Windows 10 users aren’t happy with Microsoft’s software updates process: Study

According to a study conducted by researchers Jason Morris, Ingolf Becker and Simon Parkin, a fairly huge set of Windows 10 users have encountered their computer ‘restart unexpectedly’ at the time of automatic software updates.

Automatic software updates restarting computers unexpectedly can be frustrating, especially when you may be in the middle of something important on your computer and eagerly waiting for the update to complete quickly. In that case, it won’t be wise to blame the users. However, it’s imperative that we discuss what may be causing this problem in the first place.

It isn’t the first time we are looking at these seemingly unhappy Windows 10 users. Infact in the past, we have seen several Windows 10 users complaining about Microsoft’s forced updates feature leading to many users losing unsaved work. Additionally, Windows users have long complained about updates taking too long to complete.

As part of the recent study, University College London researchers surveyed 93 Windows 10 Home users. The study found that about half of the respondents had experienced their PC restarting ‘unexpectedly’ and many users continue to remain clueless about how Windows 10’s update process works.

Over the period, Microsoft has introduced several additional features with an aim to provide users with control over the updates take place. The software giant has also added improved notification to warn users of an imminent software update. However, the study goes to suggest that perhaps these improvements are not enough.

Microsoft has this tendency to release major Windows 10 software updates twice a year, in addition to some minor updates, improvements and bug fixes every month.

Researchers created a flowchart to demonstrate the complexities involved in the Windows 10 Home update infrastructure for users. Check it out below:

READ | Microsoft HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset now official

Microsoft provides Windows 10 users with a functionality called ‘Active Hours.’ You can adjust their ‘active hours’ settings. This way, users can set a period when they want their Windows 10 computer to start downloading the update.

However, researchers argue Active Hours settings may not be useful for many users given the default setting is between 8 am to 5 pm while according to ZDNet, many users prefer to use their computer during weekdays evenings. Researchers further recommended Windows 10 to obtain explicit permissions for system restarts.

“We think a notification that describes an update as one that "could take a little longer than other updates" is failing to set accurate expectations to support users in planning around the availability impact of these updates,” the researchers said.