Start menu.
In the Settings, in the "Screen", you will find an option to change the refresh rate without having to open the Control Panel and the page"Information"now allows you to copy computer hardware and software information to the clipboard.
As of version 2009, the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge is pre-installed on Windows 10 and the browser now shows open tabs when keys are pressed together "Alt + Tab".
More information on what's new in Windows 10 2009 can be read on the Microsoft blog.