The enablement package is a great option for installing a scoped feature update like Windows 10, version 20H2 as it enables an update from version 2004 to version 20H2 with a single restart, reducing update downtime. This enables devices to take advantage of new features now. For version 2004 devices that receive updates directly from Windows Update, devices automatically get the enablement package by installing the feature update to Windows 10, version 20H2.
If a device is updating from Windows 10, version 1909 or an earlier version, this feature update enablement package cannot be manually installed. Instead, it is bundled and automatically included with the feature update to Windows 10, version 20H2. Note the installation time is not reduced in this scenario.
Windows 10X Feature Experience Pack released
We are testing a new process for delivering new feature improvements to our customers outside of major Windows 10 feature updates. Through the Windows Feature Experience Pack, we can improve certain features and experiences that are now developed independently of the OS. Currently, only a limited number of features are being developed this way, so we are starting out very scoped. By testing this process first with Windows Insiders, we hope to expand the scope and the frequency of releases in the future. Eventually, Windows Feature Experience Pack updates will get folded into the already existing servicing process for Windows 10 and delivered to customers that way through Windows Update.
The enablement package is a great option for installing a scoped feature update like Windows 10, version 1909 as it enables an update from version 1903 to version 1909 with a single restart, reducing update downtime. This enables devices to take advantage of new features now. For version 1903 devices that receive updates directly from Windows Update, devices automatically get the enablement package by installing the feature update to Windows 10, version 1909.
If a device is updating from Windows 10, version 1809 or an earlier version, this feature update enablement package cannot be manually installed. Instead, it is bundled and automatically included with the feature update to Windows 10, version 1909. Note the installation time is not reduced in this scenario.
As Microsoft continues to expand the pool of people who are getting the Windows 10 May 2020/2004 update automatically, it's also expanding the group that will have something called the "Windows Feature Experience Pack" installed on their machines. Given this feature pack, which has been known about since at least December 2019, is coming to users' machines en masse, you'd think Microsoft would be sharing more about what it is and why it's there. But nope.
"We are testing a new process for delivering new feature improvements to our customers outside of major Windows 10 feature updates. Through the Windows Feature Experience Pack, we can improve certain features and experiences that are now developed independently of the OS. Currently, only a limited number of features are being developed this way, so we are starting out very scoped" Microsoft explains.
As you can see above, even though I am not running an insider build, a Windows Feature Experience Pack has previously been installed. Microsoft has not provided information as to what these existing feature experience packs provided.
On Windows 10, the Windows Feature Experience Pack is a new update process to deliver feature improvements to consumers outside of major releases of the operating system. According to Microsoft, through the use of the Windows Feature Experience Pack is now possible to improve certain features and experiences that have been developed independently of Windows 10 without having to wait until the next feature update.
