autopilot

  1. Quality Updates in Windows OOBE for Entra-joined Devices (Sept 2025)

    Microsoft has quietly shifted a major piece of device provisioning from a manual follow-up task for end users to an automated, admin‑controlled step in setup — beginning with the September 2025 Windows security update, eligible Windows 11 devices can check for and install quality updates during...
  2. Windows 10 KB5063842: ESU Outbound Block & Windows Backup for Organizations GA

    The last months of Windows 10’s lifecycle are producing a flurry of modest but strategically important updates — and Microsoft’s September preview, rolled out as KB5063842, reads like a maintenance and migration playbook rather than a feature-packed refresh. The patch fixes a handful of...
  3. Windows 10 19045.6276 Release Preview: ESU network control, Backup GA, Secure Boot expiry

    Microsoft’s Release Preview push for Windows 10 Build 19045.6276 (KB5063842) is a terse but consequential update: delivered as an optional, non-security cumulative preview, it bundles a set of targeted reliability fixes while surfacing two management-facing capabilities that matter to IT teams —...
  4. Windows OOBE: Auto-install quality updates via Intune ESP (Sept 2025)

    Microsoft is rolling one more control layer into Windows setup: starting with the September 2025 security update, eligible Windows 11 devices enrolled through modern management can automatically download and install Windows quality updates during the Out‑of‑Box Experience (OOBE), with the...
  5. KB5065813: Windows 11 OOBE Quality Updates & Recovery Patch (22H2/23H2)

    Microsoft has published KB5065813 — an out‑of‑box experience (OOBE) update for Windows 11, versions 22H2 and 23H2 — on August 26, 2025, delivering two tightly related outcomes: first, a platform change that enables Windows quality updates to be taken during OOBE for eligible managed devices; and...
  6. Windows OOBE Now Installs Quality Updates via ESP for Entra-Joined Devices

    Microsoft is rolling the ability to install Windows quality updates during the Out‑Of‑Box Experience (OOBE) into enterprise provisioning flows, making it possible for eligible Entra‑joined and Entra hybrid‑joined Windows 11 devices to arrive at first sign‑in already patched — but only when...
  7. Windows 11: Quality Updates in OOBE with Autopilot and Intune ESP

    Microsoft is rolling a significant change to how new Windows 11 PCs are provisioned: eligible devices will now check for and install the latest quality and security updates during the out-of-box experience (OOBE) so users sign in on day one with a patched, compliant system. This shift, delivered...
  8. Windows 11 OOBE Quality Updates for Entra-joined Devices (Sept 2025)

    Microsoft is changing the Windows 11 out-of-box experience (OOBE) for managed devices so that, starting in September 2025, eligible Entra-joined and Entra hybrid machines can automatically download and install Microsoft quality updates during setup — a move that will make initial device...
  9. Windows 11 OOBE Updates: Day-One Security and IT Tradeoffs

    Windows 11 will now, in some scenarios, download and install updates automatically while a device is still in the Out‑Of‑Box Experience (OOBE), a change that promises better day‑one security for new machines but also raises practical, operational and privacy tradeoffs for both consumers and IT...
  10. Quality Updates in Windows OOBE: ESP-Controlled Provisioning for Entra Joined Devices

    Microsoft will begin installing Windows quality updates during the out‑of‑box experience (OOBE) by default for eligible Microsoft Entra‑joined and Entra‑hybrid‑joined devices running Windows 11, version 22H2 and later, and administrators can control the behavior through an Enrollment Status Page...
  11. August 2025 Windows Patch Breaks Reset and Cloud Recovery: What Admins Must Do

    Microsoft has quietly confirmed that the August 2025 Patch Tuesday rollup left a serious recovery hole: on several still‑supported Windows branches the built‑in Reset this PC and cloud recovery options can fail to complete, leaving devices unable to factory‑reset or perform dealer/IT wipe...
  12. August 2025 Windows patch regression breaks Reset and Recovery workflows

    Microsoft has confirmed a regression in the August 2025 security updates that can break built‑in reset and recovery operations on several still‑supported Windows client branches, forcing administrators and home users to pause certain recovery workflows while the company prepares an out‑of‑band...
  13. Windows Recovery Broken After August Patch Tuesday: OOB Fix Incoming

    Microsoft has confirmed that a Patch Tuesday update released in August has introduced a serious regression: reset and recovery operations can fail on multiple supported Windows client versions, leaving some machines unable to use the built‑in Reset this PC, the “Fix problems using Windows...
  14. Windows Office Hours Aug 21, 2025: Live IT Q&A on Windows, Intune, Zero Trust

    Microsoft will host the next installment of its Windows Office Hours on Thursday, August 21, 2025 — a one-hour, chat-based Q&A session aimed squarely at IT professionals managing Windows devices and modern endpoint estates. The event runs from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time and will be...
  15. Windows Office Hours Aug 21, 2025: Accelerating Windows 11, Zero Trust, and Cloud Workloads

    Microsoft’s Windows Office Hours returns on August 21, 2025, as a one‑hour, chat‑based Q&A focused on accelerating Windows 11 adoption, operationalizing Zero Trust, keeping fleets up to date, and moving workloads toward cloud-native models while respecting on‑premises and hybrid constraints...
  16. Windows 11: Snooze Start Backup, Remove Default Store Apps, Manage OneDrive

    Microsoft is giving Windows 11 users more control over OneDrive’s nagging prompts and the operating system’s inbox apps—but the headlines need unpacking: a new File Explorer option lets you snooze or turn off the “Start backup” reminder, a provisioning policy in 25H2 gives IT teams a first-party...
  17. Windows 11 Security for Higher Education: Passwordless Sign-On & Hardware Protections

    Windows 11’s security-first architecture is arriving at a critical moment for colleges and universities, delivering a broad set of built-in protections—passwordless sign-on, hardware-based isolation, and Microsoft Defender tooling—that aim to reduce ransomware risk and ease management burdens...
  18. Unlocking Expertise: How Windows Office Hours Boost Enterprise IT Support and Management

    Windows Office Hours, scheduled for July 17, 2025, has emerged as a critical touchpoint for IT professionals looking to navigate the continuously evolving landscape of Windows 11, device management, and the complex intersection of cloud and on-premises technologies. With enterprises still...
  19. Windows Office Hours May 15: Expert Support for Windows 11, Zero Trust, and Hybrid Management

    Windows Office Hours returns on May 15, offering IT professionals another valuable opportunity to connect directly with Microsoft's product and engineering teams. As the digital workplace evolves and organizations strive to adopt Windows 11, migrate workloads to the cloud, and strengthen Zero...
  20. Releasing Windows 10 Build 19043.1319 (21H1) to Release Preview Channel

    Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10, version 21H1 Build 19043.1319 (KB5006738) to the Release Preview Channel for those Insiders who are on Windows 10, version 21H1. This update includes the following improvements: We fixed an issue that prevents you from accessing the...