The latest major Microsoft update for Windows 10, the Windows 10 Creators Update or the 1703 update will cause the FieldWorks program to crash and reduce the performance of the Paratext program (both versions 7 and 8), especially on slower computers. If you are using any of these programs, it is therefore best to avoid this update for the time being. This is a Microsoft bug and we have talked to them about the problem. There has been a lot of discussion about this in the FLEx list Google group. If you are not a member already, you may be interested in joining. You can join by going to http://groups.google.com/group/flex-list.
Even if you are not running Windows 10, you may be vulnerable to the reduced performance of Paratext if you install any application that includes .NET Framework 4.7. If you have .NET Framework 4.7 installed, you can uninstall it by going to Start > Settings > Update & security > Update history > Uninstall updates. Then go to the Microsoft Windows section, right-click on Update for Microsoft Windows (KB3186568), and then click Uninstall.
To check the version of Windows 10 that is running, click the Start button, type About your PC, then press the Enter key. Check the information on the Edition and Version lines. If the Version line says 1703, the Windows 10 Creators Update is already installed. If that is the case, your best option is to revert to the previous Windows version, version 1607. To do that, go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Recovery. If the Creators Update was installed less than 10 days ago, you will then see an item named Go back to the previous version of Windows 10 in the right pane. Click on the Get started button under that heading to start the roll-back process. If you do not see that option, there is not much you can do other than reinstalling Windows 10. If you want to run FLEx in a virtual machine, it will run interchangeably on Linux and Windows. You can get a Windows virtual machine from https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/.
If you are currently running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, version 1607, you should delay the automatic download and installation of the Creators Update. To do so, go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Advanced options (under Update settings) and check the Defer Feature Updates option. That will delay the installation of the Creators Update for several months, while you will still be getting other Microsoft updates. Hopefully the problems with the Creators Update will have been fixed before it is offered to you again.
If you are running Windows 10 Home, version 1607, the best option for getting a similar delay with the installation of the Creators Update, is to actually let Windows download and install the update first and then use the method described above to revert to the 1607 version. But remember that the roll-back must be done within 10 days of the installation. This method will also enable you to get other Windows updates while the Creators Update is put on hold for several months.
On July 12, we verified that Windows 10, Version: 1703, Build: 16237.1001 (Insider Preview) has the fix.
Non security patches are issued on the first Tuesday of each month. Thus, the options for getting this fix in a public release will likely be one of the following dates. As soon as we have verified the patch has been released to all, we will send out the happy news.
- 17 October 2017
Security bulletins and security patches are released the second Tuesday of each month.