Windows 10 will automatically remove updates, drivers that stop booting

Windows seems to be a little smarter in the face of bad updates. A recently released support page (spotted by Windows Latest) describes the operating system's action when a recent update causes a startup failure. First, Windows will uninstall the update and find a configuration that should work properly. It will then block the update for 30 days.

The page states that this approach will be adopted for driver updates and regular monthly updates of the hotfix on Tuesday. It is not uncommon for Microsoft to issue blocks for these updates to prevent them from being distributed to certain system configurations after the issues are resolved. But this policy allows a finer blockage, in which the systems will impose a temporary block if they have to do it. In most cases, when update problems are discovered, they are fixed and updates are re-issued in a few days or weeks. Thus, a 30-day block should normally leave enough time for the update to be corrected before relocation.

It is not clear whether this approach will be used for biannual upgrades or only regular monthly updates of the Tuesday Patch. Microsoft terminology generally distinguishes between "updates" (which are things released on Tuesday from patches) and "updates" (which appear twice a year). The description only mentions driver updates and updates. The installation mechanism used by the upgrades is completely separate from the one used by the updates, with its own separate recovery logic. So we think nothing has changed for them.