It’s too early for the villagers to haul out their rusty pitchforks and oft-hoisted torches, but it looks like another Windows version upgrade has another data-eating bug.

The bug infects Storage Spaces, Microsoft’s way of implementing RAID-like data redundancy by using standard hard drives.

Yesterday, Microsoft posted Knowledge Base article 4568129, which says in part:

Devices using Storage Spaces might have issues using or accessing their Storage Spaces after updating to Windows 10, version 2004 (the May 2020 Update) and Windows Server, version 2004.  When using some configurations, partition for Storage Spaces might show as RAW in Disk Manager.

Within a few hours, Microsoft clamped down on distribution of the Win10 version 2004 upgrade to some affected PCs, showing the message:

This PC can’t upgrade to Windows 10. Your PC isn’t supported yet on this version of Windows 10. No action is needed. Windows Update will offer this version of Windows 10 automatically once the issue has been resolved.

Presumably the block appears on Win10 1809, 1903 and 1909 machines running Storage Spaces.

Attribute it to the “artificial” part of Microsoft’s vaunted rollout AI.

The scary part comes later in the announcement, which says:

Important

We do not recommend running the chkdsk command on any device affected by this issue.

Of course, any experienced Windows user who encounters a suddenly faltering disk will crank up chkdsk.exe. Checkdisk has been around since the Days of DOS. And now we’re being told not to use it. There’s no explanation why, it’s just not recommended.

To understand what little has appeared online, you need to realize that Storage Spaces, a feature introduced in Win7, supports four levels of protection. When you set up a Storage Space, you tell Windows what level of backup protection (“resiliency”) you want. A Parity Storage Space setup, which protects you from complete destruction of a single drive, requires at least three hard drives. With a Parity setup, one of your drives can grind to dust, and you’ll still have full, uninterrupted access to all of your data.

The details I’ve seen (thx, skippy on Reddit) point to corruption in Windows PCs with the Parity version of Storage Spaces. JohnHagan, posting on a different Reddit thread, describes it this way:

I have had a Storage Spaces Parity storage space consisting of 4 WD Red 6TB NAS hard disk drives, formatted as NTFS, on a Windows 10 Pro workstation, for several years. After upgrading to Windows 10 Version 2004, within a day or two, I noticed the contents of some files were corrupt. A CHKDSK resulted in finding thousands of problems, such as “Attribute list entry with type code 80 in file 5E711 is corrupt” and “File record segment 67C08 is an orphan”. When CHKDSK completed, the file system was again consistent, but hundreds of files had incorrect content, despite their other attributes being correct (file size and change dates).

I restored the corrupt files manually from backup, and continued on for another week. Then, a Cumulative Update for Version 2004 was installed and the workstation was rebooted. Almost immediately after the reboot, I noticed corrupt files again. This time, CHKDSK (run in read-only mode) detected hundreds of issues. I haven’t tried to repair it with CHKDSK, as I’m afraid I’ll corrupt it further.

Based on the few posts I’ve seen, the bug only shows up on machines running the Parity variant of Storage Spaces.

In my experience, Storage Spaces isn’t common – and Parity Storage Spaces aren’t common at all. But that’s not much solace to someone who’s trusting Microsoft to support its own feature.

Microsoft has had all sorts of problems with hard drive and SSD management in Win10 version 2004 – Mayank Parmar on Windows Latest lists problems with creating Storage Spaces. He also shows that the Drive Optimizer defrag tool doesn’t keep track of dates and thus prompts you to run it too frequently. Günter Born, quoting Karl Wester-Ebbinghaus, reports that old problems with freeing data still haunt Storage Spaces; and that Microsoft has known about these bugs for a long time. 

I haven’t yet seen any reports of Win10 2004 upgraders permanently losing data. But given the published warning about using chkdsk, it looks like we have another data-eating upgrade bug on our hands.

The last time a new version of Win10 inexplicably started chewing up data, with version 1809, Microsoft pushed the upgrade for four days before yanking it. Version 1809 went into the shop for four months, with the “oops, final final” version shipping in March 2019.

Given the likely severity of the problem, Microsoft should yank version 2004 now, and hope that more people don’t lose their data. It isn’t enough to hide behind an upgrade block.

