Windows 10 Preview Builds put on ice as Microsoft gets ready to major overhaul

It’s been a long time coming, but at last Microsoft is getting ready to radically change Windows Update for the better, with a brand new delivery method, called UUP, which is short for Unified Update Platform.

Whether your PC is custom built, or preloaded with Windows 10, the current method to receive updates and patches, works through a cumulative update package which effectively wipes out and reinstall Windows 10 with a brand new build, every time there is a new update.

This is why Windows 10 takes hours to complete a new update.

UUP will change all that, and install only the relevant updates, rather than a whole new system every time.

By this token, Microsoft estimates a 35% improvement in download size, with considerable savings in terms of bandwidth and power.

Microsoft Windows 10 Preview builds will be put on hold for the time being, as Microsoft readies the new update system, which will be available to Insiders for testing as it becomes available.

During the testing period, Insiders of the fast ring will have a chance to see just how well early implementations of UUP work. With that in mind, it goes without saying that production machines should not be used to test Preview builds, especially now that faulty updates might force Insiders to have to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch, as the updates affect crucial component of Windows 10 OneCore.

While UUP on PCs is yet to happen, Windows 10 Mobile users have been getting updates through UUP for some time. Regular users should expect an official upgrade to UUP by 2017.

The long term effects on Microsoft Surface devices will be a faster delivery of bug fixes, improvements and security patches, especially on devices fitted with hardware-based enhancements like TPM 2.0.

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