Windows 7/8.1 patches KB 2952664, 2976978, and 2977759 return like bad pennies

[Karlston]

If you hid these 'compatibility updates' last week, they're baaaaaack, whether CEIP is enabled or not

We haven't seen the three headless horsemen -- aka "compatibility updates" KB 2952664, 2976978, and 2977759 -- for a little more than a week now. As I wrote on March 31, these three Windows 10-related patches keep reappearing, like bad pennies. If you hid them last week, Microsoft has unhidden them again. They appear in Windows Update as optional and unchecked.

 

• KB 2952664 is a "compatibility update" that eases upgrading from Win7 SP1 to Win10. It now sits at version 20, up from 19 last week.
• KB 2976978 does the same, but for Windows 8 and 8.1. It's at version 24, up from 22. There's no indication why Microsoft gave it an additional version number bump.
• KB 2977759 covers the same bases, but for Windows 7 without SP1. It, too, has been given an extra bump, from version 18 last week to version 20 this week. We need a Drew Carey meme: "Welcome to Win10 patching, where everything's made up and the points don't matter."

 

Something has always bugged me about these three patches. All of them say this:

This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. These diagnostics help determine whether compatibility issues may be encountered when the latest Windows operating system is installed. This update will help Microsoft and its partners ensure compatibility for customers who want to install the latest Windows operating system.

As best I can tell, the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program is a ruse. People seem to get these patches whether they have CEIP enabled or not. When Microsoft announced the program, back in Vista days, it said:

The Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program in Windows Vista is a completely voluntary program designed to help Microsoft improve its operating systems over time.

I know lots of people who disable CEIP -- I've recommended disabling it from the outset. But everybody still seems to get these patches, whether CEIP is enabled or not.

 

For the life of me, I still don't understand why Microsoft keeps spitting out these "compatibility updates" to people who have no intention of installing Win10. Why not wait until the user expresses some interest in getting Windows X?

 

Source: Windows 7/8.1 patches KB 2952664, 2976978, and 2977759 return like bad pennies (InfoWorld - Woody Leonhard)

 

[steven36]

LOL , Same month , SOS , different day  It looks like sooner or latter they would run out of noobs to take the windows 10 upgrade anyone  with any brains Keeps updates turned off and dont worry about it tell patch Tuesday  . That's when I start patching  Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs on my network and I only have to hide get windows 10 updates once a month .

 

No i didn't  hide them last week, last time i did updates were Patch Tuesday March 8th and the Next time will be April 12th .  Why spend everyday of you're life worrying about updates when you  can patch once a month  by keeping them off and hide them then?

[straycat19]

Fortunately we use Microsoft System Center and this allows us to hold the patches till we test them on our test bed systems before we roll them out to over 14,000 computers.  We have no Windows 10 systems other than the ones in the Desktop OS Test Group.  Normally we test them for two weeks before rolling them out.  This holds true for all patches and updates for all software.  Since we locked down our network and systems with MSSC we have had no malware on any of the systems.  No software can be installed that isn't included in a users 'Optional Software'  based upon their department.  Having this rigid control of the network made some users unhappy but has really cut down on the amount of support needed to fix problems created by patches and users.  

[steven36]

1 hour ago, straycat19 said:

Fortunately we use Microsoft System Center and this allows us to hold the patches till we test them on our test bed systems before we roll them out to over 14,000 computers.  We have no Windows 10 systems other than the ones in the Desktop OS Test Group.  Normally we test them for two weeks before rolling them out.

Yes  i think its even better  too wait  if you can on the WWW  if a bad patch comes out its going be public knowledge  in a week or two anyways . One thing about keeping updates off for home users  though on Windows 7 its a pain in the butt because it  takes a hour are so just to get updates up so  i try to do them fast i can and if i hear of a bad update i just remove it from there system .if i do, I never had to do any of this stuff other than removing botched updates from any of  the systems in my home network before June 2015 when  they released  get windows 10  updates . A lot trouble i never had to fool with in all my years fooling with windows . I dont find  working on stuff fun unless I'm being paid. So if have too do it I try get it done as soon as i can and not worry about for another 30 days or i will procrastinate and not do it at all. My days of being a software tester 24/7 a day is  5 years behind me . I have be bored off my rockers to want do it now days lol.

[Vegeta]

KB3035583 - This the key update for windows 7/8 and 8.1 that notify you about the upgrade in Windows 10. Is the small icon on the taskbar.

I have installed windows 7 and 8.1 in my computers. In both I have skiped this update and hide. Windows 10 shadow never come to me.

So there no need to worry about the other updates. Just don't install this update

 

Source: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/how-stay-on-windows-7-8-forever-3614204/