Microsoft shouldn’t have shipped Win10 version 2004. Delaying the ship date is the first item in my list of Five steps Microsoft should take RIGHT NOW to help us through the pandemic, published two months ago. There are no feature upgrades worthy of the term – version 2004 primarily re-arranges the chairs on the deck. In the “tick-tock” new Win10 scheme of version upgrades every six months, this one doesn’t tick. It thuds.

After fives months of testing the final version of Win10 version 2004, we get this.

Have a beef with 2004? Join us on AskWoody.com.

Microsoft will repeat last year’s major-minor cadence for Windows 10’s upgrades, the company said Tuesday.

“We will again deliver Windows 10, version 20H2 using servicing technology (like that used for the monthly update process) for customers running the May 2020 Update who choose to update to the new release,” wrote John Cable, director of program management for the Windows Servicing and Delivery group, in a June 16 post to a Microsoft blog.

Cable’s description of the coming process echoed what he had said in July 2019, when he announced a sweeping departure from Windows 10’s previous twice-a-year-upgrade model. He even used phrasing almost identical to last year’s.

“We will deliver this feature update in a new way, using servicing technology (like the monthly update process) for customers running the May 2019 Update who choose to update to the new release,” he said at the time.

The end result this year will be a return to 2019’s cadence, with a feature-rich upgrade released in the spring followed by a Service Pack-like refresh in the fall that will be little more than a bugs-now-fixed retread of its predecessor.

Major-minor it is, then

Last year, Computerworld parsed multiple Microsoft announcements in July to explain what the Redmond, Wash. developer was actually saying when it stated it would deliver a fall update with “a scoped set of features for select performance improvements, enterprise features and quality enhancements.”

The deconstruction of Microsoft’s messaging was necessary both because of the marketing-speak it used for the news but also because the firm was describing a dramatic change in one of the foundational concepts of the “Windows as a service” (WaaS) strategy: It was going to release only one true feature upgrade for Windows 10 that year, while the second would be but a shadow of the first.

That won’t need to be duplicated this year; customers have seen the major-minor cadence in action. But Cable made sure to hit some highlights to assure users there would be no real change to 2020’s deliveries.

The fall refresh will be delivered as a monthly update to those who have adopted Windows 10 May 2020 Update, aka 2004. As customers found out last year, migrating from spring to fall took very little time for a number of reasons, primarily because the actual changes had been delivered the month prior. For more information on what this entails, read Microsoft (finally) delivers service pack-like Windows 10 1909 and Microsoft goes very small for Windows 10 1909’s ‘On’ switch from last year.

The fall “upgrade” will come with 30 months of support for Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education customers. If there’s one reason Microsoft doesn’t just bag the idea of a second refresh each year, the support lifecycle is it. Microsoft must hold to the 30-month cycle for its most important customers, either by retaining the fall update or changing the spring’s lifespan (which is 18 months for all versions, including Enterprise and Education). The company seems hesitant to do the latter. (Why, we’re not sure. Computerworld has argued several times for just one upgrade annually.)

Users who have not deployed Windows 10 2004 can roll out the fall refresh in the standard fashion. “For consumer or commercial users coming from versions of Windows 10 earlier than … version 2004, the process of updating to the new release will be the same as it has been and will work in a similar manner to previous Windows 10 feature updates, using the same tools and processes,” Cable said.

What, another name change?

While a repeat of 2019’s major-minor tempo was expected by many, including Computerworld, Microsoft had one rabbit to pull out of a metaphorical top hat.

Microsoft is dumping the yymm naming format it’s used since Windows 10’s debut five years ago, the convention that has resulted in feature upgrade identifiers such as 1511, 1607, 1803, 1909 and, most recently, 2004.

Instead, Microsoft will use the code-naming convention yyH1 and yyH2 familiar to Windows Insider participants. The H1 and H2 refer to the year’s first half and second half, respectively.

“We will … move to a format that represents the half of the calendar year in which the release becomes available in retail and commercial channels,” Cable said. He also contended that the change was “designed to provide consistency in our version names across releases for our commercial customers and partners.”

Yet Microsoft will retain descriptive names – like last month’s “Windows 10 May 2020 Update” – for use when it communicates with consumers.

