Windows 10 patch brings multi-monitor woes

January 12, 2017 | 10:47

Tags: #knowledge-base #monthly-rollup #multi-monitor #patch #patch-tuesday #win10 #windows-10

Companies: #microsoft

Microsoft has quietly warned that its latest cumulative Patch Tuesday bundle for Windows 10 may cause those running multi-monitor setups some heartache, admitting that full-screen applications 'may experience delayed or clipped screens' when running under 3D acceleration.

Back in August 2016, Microsoft announced that it would begin offering monthly rollup patch bundles instead of individual patches via Windows Update. In doing so, the company claimed, it would 'eliminate update fragmentation' and help users to 'bring your systems up to date with fewer updates, and [...] minimise administrative overhead to install a large number of updates.'

The drawback, of course, is that you can no longer choose to exclude individual patches that may cause problems without declining the entire update - potentially leaving your system vulnerable through more serious bugs. In its latest Patch Tuesday update for Windows 10, Microsoft has fixed a range of issues in its software but in doing so has created an issue with systems running multiple monitors - a problem that is likely to affect gamers the most.

'Users may experience delayed or clipped screens while running 3D rendering apps (such as games) on systems with more than one monitor,' Microsoft explained in its Knowledge Base entry for the patch, which is not displayed to users before installation via Windows Update. Its solution: 'To work around this issue please consider the following options: Running the application in Windows mode (not full screen); Starting the application with only one monitor connected.'

Microsoft has not provided details of exactly how many applications are affected by the bug, nor how serious the delay and clipping may be. It has also proven silent on the matter of when it plans to fix the problem, though the chance of it being before next month's regularly scheduled Patch Tuesday rollup release is slim.
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