On June 1, 2015, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would be released on July 29, 2015.[18] On July 20, 2015, Microsoft began "Upgrade Your World", an advertising campaign centering on Windows 10, with the premiere of television commercials in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The commercials focused on the tagline "A more human way to do", emphasizing new features and technologies supported by Windows 10 that sought to provide a more "personal" experience to users.[59][60] The campaign culminated with launch events in thirteen cities on July 29, 2015, which celebrated "the unprecedented role our biggest fans played in the development of Windows 10".[61]
A new iteration of the Start menu is used on the Windows 10 desktop, with a list of places and other options on the left side, and tiles representing applications on the right. The menu can be resized, and expanded into a full-screen display, which is the default option in Tablet mode.[42][62][73] A new virtual desktop system was added by a feature known as Task View, which displays all open windows and allows users to switch between them, or switch between multiple workspaces.[42][62] Universal apps, which previously could be used only in full screen mode, can now be used in self-contained windows similarly to other programs.[42][62] Program windows can now be snapped to quadrants of the screen by dragging them to the corner. When a window is snapped to one side of the screen, Task View appears and the user is prompted to choose a second window to fill the unused side of the screen (called "Snap Assist").[62] The Windows system icons were also changed.[73]
Windows 10 is often described by Microsoft as being a "service", as it receives regular "feature updates" that contain new features and other updates and fixes.[182][224][225][226] In April 2017, Microsoft stated that these updates would be released twice a year every March and September in the future, which eventually continued until version 21H2.[227] Mainstream builds of Windows 10, until and including 2004, were labeled "YYMM", with "YY" representing the two-digit year and "MM" representing the month of release. For example, version 1809 was released in September (the ninth month) of 2018. This was changed with the 20H2 release where "MM" represents the half of the year in which the update was released, for example H1 for the first half and H2 for the second half.[228]
Before version 1903, the pace at which feature updates are received by devices was dependent on which release channel was used. The default branch for all users of Windows 10 Home and Pro was "Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted)" (formerly "Current Branch", or "CB"),[226] which received stable builds after they were publicly released by Microsoft. Each build of Windows 10 is supported for 18 months after its original release.[226] In enterprise environments, Microsoft officially intended that this branch was used for "targeted" deployments of newly released stable versions so that they could be evaluated and tested on a limited number of devices before a wider deployment. Once a stable build is certified by Microsoft and its partners as being suitable for broad deployment, the build is then released on the "Semi-Annual Channel" (formerly "Current Branch for Business", or "CBB"), which is supported by the Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows 10.[226][199][229] Semi-Annual Channel receives stable builds on a four-month delay from their release on the Targeted channel.[226] Administrators can also use the "Windows Update for Business" system, as well as existing tools such as WSUS and System Center Configuration Manager, to organize structured deployments of feature updates across their networks.[226][199]
In February 2019, Microsoft announced changes again in delivering updates in beginning of release of version 1903: a single SAC will be released and SAC-T will be retired, and users are no longer able to switch to different channels. Instead, these updates can be deferred from 30 to 90 days, or depending how the device was configured to deferred the updates.[240][241] In April 2019, it was announced that, in addition, feature updates will no longer be automatically pushed to users.[242] However, after the release of version 2004, the update only pushed for those running a feature update version that is nearing end of service or it can be paused for up to 35 days.[243][244] In November 2021, following the launch of version 21H2, Microsoft made a commitment to deliver feature updates every October or November.[245] Thus, Microsoft rebranded the "Semi-Annual Channel" to the "General Availability Channel".[246][247]
Feature updates prior to version 1909 were distributed solely as an in-place upgrade installation, requiring the download of a complete operating system package (approximately 3.5 GB in size for 64-bit systems). Unlike previous builds, version 1909 was designed primarily as an update rollup version of 1903, which focused primarily on minor feature additions and enhancements. For upgrades to 1909 from 1903, a new delivery method was used where its changes were delivered as part of the monthly cumulative update, but were left in a dormant state until the 1909 update "enablement" patch is installed. The full upgrade process was still used for those using builds prior to 1903.[248][249]
Engadget was similarly positive, noting that the upgrade process was painless and that Windows 10's user interface had balanced aspects of Windows 8 with those of previous versions with a more mature aesthetic. Cortana's always-on voice detection was considered to be its "true strength", also citing its query capabilities and personalization features, but noting that it was not as pre-emptive as Google Now. Windows 10's stock applications were praised for being improved over their Windows 8 counterparts, and for supporting windowed modes. The Xbox app was also praised for its Xbox One streaming functionality, although recommending its use over a wired network because of inconsistent quality over Wi-Fi. In conclusion, it was argued that "Windows 10 delivers the most refined desktop experience ever from Microsoft, and yet it's so much more than that. It's also a decent tablet OS, and it's ready for a world filled with hybrid devices. And, barring another baffling screwup, it looks like a significant step forward for mobile. Heck, it makes the Xbox One a more useful machine."[281] 2ff7e9595c
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