Here's what's fixed, improved, and still broken in Windows 10 build 18898

It's another week, which means it's time for another Windows 10 build for Insiders in the Fast Ring, and it's number 18898. Just like most builds so far in the 20H1 development cycle, there aren't any big changes in this release, but it does come with some bug fixes and known issues you should be aware of before installing it.

The fixes in this release focus on crashes that users may have experience in both the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) and explorer.exe, both of which are pretty crucial to system stability. Here's what's been fixed:

• We fixed an issue resulting in a high hitting DWM crash in recent builds.
• We fixed a pcshell.dll issue in recent builds resulting in a high hitting explorer.exe crash.
• We fixed an issue where updated Japanese IME settings would be never applied in certain desktop bridge apps, which could result in prediction candidates being shown even after they’d been disabled in the IME settings. For those who’ve already been impacted by this, you’ll need to reset the app Settings > Apps > *select the app* > Advanced Options > Reset before you see the results of this fix.

Unfortunately, the list of known issues in this build is much longer than the list of fixes. Microsoft still lists the same issue with anti-cheat software in some games that's been listed for some time now, as well as a long-standing problem with Realtek SD card readers. Here's what to look out for:

• There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future.
• Some Realtek SD card readers are not functioning properly. We are investigating the issue.
• If you use remote desktop to connect to an enhanced session VM, taskbar search results will not be visible (just a dark area) until you restart searchui.exe.
• We’re investigating reports that on certain devices, if fast startup is enabled, night light doesn’t turn on until after a restart. (Note: The problem will occur on a “cold” reboot or power off / power on. To work around if night light doesn’t turn on, use Start > Power > Restart.)
• There’s a noticeable lag when dragging the emoji and dictation panels.
• Tamper Protection may be turned off in Windows Security after updating to this build. You can turn it back on.
• Some features on Start Menu and in All apps are not localized in languages such as FR-FR, RU-RU, and ZH-CN.
• In the Ease of Access settings, selecting a color filter may not take effect right away unless color filters option is turned off and back on again.
• The IME candidate window for East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and the Japanese IME) may not open sometimes. We are investigating the issue. In the meantime, going to Task Manager and ending the “WindowsInternal.ComposableShell.Experiences.TextInput.InputApp.exe” task from the from the Details tab should unblock you if you experience this issue.
• We are aware of an issue with the Bopomofo IME where the character width is suddenly changed to Full width from Half width and are investigating.

And of course, as usual, if you're a developer, you won't be able to enable developer mode and other optional features if you upgrade to this build and then move to the Slow or Release Preview rings. This is because those packages target specific builds in specific rings.

We're still a long way off from the general release of the 20H1 feature update, which is expected early next year. That means not many features have been added yet, and Microsoft still has time to fix many of these known issues as well. As for the next "big" update, 19H2, it's still something of a mystery what it will bring.