Windows 10 Update Blocks Win32 App Installation

Microsoft has introduced a new anti-bloatware feature to the latest Creators update for Windows 10, but when the function is activated it also blocks any non-Microsoft program that uses Win32. So, if you try to install, say, Google Chrome on this version of Windows 10 with the anti-bloatware measure turned on, a window will pop up warning that “The app you’re installing isn’t from the Windows Store,” according to MSPowerUser.

As a feature designed to protect novice PC users, it makes sense in principle, but if the anti-bloatware update blocks legitimate software, like Chrome, Adobe Photoshop, Steam, or potentially even earlier versions of Microsoft Office, it gives those who don’t know any better a false impression that these programs are somehow a threat to the correct operation of Windows 10, thus creating an Apple-esque, Microsoft-controlled ecosystem.

While the feature is turned off by default right now, unlike the infamous User Account Control (UAC), it seems that the new windows 10 SKU – the next step in Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP) strategy – will have it enabled as standard. The Creators update is expected for release in April, so we’ll have to wait at least another month to find out how Microsoft is going to deal with the feature.