Microsoft pushing Win 11 again

[Olliedawg]

Are you ready for Windows 11? No? tough!

Expanding invitations to move to Windows 11 to more people | Windows IT Pro blog (microsoft.com)

Good news if you rely on Microsoft to manage your organization's Windows updates for you. Starting with the April 2024 security update, Windows users working on non-managed cloud-domain joined and domain joined business devices will see invitation messages about free upgrades to Windows 11. That's part of our mission to help keep your organization protected and productive.

 

The invitation to upgrade to Windows 11 will appear after signing in and usually following a reboot. It will only show on Windows 10 Pro and Pro Workstation devices that are eligible for Windows 11 and are not managed by IT departments. Once prompted, users will be able to opt to get Windows 11, version 23H2 or stay in Windows 10. Of course, we recommend Windows 11!

What do they class as non managed? This is going to cause hell i'd imagine. We used to run WSUS but retired it a couple months back.. all of our devices are domain hybrid joined/registered so I'm guessing this will hit my school

[mavhc]

Editor's note 2.29.2024: We have updated the note in the blue box below to clarify that Windows Update for Business and WSUS are included in the definition of a managed device.

[ITGuyNW]

"The invitation to upgrade to Windows 11 will appear after signing in and usually following a reboot. It will only show on Windows 10 Pro and Pro Workstation devices that are eligible for Windows 11 and are not managed by IT departments. Once prompted, users will be able to opt to get Windows 11, version 23H2 or stay in Windows 10. Of course, we recommend Windows 11!"

[Rob_D]

I assume this will only happen on Win11 compatible hardware.

[Olliedawg]

"The invitation to upgrade to Windows 11 will appear after signing in and usually following a reboot. It will only show on Windows 10 Pro and Pro Workstation devices that are eligible for Windows 11 and are not managed by IT departments. Once prompted, users will be able to opt to get Windows 11, version 23H2 or stay in Windows 10. Of course, we recommend Windows 11!"

 

Doesn't Edu fall under the same category is Pro, since it basically is Pro?

 

Why do they feel the need to push out an OS update to an end user, with the ability to upgrade with no administrator privileges?

[Olliedawg]

I assume this will only happen on Win11 compatible hardware.

 

I'd imagine so. They've not moved the hardware requirements at all

[mavhc]

Doesn't Edu fall under the same category is Pro, since it basically is Pro?

 

Why do they feel the need to push out an OS update to an end user, with the ability to upgrade with no administrator privileges?

 

They do that every month

 

Edu is Enterprise. Edu Pro is Pro

[jthompson]

That note about WUfB/WSUS not pushing this is welcome. I can feel abaout as confident as I possibly could be that the WUfB target version policy option is not about to be steamrollered.

[Olliedawg]

They do that every month

 

Edu is Enterprise. Edu Pro is Pro

 

Sorry I meant an upgrade, not update. As in an OS upgrade.

 

I know it has been a thing for a while, as they offered this with Windows 7 / 8.1 devices to jump to 10.

 

I just know it will cause issues for places which just let the updates run with no WSUS/InTune etc..

 

I only manage Windows Updates via GPO, so believe I fall under the category "eligible" to receive this come April.

Edited March 1, 2024 by Olliedawg

[jthompson]

I only manage Windows Updates via GPO, so believe I fall under the category "eligible" to receive this come April.

 

I would recommend WUfB for your Windows clients. No cost and you can use GPO to prevent clients from upgrading beyond a particular product and feature update (e.g. Windows 10 22H2).

 

For servers you can use Azure Update Manager for free, too.

[DrCheese]

I want to move to WuFB but I could never get the reporting part of it working (It was called update compliance and needed an azure subscription) - I like that I can go on WSUS at the mo an easily see that we're 100% compliant.

[Olliedawg]

I would recommend WUfB for your Windows clients. No cost and you can use GPO to prevent clients from upgrading beyond a particular product and feature update (e.g. Windows 10 22H2).

 

For servers you can use Azure Update Manager for free, too.

I've just gone and enabled the following under WuFb GPO

 

- Select the target Feature Update version : Windows 10 22H2

- Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received : Deferred for 14 days

- Select when Quality Updates are received : Deferred for 14 days

 

Hopefully that does the trick, time will tell!

[mavhc]

I want to move to WuFB but I could never get the reporting part of it working (It was called update compliance and needed an azure subscription) - I like that I can go on WSUS at the mo an easily see that we're 100% compliant.

 

A free subscription to be fair

[jthompson]

WUfB reports can be done for free, too, but it does have the feel of being somebody's half-forgotten weekend pet project.

[mavhc]

Good news, they rewrote it, and now it's less useful

[jthompson]

I would recommend WUfB for your Windows clients. No cost and you can use GPO to prevent clients from upgrading beyond a particular product and feature update (e.g. Windows 10 22H2).

 

For servers you can use Azure Update Manager for free, too.

 

Just to correct my earlier post, Azure Update Manager is no longer free for on-prem Arc-enabled servers.