Please circulate this email within your department.

A Windows 10 feature update, named “Fall Creators Update” (also referred to as version 1709), is now being made available by Microsoft to Windows 10 (Home, Pro, and Education) systems. This update contains a number of security enhancements and is safe to install. If you or your department uses any specialized software, it is recommended to check with the vendor before installing a feature update to ensure compatibility.

Any feature update can cause unexpected or undesired results. ITS is currently evaluating the Fall Creators Update. Findings are posted on the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Testing Results page:

https://www.queensu.ca/its/software/software-testing-results/windows-10-fall-creators-update

Once testing is complete, the ITS Supported Software page will be updated to change the Level of Support from "Transitional" to "Supported": https://www.queensu.ca/its/software

The Fall Creators Update includes minor changes to the look and feel of Windows 10 as well as some new features. For more information, visit Microsoft’s Blog post on the Fall Creators Update:

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/10/17/whats-new-windows-10-fall-creators-update/

What is a Feature Update?
Windows 10 has changed the way Microsoft updates Windows. Instead of major numbered releases every few years (I.e. Windows 7 to Windows 8.1), smaller feature updates to Windows 10 are released two to three times a year. Microsoft refers to this as “Windows as a service”.

For more information, please see Microsoft’s Blog post on this topic – Overview of Windows as a service: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/waas-overview

For additional information, please contact the IT Support Centre (613-533-6666).