Microsoft has released a new batch of Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 2004, 1909, 1903, and older versions to fix hardware bugs in Intel CPUs.
When Intel finds bugs in their CPUs, they release microcode updates that allow operating systems to patch the behavior of the CPU to fix, or at least mitigate, the bug.
In recent times, Intel microcode patches are commonly used to fix hardware security vulnerabilities such as Spectre, Meltdown, and Microarchitectural Data Sampling (MDS) vulnerabilities.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Intel microcode updates
Yesterday, Microsoft released eight optional updates for the current and previously released versions of Windows 10.
With yesterday's release, Intel patched bugs in 56 different CPUs from the following families:
- Amber Lake
- Avoton
- Broadwell
- Cascade Lake
- Cascade Lake
- Coffee Lake
- Comet Lake
- Haswell
- Kaby Lake
- Skylake
- Valley View
- Whiskey Lake
Intel Microcode updates are not installed via Windows Update and must be installed manually.
Links to the Intel Microcode update for the supported versions of Windows can be found below:
- KB4558130: Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 2004
- KB4497165: Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 1909 and 1903
- KB4494174: Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 1809
- KB4494451: Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 1803
- KB4494452: Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 1709
- KB4494453: Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 1703
- KB4494175: Intel microcode updates for Windows 1607
- KB4494454: Intel microcode updates for Windows 10
While we recommend that users install new Microcode updates, it should be noted that previous updates have caused performance issues on older CPUs or system hangs in the past due to how they mitigated bugs and vulnerabilities.
If you wish to install the update, you should check the above bulletins to confirm that your specific processor is supported.
After installing Intel microcode updates, Windows 10 will require you to restart your computer for the patches to be applied.
Before doing so, be sure to save any documents that may be open before installing these updates.
Checking if you have a supported CPU
To check what CPU is installed in your computer, you can look in the Windows 10 Device Manager.
To do this, search from the Windows 10 Start Menu for 'Device Manager' and click on it when it opens. Then scroll through the list of categories until you see 'Processors' and expand it, as shown below.
If you wish to learn more about your computer's CPU, including the processor family, stepping info, revision, and model numbers, you can download CPU-Z.
For example, from the information displayed in the Device Manager and CPU-Z above, you can see that my installed processor is an Intel i7-8700k Coffee Lake processor.
Comments
redwolfe_98 - 4 years ago
if you look at the MS releasenotes it says that these updates will be available through "windows update."
NoneRain - 4 years ago
if I'm not mistaken, the latest mitigations were also made available by windows update
doriel - 4 years ago
QUOTE:...Before doing so, be sure to save any documents that may be open before installing these updates...
I would highly recommend to do full backup before update.
And question off topic - why is there update for 1607 since it is more than one year after end of support?
noelprg4 - 4 years ago
1607 is NOT completely out of support, doriel.
support for 1607 Home & Pro ended on April 2018 while support for 1607 Enterprise & Education ended on April 2019. windows server 2016 based on 1607 gets support until around January 2027
the LTSB 2016 edition of 1607 is STILL supported until October 2026
AND v1607 on Intel Clover Trail based devices are also STILL supported until January 2023.
so the current KB4494175 update applies to ALL editions of 1607, including the ones out of support as I tested the update myself on many 1607 editions (pro, enterprise, ltsb 2016) and that patch installs fine.
edit - heck, there's also the KB4494454 update for Win10 v1507 LTSB 2015 as well as some people are using that old 1507 release
doriel - 4 years ago
Thats true. Thank you, I forgot about LSTB branches.
redwolfe_98 - 4 years ago
i went ahead and installed the update even though my computer is using an AMD processor. i did get the previous intel-microcode update through windows update but i am not sure that the updated version of the update will install automatically via windows update. if you look at the MS advisory, it encourages people to install the update.
robomatic - 4 years ago
If these hardware corrective updates are done in microcode and have to be manually input to our computers in the internet diaspora, how is that accomplished by the average user? It can't be. So what are the dangers that most of the non-comp;uter savvy civilians living with?
Also, are the latest computers that we see in the Costco and BestBuy showrooms updated to correct for the famous hardware flaws of the past few years? How can an average user determine what remains to be done to their machine to make it reliable safe and secure?