In short, Microsoft reduced the number of different identifiers for any given Windows 10 refresh from three to two. Previously, the trio was composed of a descriptive name (May 2020 Update) and a four-character moniker (1903, say, for last year’s spring feature upgrade), which were used interchangeably; and a different four-character nameplate (like 20H1) as a code-name of sorts during preview testing by Insiders. The last label was dropped upon release.

Now, Windows 10 has two identifiers remaining, which will not be used interchangeably, but separately for different audiences.

Yeah, that’s not confusing.

Beyond the claim that it’s dropping the yymm-formatted names “to provide consistency” – a weak argument, at best – Microsoft did not elaborate on why it made yet another naming change after recently upending both Office 365 and Windows release nomenclatures.

It might be because Microsoft has had difficulty matching the numeric labels with actual date stamps of its Windows 10 upgrades. Although it settled on 03 and 09 as the last two characters – pointing to March and September, respectively – increasingly the upgrades missed those marks. Last year’s 1909, for example, debuted in mid-November, and this year’s 2004 began its release in late May. The yyH1 and yyH2 will account for a much broader release window, from just one month to any of six.

For instance, Cable could say that “broad availability of Windows 10, version 20H2, will begin later this calendar year,” without worrying whether the identifier would be accurate.

Insider participants who want to preview 20H2 must register with the Beta Channel (formerly called the Slow Ring, and then opt in by choosing the “Download and install” option, as detailed here.

Are you living in a house with kids? Do you often face a situation where you are using your phone and kids suddenly snatch it from your hands and start playing games?

You are quite fine with it but when it comes to being compromised with your message’s security on WhatsApp, you do not want them to read your private messages. Thankfully, now you are no more required to keep phones away from your kids and worry about your privacy. How?

WhatsApp is now Available with Fingerprint or Face Unlock for IOS and Androids

Yes!!! Now you can unlock this messaging app on your phone with fingerprints or face lock. WhatsApp enabled this setting in February for IOS and now it is also available for Android phones. With this latest update, you can unlock your WhatsApp through Face ID and fingerprints. It is an added level of security that ensures that only you can access your WhatsApp on your mobile phone.

For this, there is a procedure you should follow. Let’s have a look:

For Android Devices:

• Open WhatsApp on your phone.
• Tap the three dots on the top right corner and choose the “Settings” option.
• From the “Settings”, go to the “Account” option.
• Now, tap the “Privacy” option and click on “Fingerprint Lock”
• Now you can switch “Unlock with Fingerprint option” and confirm fingerprint.

For IOS Devices:

• The first step is to open your WhatsApp on your device
• Find the three dots on the top right corner and tap the “Setting” option.
• Now go to the “Account” option.
• Tap the “Privacy” option and choose the “Screen Lock” option.
• Now you can choose the Face ID or Touch ID by selecting the amount of time before the ID is prompted by tapping.

This is the separate step-by-step guide for IOS and Android users you have to follow. Isn’t it great? WhatsApp has announced that fingerprint lock is available for Android users and they can now add another layer of security for their WhatsApp messages. You can let the kids play games on your phone without worrying about the message’s security. All the chats and notifications you can lock by using these two IDs. You can even customize the time duration of unlocking. The options include every time, 1 minute and 30 minutes.

Why This New Feature Is Useful For Users?

Now you have the ability to lock WhatsApp and chats on your mobile phone with this added level of security. It ensures that only you are using your WhatsApp messages and gives you a guarantee that it is only you who can access your messages or person after unlocking the phone by you. For this, you are not required to register fingerprint or face again while using this feature. It depends on the biometric authentication system. Just simply follow these given steps.

After updating the MacBook Air and Pro lines earlier this year, Apple is expected to release its first ARM-based MacBook soon, as well as new iMac models.

The first ARM laptop could be unveiled next week at the online-only WWDC event, according to some rumors. The new iMac will supposedly feature a brand new design inspired by the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard devices that were launched earlier this year. A new leak indicates the 2020 all-in-one desktop refresh could be the first macOS device to support Face ID,

Apple’s 3D face recognition system that was first introduced with the iPhone X in 2017. Face ID replaced Touch ID, and ever iPhone that followed featured a notch except for the 2020 iPhone SE. Apple then brought Face ID to the iPad Pro, a bigger device that allowed Apple to offer users a more elegant face recognition design solution. The iPad is much bigger than the iPhone, and the Face ID components can be placed inside the thinner bezel, removing the need for a notch. Adding support for 3D face recognition to the Mac seems like the logical next step, as the feature can offer continuous authentication that would work best on a laptop or desktop.

