Microsoft is introducing a new feature for Windows Update that will automatically roll back faulty drivers, aiming to enhance the overall Windows 11 experience. This development is part of Microsoft's ongoing efforts to improve the sometimes frustrating process of Windows updates.
Cloud-Initiated Driver Recovery
The new feature, named 'Cloud-Initiated Driver Recovery', allows for the replacement of a problematic driver with a previously functioning version via Windows Update. Currently, users must manually roll back drivers or wait for hardware vendors to release a new version to address issues. This feature seeks to automate that process.
Garrett Duchesne, principal program manager at Microsoft, explained, "When a driver is identified as having quality issues during our shiproom evaluation process, Microsoft can now initiate a recovery action from the cloud, replacing the problematic driver on affected devices without requiring manual intervention from the user or the hardware partner." More details can be found in Microsoft's blog post.
Testing and Rollout
This new update is currently undergoing testing with Microsoft's hardware partners and is expected to start rolling out gradually in September. The introduction of this feature marks a significant step in reducing the manual effort required by users and hardware partners when dealing with driver-related issues.
Additional Windows Update Improvements
Beyond the new rollback feature, Microsoft is also working on making Windows updates less disruptive. Future updates will allow users to extend pause dates indefinitely, skip updates during the initial device setup, and restart or shut down a PC without installing pending updates. These changes aim to give users more control over their update experience.
Overall, Microsoft's continued improvements to Windows 11 and the Windows Update process reflect the company's commitment to enhancing user satisfaction and system reliability.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/930303/windows-update-automatic-driver-rollback-feature
