Bugs in Windows 10 October Update are already causing numerous problems

Windows Update is supposed to improve the stability and security of the Windows operating system and introduce new features to enhance the experience of users, but there is more to Windows Update than just these benefits. Of course, we know too well of other things that you must come to expect with the release of updates—bugs and related problems.

In recent days, increasingly large number of users have been complaining about the issues associated with the most recent update from Microsoft, the Windows 10 October update.

If you are yet to update your system, then we would advise you to wait; Ideally, you should defer the update for as long as possible and hope for the best. Microsoft will have resolved most of the bugs already by the time you are finally forced to update your computer.

In this guide, we are going to examine the most common problems affecting PCs that recently got the Windows 10 October update. We have gone through numerous forums, support pages, and so on to see user complaints. This way, we managed to compile a comprehensive list of issues with information that might go a long way in helping people troubleshoot the problems or warn others about them.

Common Windows 10 October Update issues

• Installation failures:

This issue is a relatively common or known problem. We are used to users being unable to download or install updates due to various reasons. Situations like this have been observed as far back as Windows 7, for example.

If you cannot get your computer to download or install the Windows 10 October update, then there is probably some element responsible for your problem. By element, we are referring to a program, process, or any external influence in general that is capable of blocking Windows Update components or preventing them from working as they should.

You will do well to take note of the error code that appears when Windows informs you it failed to download or install the update. With this piece of information, you can go through the internet for solutions to your problem. In any case, we will guide you to perform a couple of operations to fix the problem quickly.

1. Restart your device:

This procedure is relatively harmless and easy to carry out. Force a reboot of your computer. After your PC turns on and Windows reaches stability, you must go a step further to check the state of your internet connection. After this, you must reattempt downloading and installing Windows updates and see how the process goes this time. Initiate more restarts and try again if things go the wrong way.

2. Check your internet connection:

Perhaps, Windows has been unable to fetch the required files from Microsoft servers because your internet connection is far too weak to support any form of file transfer involving the web. You will do well to connect to a stronger network with better download and upload speeds.

If you connect to the internet via WI-FI and are experiencing issues with Windows being unable to download updates, then you must consider the use of a cable (Ethernet) to reach the web. The converse applies to users already using the cable mode of connection who still face problems that prevent their computers from fetching Windows updates.

A switch to a different connection mode or setup might be enough. If you experience problems when you try to fetch updates, using the internet at home, then you will do well to connect to the internet at work and see if the same issues persist.

If you have had no luck with the switches and changes involving your internet connection as regards Windows 10 update problems, then you might want to consider using the Airplane mode on your PC to cut off all internet or wireless connection access, then disabling it to restore things to normality. This action might eventually force enough changes that result in your problem going away.

3. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter:

Troubleshooters are diagnostic and problem-solving tools users can get help from in a wide variety of scenarios. For this reason, Microsoft includes a reasonable number of them in its operating system. Well, you will find a large number of troubleshooters in Windows 10, for example.

Windows update problems and errors affect enough users for Microsoft to create special troubleshooters or related tools for users to download and run to fix issues. Depending on what form or type of Windows update problem you are dealing with currently, you might find one of such programs to use. You have to search and find the tool first.

Anyway, we know of a troubleshooter built into the Windows 10 operating system environment that can solve issues affecting Windows Update, and now, we are going to guide you to run it:

• First, you must open the Settings app. To do this, press the Windows button on your keyboard, and while you hold it, you must tap the letter I key.
• After the required program window appears, click on Update and Security. Go through the list of options visible on the left pane and select Troubleshoot.
• On the right pane, under the Troubleshoot menu, you will see the troubleshooters for various programs, issues, or components of Windows. Locate Windows Update.
• Click on Windows Update to highlight it, and the Run the troubleshooter button should show up. Click on this button. Once the troubleshooter comes up to initiate the necessary operations, you must follow the instructions as they appear.
• After the troubleshooter completes its diagnosis or finishes its problem-solving operations, we advise you do anything required of you. In any case, you will have to restart your computer to ensure the changes resulting from your work have become effective.

4. Alter your Windows update settings:

If you are struggling to get your PC to download and install updates, then automatic setup for updates on your computer is probably not in order. Windows (starting with the release of Windows 10), in theory, is supposed to download and install updates automatically without much input from you.

All you have to do is make a couple of alterations, which might be enough to make things right. Follow these instructions:

• Open the Settings app; as we just showed how to do this earlier in the first step of the previous fix, you will find nothing here.
• After the Settings program window shows up, you might want to click on Update and Security to enter their menu. Go through the list you see and navigate to Advanced options. Click on the link.
• Now, you must toggle off the Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows option. Continue by scrolling down to Delivery Optimization. Click on the link to enter its section.
• Toggle off the Allow downloads from other PCs option. Once you finish making the changes stated here, you must move on to reattempt the operations involving Windows Update that you struggled with earlier or simply wait for your actions to bear fruits.

If you still cannot get your computer to download and install the required updates, then you must consider using some advanced fixes. Unfortunately, as this guide is focused on the bugs and issues associated with the Windows 10 October update, we cannot include those solutions in full details.

Here are some of them:

• Check your antivirus; disable or uninstall it.
• Check the amount of free space on your computer’s drive; free up space by deleting unnecessary or redundant files or items.
• Disconnect peripherals and other external devices; restart your PC.
• Reset Windows Update components; open an elevated Command Prompt window and run the required commands.
• Check your proxy to find out if it is active; disable it.
• Mouse problems:

Going by the sheer volume of Can Windows 10 October update cause mouse problems? queries we have seen on Google, it is fair to say issues affecting a control device like the mouse of a PC are of high priority. Yes, you might start experiencing trouble with your mouse once the Windows 10 October update has found its way into your system.

