Microsoft has just released preview updates for Windows 10 v20H2 as well as for Windows 10 v2004. As these are preview updates and are not part of Patch Tuesday, but rather an early release to bring a plethora of fixes to the stable channel, these updates are optional for both versions of Windows.
The release name is KB4598291 which will update the build of your Windows 10 v2004 to 19041.789, and Windows 10 v20H2 to 19042.789.
This update was previously released (19042.782) to the Beta and Release Preview channels to the Insiders and has made its way to a stable channel since then. We had also predicted that this update would be released to a stable channel soon in our article on how to activate Windows 10 v21H1 now.
Not only that, along with this release, Microsoft has released another update for insiders with the same name, but with a different build (19042.789).
Table of contents
What’s new in KB4598291
Since this is a preview update, Microsoft has not published any release notes as of yet. Let’s discuss what this update has to offer in each version of Windows. Since both v2004 and v20H2 share the same kernel, the highlights are also the same as follows:
- The issue causing the device to become unresponsive when playing the game on fullscreen or in tablet mode has been fixed.
- An update has been made to address an issue with switching to Hiragana or Katakana mode using Ctrl + Caps Lock and Alt + Caps Lock shortcut keys respectively after upgrading to Windows 10 v2004.
- An issue resulting in the user being unable to open a file on the desktop has been addressed.
- The issue pertaining to the creation of duplicate cloud provider folders in the File Explorer navigation pane (left) has been fixed.
- An issue that may cause an application to stop working while using special keys in Dayi, Yi, and Array IMEs has been fixed.
- The problem resulting in a blank lock screen after a device wakes up from Hibernation mode has been taken care of.
- This update rectifies the historical Daylight Savings Time (DST) for Palestinian Authority.
- An issue that incorrectly deactivated some Windows 10 Education devices after upgrading to Windows 10 v2004 has been fixed.
- A problem that may result in switching to an unexpected window while using the Alt + Tab shortcut keys has been addressed.
- A problem resulting in the missing “Extract All” option from the context menu when right-clicking an online-only ZIP file has been fixed.
As for the other improvements and fixes in this update, there is a very minute difference for both the builds 2004 and 20H2. Let’s discuss the improvements and fixes in Windows 10 v2004:
- The same update has already been released in the Beta and Release Preview channels previously, this update also brings the same improvements to the stable channel. You can read all about them here. However, it does not include the solution for the problem of unexpectedly switching to the wrong window when using the Alt + tab shortcut keys.
- This update also addresses an issue that causes the Windows Group Policy and the User-Mode Power Service to deadlock.
As for Windows 10 v20H2, it addresses all of the issues addressed in v2004, including the issue of switching to the wrong window while using the Alt + tab shortcut keys.
For more elaborate information on KB4598291, check out this Microsoft help page, or refer to the links for each update stated above to view information regarding the update for each individual version of Windows 10.
Install KB4598291 using Windows Update
If you are missing any previous updates, installing this cumulative preview update will install all the security fixes included in the previous ones.
To install this update using Windows Update, please go to Start Menu –> Settings –> Update & Security –> Windows Update. In the right-hand pane, click on Download and Install under the title “Optional quality update available,” as in the image below:
Download offline installers
This update can also be installed on any computer that has the relevant version of Windows 10, without having an internet connection. Download the offline installers below as per your Windows 10 version and platform requirements:
For Windows 10 Version 20H2
Download KB4598291 for Windows 10 Version 20H2 64-Bit [415.3 MB]
Download KB4598291 for Windows 10 Version 20H2 32-Bit [140.8 MB]
For Windows 10 Version 2004
Download KB4598291 for Windows 10 Version 2004 64-Bit [415.3 MB]
Download KB4598291 for Windows 10 Version 2004 32-Bit [140.8 MB]
To install the update, simply run the downloaded MSU file and Windows will automatically install the cumulative update.
You can check out your current Windows build by launching Run and then typing winver.
To download any other updates related to any of the above, please check the Microsoft Catalog.
Known Issues
As with any update, Microsoft is aware of a few known issues that still need to be addressed in this release. The issues mentioned below may be experienced in both Windows 10 v2004 and v20H2:
- Some system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 v1809 or later to a later build of the OS. However, Microsoft states that devices using Windows Update for Business or directly connected to Windows Update are not impacted. If you are impacted by this, Microsoft suggests that you rollback to the previous version of the operating system using the steps provided in the article down below.
- Users might experience not getting the correct Furigana characters when using the Microsoft Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) to enter Kanji characters within an application that automatically allows the input of Furigana characters. Right now, Microsoft does not have a workaround for this.
Uninstall the cumulative updates
Here is a quick guide on how you can uninstall the updates on your computer if you face any issues with them:
Uninstall updates using Windows Update History tool
- Navigate to the following:
Start Menu ->Settings –> Update & Security –> Windows Update. - From the right-hand pane, click on View Update History.
- Now click on Uninstall updates.
- Select Update for Microsoft Windows with the relevant update name and press the Uninstall button.
Uninstall updates using command-line
You can also delete the update by entering several commands in the Command Prompt. Here is how:
- Open Command Prompt (Run –> cmd)
- Run the following command:
wmic qfe list brief /format:table - This will show all the updates installed on the computer. Make sure the relevant updates are on the list.
- To uninstall the update, run the following command
wusa /uninstall /kb:<em>UpdateName</em>
Replace UpdateName with the number from the update. For example, if the update that you want to uninstall is KB4598291, you will enter the following command:wusa /uninstall /kb:4598291
Restart your computer once the update is uninstalled.
Cleanup after installing Windows Updates
If you want to save space after installing Windows updates, you can run the following commands:
dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
