Copyright © 2020 IDG Communications, Inc
.
Microsoft initially broached the auto-swap idea in mid-January, along with the public release of the very first Stable channel develop of Chromium Edge. In short, Windows 10 Enterprise, Education and Workstation Pro would be unblemished, as would Windows 10 Pro systems joined to an Active Directory (AD) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) domain; those upgraded utilizing WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) or WUfB (Windows Update for Business); and those managed using tools such as Intune and SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager).
The kit, which can be downloaded straight from here in.exe format, obstructs Windows Update delivery of the brand-new Edge. And the tradition Edge will not be physically erased from the system, but instead concealed, with any efforts calling it up launching Chromium Edge.
Microsoft this week warned business and education clients running Windows 10 that it will begin changing the old, original Edge web browser on their PCs with the newer Chromium-based variation on or after July 30.
To get the forced swap will be devices in educational settings, Microsoft said, citing back-to-school scheduling for the prioritization. (Many K-12 schools, in addition to universities and colleges, are saying, “We will share a business timeline at a later date,” wrote Elliot Kirk, senior program manager with the Edge group, in a July 30 post to a company blog.).
According to Kirk, PCs serviced by Windows Update will be automatically upgraded to the Chromium Edge. “This update will not affect devices in education and organization updated by Windows Update for Business (WUfB) or by Windows Server Update Services (WSUS),” he asserted.
Microsoft initially brought up the auto-swap concept in mid-January, along with the general public release of the very first Stable channel develop of Chromium Edge. Then, it set company guidelines for which PCs would forcibly replace the legacy Edge with the new edition. In other words, Windows 10 Enterprise, Education and Workstation Pro would be untouched, as would Windows 10 Pro systems signed up with to an Active Directory (AD) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) domain; those updated utilizing WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) or WUfB (Windows Update for Business); and those controlled using tools such as Intune and SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager).
Although many presumed Microsoft would rapidly start the new-Edge-for-old-Edge exchange after its January missive, the business didnt do so until early June. When Microsoft announced the swap start, it made clear that its initial plans had not changed.
A cautious parsing of Kirks post– as well as some recently-revised support documents– points to a slightly different go/no-go on the Edge swap. Kirk made clear that any device serviced by Windows Update would be eligible, therefore consisting of those running, say, Windows 10 Education or even Windows 10 Enterprise, which under earlier rules had been immune by virtue of their SKU (stock-keeping unit).
Organizations that want to stymie this effort can utilize the Blocker Toolkit for Edge-to-Edge released in December 2019. The set, which can be downloaded straight from here in.exe format, blocks Windows Update delivery of the new Edge. It does not avoid students or workers from by hand obtaining the Chromium-based Edge. This assistance file, last revised June 30, covers the Toolkit.
Microsofts Kirk validated that the majority of other aspects of the swap are still in place. Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) will stay unblemished, he said, as will the in-place option of default web browser on the PC. (In other words, the brand-new Edge will not all of a sudden be stated the default over, say, the already-set Chrome or Firefox.) And the tradition Edge will not be physically erased from the system, but instead hidden, with any efforts calling it up launching Chromium Edge.
After Windows Update pushes the brand-new Edge onto a PC, the service will quickly revitalize the web browser to the “latest variation currently in-market,” Kirk stated. Microsoft updates Edge on the same schedule as Google does Chrome– approximately every six-to-eight weeks– with security updates provided as needed in between each version.
By the time Microsoft starts this new Edge swap, it will likely start with Edge 84, slated to release around July 21.
