Windows 10 Can Rollback Updates That Prevent PC From Starting

Windows 10 is both the best and the worst thing Microsoft has done with the operating system, though perhaps not as bad as ME and Vista. Updates and fixes rolled out faster but also meant they broke PCs sooner, sometimes with disastrous results. Even without deleting files silently, some updates may cause Windows 10 systems to be unable to startup properly. Now Microsoft may have also silently introduced a system that would uninstall such problematic updates when that time does come.

With its new Windows as a Service mantra, Microsoft is trying to address one of the biggest criticisms of Windows, the slow pace of rolling out critical security updates and bug fixes. By making updates mandatory and incremental, Microsoft shortened the waiting period and as well as the window of opportunity for exploits to take root.

Unfortunately, Microsoft also swung to the other extreme and have made its own updates the problem rather than the solution. From the biggest bi-annual Windows 10 feature update to even some occasional patches, updates have been known to break things as much as fix them, inspiring dread whenever users see updates downloading in the background. And because they're mandatory, those updates get installed sooner or later.

Microsoft isn't changing its pattern but is applying yet another band-aid fix. Windows Latest came across a support page that, strangely, isn't easily discoverable even with Web search engines. According to this new document, Windows 10 will have the ability to uninstall updates should they cause the system not to startup properly, even is safe mode or after recovery attempts. Microsoft will then prevent the update from being installed within 30 days as it tries to address the problem. Users can still opt to manually install the update if they really want to.

While welcome, it is a temporary fix to what may be a more pressing and deeper problem. Microsoft's software development practices have been reported to be sub-par and ill-equipped to meet this faster iteration process. In fact, this rollback feature could make developers even more complacent since they have something to fall back on when, not if, things go awry.