Windows 10 error messages are finally about to become more useful

If you’ve ever come across a problem in Windows 10, you’ve likely been faced with a string of error code or pointed to a knowledge base article that is hard to understand. Well, that is about to change. Microsoft has heard the complaints and is updating one of the most common Windows 10 upgrade error messages to be much more helpful, as first reported by German blog Winfuture. Starting with the April 2019 Update, Microsoft will be adding new “Learn more” hyperlinks to an error code if there happens to be an issue with an incompatible application during a Windows 10 upgrade process. As Microsoft’s example from its Windows Insider Webcast shows above, there also will be a chance to directly resolve the problem from within the installer. It will now suggest for you to update any troublesome applications without having to uninstall. Previously, in the October 2018 Update, this same upgrader only provided the visual cue of uninstalling the app, going back, or refreshing if an error came across. This all means you won’t have to pick up your phone or log into another computer to look up a KB knowledge base article and see what error is holding back your update. You’ll now be linked directly to a quick fix, eliminating most of the guesswork and frustrations as to what went wrong. The change is one of the many consumer-friendly features coming in the Windows 10 April 2019 Update, still code-named 19H1. Microsoft is separating Cortana from search, allowing for the company to innovate on each feature independently. The update also introduces the ability to uninstall more of the stock apps inside of Windows 10, including 3D Viewer, Calculator, Calendar, Mail, Movies & TV, Paint 3D, Snip & Sketch, Sticky Notes, and Voice Recorder. As for privacy, the update adds an icon in the taskbar to show which apps are listening in on your microphone. As its name suggests, the Windows 10 April 2019 Update is scheduled for a release sometime in April. Last year’s April 2018 Update was pushed out on April 30, so look out for a release around that same time this year. Microsoft has had a bit of trouble with updates recently, and a series of bugs forced it to pull back the release of the October 2018 Update. Microsoft has released the KB5051974 cumulative update for versions 22H2 and 21H2, adding security fixes and patching a memory leak. However, as Bleeping Computer reports, the update also includes a surprise: the new Outlook for Windows app. The update is mandatory because it includes the January 2025 Patch Tuesday security updates. Once you install it, you will notice the new app icon near the classic one in the Start Menu’s apps section. Since the new app can operate concurrently, you don’t have to worry about interfering with the old one. A support document showing users how to install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs was deleted sometime in the past two months. Its disappearance, noticed by Neowin, echoes Microsoft’s recent “year of the Windows 11 PC refresh” rhetoric, encouraging (or forcing) users to buy new PCs that meet Windows 11 hardware requirements. When Windows 11 launched in 2021, Microsoft announced that it was adding TPM 2.0 as a hardware requirement — a move that was met with plenty of resistance. To soften the blow, Microsoft also published a support document detailing how users could edit their registry key values to bypass the TPM 2.0 check. In a recent Windows Insider Blog post, Microsoft announced it’s adding the option for iPhone users to access their phones from the Start menu. Thanks to a special widget next to the Start menu, when you connect your phone, you can see data such as notifications, battery indicators, recent contacts, connection status, and more. To enjoy this feature, you must use the recent Windows 11 preview build from the Dev and Beta channels, and you must be a Windows Insider. You must also update the Phone Link app to version 1.24121.30.0 or higher, have a Microsoft account, and have a PC that supports Bluetooth LE. Microsoft said it does not support PCs running Pro Education or Education SKUs. Even if this doesn’t affect you, the update is rolling out in phases, so reaching your PC might take some time if you don’t already have it.