Microsoft disables Cortana by default when installing new 19H1 build Windows 10
Microsoft has released a new test build of Windows 10 that includes a series of bug fixes. Based on feedback, the company has also disabled Cortana’s voice-assisted assistance on new installations.
Microsoft has released the Windows 10 Insider Preview version with build number 18309 to Insider users in the Fast Ring. From that version, the company will no longer let Cortana offer voice assistance by default when going through the clean installs of Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education. It seems that the voice assistant is still on with the Home version.
The company relies on feedback for making that decision. Especially when installing a large number of systems, system administrators were annoyed by Cortana, according to several comments on the Internet. Since the release of the Windows 10 Creators Update in early 2017, Cortana has been the first thing users see and hear on a fresh install. The voice can be turned off immediately.
Another change Microsoft made with build version 18309 is a changed view of the menus a user must go through to change their pin. In addition, users no longer need to have a password for installation: users who have added their phone number to their Microsoft account can receive a text message and set up their account for Windows Hello biometric login methods. Furthermore, the functions for Narrator have been expanded, including new voices, and Microsoft has fixed a list of bugs.
The build version is part of the development cycle for 19H1, the codename for the upcoming Windows update, due in the first half of 2019.