Windows 10 May 2020 update blocked on PCs with LTE modems due to known bug

It seems that Microsoft can never really get rid of the Windows 10 update curse. Although not as spectacularly bad as older updates, Windows 10 version 2004, a.k.a. the May 2020 update, might actually be even more problematic or even dangerous to certain hardware. That on its own might not really be new but the fact that Microsoft is halting the rollout of the latest Windows 10 update to certain devices because of a bug it already fixed last year is definitely perplexing.

Microsoft added a new entry to its known issued for Windows 10 version 2004 that might be a bit familiar to some users. It states that certain WWAN LTE modems, including those on its own line of Surface devices, have trouble connecting to the Internet or even being detected after hibernating or sleeping. Due to this bug, Microsoft is temporarily blocking certain LTE-enabled devices from updating until a fix has been made.

What makes the situation a bit disappointing, however, is that Microsoft has reportedly fixed the exact same bug in the 1903 and 1909 updates last year. Regressions, that is, bugs returning from the dead, are not unheard of in the software world but you'd expect Microsoft to be a bit more careful. Fortunately, the workaround for those already affected may be as simple as turning Airplane Mode on and off again.

The fix for a more egregious Windows 10 2004 bug might not be so simple but, fortunately, a fix is already on the way. That issue involved repeated unnecessary Defrag operations on SSDs that effectively shortened the drives' lifespans.

This isn't the first time Microsoft introduced as many bugs as features in its major Windows 10 updates but one always hopes that every new update has become more stable and more reliable than before. Fortunately, there hasn't been one that deleted users' files yet again or Microsoft might soon be facing lawsuits given how Big Tech has been put under a microscope these days.