A good number of users have complained that specific features on their mouse are no longer functional. The cut, copy and paste, and similar functions failure top the list of user reports as regards Windows Update issues. We can also infer that other already-existing problems or bugs are yet to be discovered.

The mouse highlight feature is one functionality that Windows updates messed up, but users reported this problem far earlier than others. To be fair, the inability to highlight objects or text caused greater pain than other bugs, going from the reports submitted online.

Regardless of what has been said, you will do well to note that not all users are experiencing the same problem. In case you are wondering why, then we have to tell you that Windows Update bugs are more likely to manifest in some computers than others. This disparity explains the case of specific users who hardly ever notice issues caused by Windows updates.

• Loss of files, folders, and personal data:

Perhaps, you are one of those who ended up on this page while searching for answers to this popular question: Does Windows 10 October update delete files or folders?

Well, since far too many users have confirmed that Windows Update does terrible things like this for the issue to be a hoax, the answer is Yes; some people found out that specific folders or files on their computers went missing after they downloaded and installed Windows updates.

Understandably, this issue is probably the most severe problem of the lot, and it is not so hard to see why—many people just cannot bear to lose valuable data. Considering what manners of changes Microsoft executed to force Windows updates on computers regardless of the wishes of users (on Windows 10, in particular), a bug that causes the loss of files should not be existing.

Some folders or directories were targeted in particular. For example, C: \ Users \ Public \ Documents is one of the most popular locations we came across online whose contents went missing due to Windows 10 October update.

Some users even detected that they suddenly had more free space after they installed Windows updates. It is hardly unreasonable to take this as further proof that some items got removed.

If you are yet to download and install the Windows 10 October update, then this issue should be enough to deter you from carrying out the operation. If it does not, then nothing probably will. You do well to note that reports indicating worse outcomes or scenarios do exist.

The losses claimed by some categories of users might indicate that Windows Update deletes more items or wreaks greater havoc on some computers than others. Well, we have inferred this all along, anyway. For example, some users saw only their documents go missing, while others lost photos, music files, and so on.

Unfortunately, we cannot propose any fix to the problem in view for now. Microsoft is probably working to put things in order. If any of the outlined scenarios played out in your case, then you might want to contact Microsoft and tell them of your problem. You will most likely have to wait until a resolution to it becomes available.

• Monitor refresh rate issue and similar problems

We believe that other difficult issues have overshadowed most of the monitor problems. However, there is one monitor bug that managed to stand out against all the odds. Some users with systems running the recent Windows 10 October update confirmed that they had become unable to set their main monitor refresh rate to a specific value.

The bug might affect all the monitors connected to a computer, or it might afflict a single monitor. Different strains of the same problem exist. For example, even after some users did manage to set their monitor refresh rate to a specific value, they soon found out that the selected setting changes without any input from them, and these unauthorized alterations constitute a problem for people in most scenarios.

If you are experiencing issues affecting your monitor since the Windows 10 October Update got on your system, you will do well to disconnect all other external devices connected to your computer and see the new state of things. Perhaps, the interference from other peripherals is chiefly to blame for your problem as they were responsible in so many cases.

• Audio stopped working; No sound problem and related issues

We noticed that users with Surface Pro devices make up the vast majority of people complaining of their audio malfunctioning or no sound bug after they got Windows to download and install the October update.

Well, perhaps the bug that causes the issue only affects Microsoft Surface Pro computers. However, correlation does not always imply causation, so without further evidence, we cannot determine the truth of the matter.

What we do know, surely, is that the problem is closely related to drivers. Something probably broke them. You will do well to check the state of the drivers for your audio devices. If you discover problems affecting a driver, then you must roll back the driver to an older version.

If the return of the old stable driver did not deliver the result you were expecting, then you must update the affected driver.

You can update a driver manually by gathering enough information about the driver, going online to search for its replacement using the details you obtained about it, and finally, downloading and installing the updated version of the driver.

This outline of the manual process does not take into account how much time (plenty, of course) you will have to spend executing all the required operations or the risks involved in getting files from the internet (which are quite large).

We also left out the possibility of you not even finding what you are looking for or you downloading and installing the wrong driver (which would be disastrous), anyway.

If you do not want to execute with numerous manual operations or prefer to avoid the risks associated with them and the complications that might come with them, then you might want to download and run Auslogics Driver Updater.

This superb program will help you update your audio device drivers (or even all of your device drivers) to their latest manufacturer-recommended versions quickly and efficiently.

• Glitches affecting controllers:

Bugs affecting controllers constitute the last set of problems we are going to discuss. Specific complaints depict scenarios where their controllers become sluggish in responding to input or the devices not working as smoothly as they used to before the installation of the Windows 10 October update.

If you frequently use a controller or a similar device, then you must take note of this issue (in case you have yet to discover it). Work is probably already being done on it. If you are on your way to install October update on your device, however, then this issue is another thing that should discourage you and ensure you wait long enough.

Finally, if you came here to get a fix for the problem affecting your controller, then we have to suggest that you check your drivers and fix issues with them. You can update them using the tool we provided earlier.

Well, you now know the major bugs and problems associated with the Windows 10 October Update.