Think of everything you do on a laptop or desktop, and how often you need to authenticate yourself into services, apps, and anything else that can be protected by a password or fingerprint. That’s where Face ID could help on a Mac, as it would provide instantaneous authentication that would work even better than Touch ID. That’s because you’re already sitting in front of a computer, and the 3D face recognition system would work instantly. Windows 10 laptops already support face recognition, and some vendors have came up with new face recognition features to boost security and privacy.

A twitter user has discovered code that seems to indicate that Face ID is coming to Mac soon. According to the screenshot above, the FaceID.plist file found on a Mac indicates support for iOS, tvOS, and macOS.

That’s by no means definitive proof that Face ID is coming to the Mac no matter how much sense the upgrade would make. There could be many explanations for the finding.

Separately, however, the same user posted imagery that shows the purported design of the 2020 iMac refresh. We’re looking at an all-screen design that looks similar to Apple’s iPad Pro design. The screen is flanked by symmetrical bezels on all sides and features the same rounded corners like the iPad. The bezel would be large enough to house the various components that Apple’s 3D face recognition system needs to work.

Here’s a schematic of what the iMac might look like, based on an image found in iOS 14 code:

These images can’t be verified either, but a different source who offered accurate leaks about Apple products in the past said a few days ago that the next-gen iMac would borrow heavily from the iPad Pro design:

Adding Face ID to the Mac is the kind of significant OS feature that Apple could address during the macOS segment of next week’s main WWDC 2020 keynote. Like I said, Face ID won’t just let you log into the Mac without typing a password. It will also work everywhere else passwords are used, as long as developers support the feature, as it happens on the iPhone and iPad.

It’s unclear whether the next iMac and iMac Pro models will be launched next week, or later this year.

A new research report from Wedbush analyst Dan Ives claims that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 12 will not include EarPods in the box.

Apple’s motivation here, Ives articulates, is that it will not only help Apple cut back on costs but also spur a spike in AirPods sales.

“We are hearing from our checks that likely no wired EarPods will come in the iPhone 12 box/packaging,” Ives said in an investor note, “which ultimately will create more cross-sell opportunities for AirPods over the coming year with our expectation that Apple is on an eye popping trajectory to now sell 85 million AirPod units up significantly vs. 65 million in 2019.”

If Ives’ claim is accurate, it would mark the first time Apple has ever released a new iPhone without headphones of some kind. And if you’re justifiably skeptical that Apple would ever do this, it is worth noting that analyst Ming-Chi Kuo — who has a stellar record with respect to Apple rumors — issued a research report last month effectively predicting the same thing.

Personally, I find the notion that Apple would release an iPhone without headphones hard to believe. Specifically, the idea of Apple not bundling headphones with a new iPhone simply as a means to increase AirPods sales seems like the type of petty move Apple has historically avoided. What’s more, for a company that values the user experience as much as Apple does, it seems far-fetched that the company would release a new iPhone and force users into an additional purchase if they want to listen to audio in private.

Stranger things, however, have happened. And for all we know, Apple’s reasoning is that most iPhone purchases come from existing iPhone owners and, in turn, most iPhone buyers likely already have wired iPhone headphones. Still, this seems like one rumor worth taking with a huge grain of salt.

EarPods aside, Apple this year has an ambitious next-gen iPhone lineup to say the least. This coming September, the company is expected to unveil four new iPhone models, all with OLED displays and support for 5G. We can also expect a slew of camera improvements, a new iPhone 4-inspired design, and of course, a brand new A14 processor.

As far as an iPhone release schedule is concerned, we’ve seen reports indicating that Apple’s new iPhones will arrive in October due to some delays in the design and testing process on account of the coronavirus. And as has happened in years past, there’s also a chance that Apple’s top of the line iPhone 12 Pro models may not hit stores until sometime in November.