Microsoft releases Windows 10 build 19044.1202 to the Release Preview channel

Today, Microsoft is releasing another cumulative update for Windows 10 users in the Release Preview channel of the Insider Program. The update is KB5005101, and you’ll get it whether you’re on Windows 10 version 21H1 or version 21H2. That means that the build number will end up being 19043.1202 or 19044.1202, respectively.

It comes with just one fix:

• We fixed an issue that causes the Windows Update settings page to stop responding after you download an optional update.

If you’re on the Release Preview ring, it’s actually not possible to enroll in Windows 10 version 21H2 testing. This is something that’s reserved for Insiders that were on the Beta channel and didn’t meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11. They got booted and pushed to Release Preview. And for some reason, those are the only people allowed to test Windows 10 version 21H2.

Presumably, at some point, Microsoft will open up 21H2 testing to everyone that wants it. The company gets weird about the Release Preview ring though. It was testing new 20H2 updates up until June, even though 21H1 had been in production for months. That’s right; you could have a newer version of Windows 10 in production than you could in the Release Preview ring. Actually, that will probably happen again when 21H2 ships later on this year.

Windows 10 version 21H2 will be coming later this year, and frankly, Microsoft isn’t talking too much about it. The big focus is on Windows 11, and that’s no surprise. There aren’t any major new features in 21H2 either. It’s just an enablement package that lights up a few things and bumps up the build number.

Microsoft will probably continue to do that too. For those that either don’t want or don’t meet the requirements for Windows 11, Windows 10 is going to be supported until 2025. The Redmond firm hasn’t confirmed whether it’s going to continue to deliver Windows 10 feature updates over the next four years, or if it will just provide cumulative updates over that period.

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