Windows 10 Build 14393 Moved to Slow Ring as Anniversary Update Release Nears

In "Windows 10 Build 14393 Released for Insiders; Internet Asks if it is RTM," I walked through the remaining known issues that the Windows team was tracking for PC and Mobile builds. Among those issues: a camera driver issue that could cause Blue Screen of Death (BSOD); wifi issues in the mobile build; and a freeze or crash when Bluetooth is turned off.

My goal was to see just how close Build 14393 was to being the final release of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

A little more than one day later, Microsoft updated their original build 14393 announcement blog post to scratch off a couple of those known issues and further the case for 14393's role as the final build for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Under the PC list, the only remaining issue -- BSODs on Surface Book/Pro 4 due to a bad driver update -- has been addressed. According to Dona Sarkar, head of the Windows Insider Program, they will now remove the bad driver during the upgrade process to Build 14393, and then a new driver will be available for the system in Windows Update after it is running the new build.

On the Mobile side of build 14393, an update to the Wallet app has been pushed out through the Windows Store to address the duplicate PIN issue that was being tracked so that can be removed from the list. As I mentioned on Tuesday, The Bluetooth issue that is still listed with no further updates has a workaround and work continues to identify the specific Wi-Fi issue that is impacting only certain devices.

The Windows team will issue fixes to address both of those remaining mobile issues once they have them solved. Since they are not show stoppers across the entire install base it is possible they could be issued in a cumulative update after the Windows 10 Anniversary Update is released.

Another sign that Windows 10 Build 14393 is one step closer to becoming the final release build is that, as of Wednesday afternoon, it has been moved to the Slow Ring for Windows Insiders on PCs. That means the build becomes available to a much wider audience and variety of hardware to allow Microsoft to collect further telemetry and subsequently validate the builds performance.

The move to the Slow Ring for Insiders also means the ISO should become available for download from the Insider website soon.

Soon of course, is a relative term.

Currently over on the Insider ISO download page there are two older Slow Ring ISOs available for Windows 10 Build 14366 and 14372. What is missing though is build 14388 which was moved to the Slow Ring on July 15. (If history is a good measure it should be available in the next few days.)

However, what does that mean for Build 14393, which was just promoted to the Slow Ring?

Well, since it is looking very likely that Build 14393 is the final release build of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, I would expect it to become available for download at least a few days before the official release on August 2, 2016.  

We can also fully expect Microsoft to have their Media Creation tool ready for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update on August 2, 2016, so users will have that as an option to get 14393 installed on their systems through a clean install, or they can upgrade to their current Windows 10 system. That then is another good reason to have 14393 staged across download servers for availability in the very near future.

Bottom line is that we are in the final stages of seeing Windows 10 Anniversary Update arrive for existing Windows 10 users in just 11 days. I feel confident enough in 14393 being the final build that I have built an ISO for it out of the ESD that we received this past Monday and upgraded two of my Current Branch desktops to the build.

Are you ready to make the leap as well?

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