The Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803) is now slowly rolling out to desktops, laptops, and tablets around the world, but while the new version was only supposed to introduce new features and improvements, it appears that’s causing a lot of issues, which raises the question whether you should wait a little longer to install it.
The update was originally planned for April 10, 2018, but a blocking bug that caused a higher rate of Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) appeared, and the release had to be delayed.
Windows 10 April 2018 Update problems
After weeks of delay, the problems were resolved, and Microsoft started the gradual rollout of the so called “April 2018 Update” on April 30, 2018. However, shortly after the release reports of issues started to pile up, including apps like Chrome, Firefox, and Cortana freezing after the upgrade.
The company quickly responded acknowledging the issue, and offered a temporary workaround, and eventually the problem was fixed with a cumulative update.
Alongside the freezing problem, a number of complaints started to showing up about users unable to upgrade to version 1803 on some Alienware computers from Dell.
Microsoft also confirmed this as a problem, and quickly put a block to prevent the affected devices from getting the new update until a permanent fix release.
Only a few days after these incidents, more problems continue to appear, as many users began to complain about crashes and entering to a UEFI screen after reboot trying to install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update.
According to the company, this problem happens as a result of issues with Intel SSD 600p Series or Intel SSD Pro 6000p Series drives.
In addition to the Intel problems, it also appears that the update has problems with SSDs from Toshiba, including with the XG4 Series, XG5 Series, and BG3 Series, which are said to be causing battery performance issues for a number of PCs.
The software giant says that is working with partners, Intel, and Toshiba to identify the problems and release an update to fix these issues with the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. In the meantime, Microsoft is also blocking affected devices from getting the update.
Even further, recently a new cumulative update was made available to address some of these issues, but it turns out that the patch ended up causing additional headaches to a number of users as after installing the update they were unable to boot their devices.
And these are just some of the problems. Across the web, you’ll find numerous reports of many isolated issues, including problems trying to control brightness, conflicting drivers, File Explorer crashing, upgrade not preserving settings, unexpected behaviors, and more.
You should wait a little longer to upgrade
Although unknown bugs, errors, and other problems during the early days are expected, it’d appear that this time around there are a lot of small issues affecting a lot of small groups of devices, which makes you wondered if the update was actually ready when it officially launched on April 30.
Seeing all the early incidents, if you want to avoid possible “early adopter” issues, you should not upgrade to the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, unless you’re absolutely sure that the new version is fully compatible with your device.
You can use this guide to block and prevent your device from installing version 1803 through Windows Update. If you’re already running the latest version and you’re having issues, you can use this guide to remove the April 2018 Update.
Usually, I personally wait about four months since the original release date to upgrade my work machine. The reason is that it takes an additional four months for Microsoft to consider the update stable enough for business use.
If you don’t want to wait until the new version was released for business users, you should at least wait for the company to release a few cumulative updates to address some of the issues. However, before proceeding with the upgrade, you should create a full backup in case you need to roll back and follow these instructions to avoid problems during and after the upgrade.
Also, bear in mind that most of the time devices with older hardware have more chances to encounter upgrade problems than newer devices.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.