Intel Optane memory hits snag with Windows 10 May 2020 Update

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
published

Intel has confirmed an issue with Optane memory after PCs upgrade to the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.

Dell Xps 15 9500
Dell Xps 15 9500 (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • PCs with Intel Optane memory are throwing up errors when updated to the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.
  • Intel has now confirmed the issue.
  • The company says it's working with Microsoft on a fix.

The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is causing an issue with types of Intel Optane memory, Intel confirmed today. Reports of errors emerged on Twitter and Intel's support forums (via Windows Latest) of Optane errors appearing after Windows 10 users installed the May 2020 Update, and now Intel has confirmed the problem to PCWorld.

"We are aware of this issue," the spokesperson told PCWorld. "We are talking with Microsoft right now, and will soon have a response, which will include a site where users can get assistance with this issue." The spokesperson added that the issue applies to Intel Optane Memory H10 and M10.

The cause of the error, as noted by Windows Latest, is that the update removes an Optame Memory pinning file from the PC on which it is installed. However, when downloading a file, Windows still attempts to use the pinning file, causing it to throw and error.

If you're running into the issue, we've outlined a method to fix it in our guide to common May 2020 Update problems and their fixes.

Microsoft has put blocks in place to prevent the May 2020 Update from installing via Windows Update if a PC is affected by any one of a set of known issues (opens in new tab). However, as PCWorld notes, there are currently no known issues listed related to Optane memory.

Windows 10 May 2020 Update review: Welcome improvements to everyday essentials

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. 

5 Comments
  • As much as I love living on the bleeding edge of Windows updates, I feel like there have been too many issues introduced in recent releases. It makes me put off upgrading for the first month or so.
  • But where do you start counting your month? It's been put out since March.
  • Problems here, problems there, guides to fixing problems....enough! S**T coding is what it is and this is the result of giving developers too much memory to play with.
  • Actually, it is the lack of internal testing by MS. It is being tested NOW, by consumers. This is the current MS plan. Consumers who are dumb enough to install this ASAP are doing the testing. When it is deemed good enough, only then do the REAL customers get it. Real customers are, of course, Enterprise customers. Who BTW, have ALWAYS had the ability to block this crap for as long as they want.
  • While I have been outside the "rings" I have always been quick to install ready-for-production Windows updates. Until now. The last 6 months or so seem especially problematic. In software development, the most severe bugs cause crashes, data loss, inoperable components, or hardcore compatibility issues. In the last six months, Microsoft has regularly released updates that contain at least one of these and often all of them. Patches to fix one critical error are rushed into production and break something else. I don't envy Microsoft's job trying to support literally millions of unique hardware combinations while also maintaining backward compatibility with just as many old software applications, but some of these issues point to serious unresolved systemic internal issues with development and QA. This current issue around Optane is case in point - Optane-enabled systems are NOT rare, NOT old, and NOT on 3rd tier manufacturers. How did this get missed?