What’s really happening with the Win7 “SP2” update KB 3125574

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I’ve done a squeaky-clean install of Win7 SP1 (the official copy from the MSDN site). Went to the Microsoft Update Catalog site, to download KB 312557
[See the full post at: What’s really happening with the Win7 “SP2” update KB 3125574]

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The real question is how many “iffy” (W10 related, telemetry, other crap) updates are installed by KB3125574 among the hundreds in the rollup… And can the undesirable elements among them be uninstalled afterwards?

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Um woody, I have to admit that I installed the big KB3125574 update rollup on ALL my Win7 computers.

But the post-SP1 KB2670838 Platform Update is NOT included in KB3125574 as I checked the files and file versions myself. As you can recall, KB2670838 cause some BSODs on laptop/mobile hybrid graphics when using outdated graphics drivers.

Also the KMDF update (KB2685811) and UMDF update (KB2685813) are left out of KB3125574.

Also some IE11 “Pre-requisite” updates along with KB2670838 like KB2729094 & KB2834140 are also NOT included nor part of the big KB3125574 update rollup.

AND one more thing: I CAN still install the KB2775511 update (the Win7 post-SP1 enterprise hotfix rollup) while KB3125574 is already installed as KB2775511 is not superseded by KB3125574.

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Woody, just out of curiosity as I see it in your list as being installed. Do you remember if KB971033 was ticked in Windows Update? All recent Windows Update scans which I have done show it as unticked by default, although is marked as Important.

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There may be hundreds in the rollup. But on my ab-so-lute-ly clean install, only 20 were installed. Odd, but true.

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EP AND one more thing: “I CAN still install the KB2775511 update (the Win7 post-SP1 enterprise hotfix rollup) while KB3125574 is already installed as KB2775511 is not superseded by KB3125574.”

EP, please DO NOT INSTALL KB2775511. It is not an official patch and there is a history behind it. It was pushed by a group of Microsoft PFEs based on their first-hand experience in enterprise and if it is done under their monitoring as part of enterprise agreements with Microsoft, then it is OK. Otherwise, it is not for general use.
I still have to understand why Susan Bradley says it is OK to install in general, while every other information about it points differently.
KB2775511 is a collection of hotfixes which are sent by Microsoft only when requested and address specific non-typical issues and not a collection of official updates which is the case with KB3125574.
Even so, based on intensive testing for the last few days, I would not install KB3125574 except for the conditions in the Technet article. However if you have it installed, it is probably OK to keep it, as everything included should have been officially published to Windows Update before.

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I think this is because the remainder up to “hundreds” are superseded updates which are normally not installed if the higher superseding update is installed.

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Based on my testing, you cannot uninstall the updates included in KB3125574.
However, if you feel that some of the components are not useful or worse, the only way to uninstall them is:
– Uninstall KB3125574
– Run Windows Update to “repair” what was uninstalled before with KB3125574
– Check for installed updates and uninstall what needs to be uninstalled.

KB3125574 is by no means a destructive update, only that it may have some unexpected behaviour installing and reinstalling some of the updates for few times until the WU gets completely stable.

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I did not fine a description for K132882322 (assume it should be 2882322) and KB2954140.

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Hi Woody
Thank you very much for your detailed work and information.
My system is Win7 Pro x64, updated carefully (ignoring irrelevant and unwanted updates). I went through my list of installed updates and compared it to the list above. Almost all the KB’s are installed already, but some don’t seem to be on the MS support website. Maybe the numbers have been mistyped?
Specifically:
KB2934140
KB32534111
K132882322 (KB2882322 is not found either)

Maybe you could check the numbers for us.
As you say, there is nothing there to be worried about although a small number of them are completely irrelevant to my system and usage.
Many thanks

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Considering Microsoft’s penchant for deception and obfuscation I’ll suggest you only know what Microsoft chose to disclose, not necessarily all the software that was actually installed.

That may sound paranoid, but my trust in Microsoft and any belief that they are honest and forthcoming evaporated long ago. Your mileage may vary.

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Thank you! What you caught were OCR glitches – I didn’t want to type the list (great way to get LOTS of mistakes), so sent them through an OCR app. I’ve made updates as you noted.

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I’m still completely floored that “SP2” only installs 20 updates. Something’s really weird.

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I just did the first Windows Update run after “SP2” – and have found 197 important updates and 10 optional. (Only took a minute or two to find them.) All of the Important updates are checked, all of the Optional are not checked.

I don’t see 971033 on either list.

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Woody, I am leaving this here only to ring the alarm bell (if you have not already) that a certain malicious company has just started to try his latest malicious trick.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3073457/windows/how-microsofts-nasty-new-windows-10-pop-up-tricks-you-into-upgrading.html

Nasty, and very underhanded. May more people draw the consequences and abandon MS, forever. Its dangerous to leave a company like this so much power, influence, and money.

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Woody’s list of installed updates does not show the security update 3126587 of February 9th, 2016. WSUS shows that 3126587 supersedes a lot of updates but itself, is not replaced by anything newer. And since it is a security one, it should have been installed.

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I just did a test with the SP2 and after checking for updates KB971033 was listed as important but UNchecked

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Woody, I’m not sure that you’re interpreting that correctly. Yes, there are only 20 items listed, but one of them is the “SP2” patch itself, which is akin to a Windows 10 cumulative update. That means that there could be from 1 to any number of components all covered by the same patch. What I want to know is what those components are. My guess is there are dozens if not hundreds of them and they will include most or all of the W10 enablers and privacy sucks many of us have been actively avoiding for the last year. Or have I completely misunderstood what a so-called “convenience rollup” is supposed to deliver?

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So the “rollup” isn’t really all the patches since SP1 until April 2016 after all then?

And you must have missed my query just below.

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I probably am mis-interpreting. More in the morning.

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Brad’s absolutely right.

Windows management is tone-deaf. GWX will be a Pyrrhic victory – if it’s a victory at all.

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I think it is better to look at the file list. Diagtrack.dll is included for example, but not GWX.

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I tried the WSUS path as well, but based on my testing this is not how this patch was meant to be applied. It is a rollup update meant to create images and not an update to be applied like any regular update. This may change in the future, but this is how it is documented and my testing confirms this.
The reason I say this is that the supersedence as shown in WSUS after importing the rollup is completely inconsistent and this has no equivalent to Windows Update online to compare.
I think it is better to remove it in WSUS for now. There are PowerShell commands which can do this for specific updates, but they are not widely known.

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I think you listed it as “installed”. The reason I am asking is that it may be offered differently according to the installation ISO, i.e. Retail vs Volume, even if this is for the same version, like Pro.

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Thanks, see my reply to Woody. I use Pro Volume for testing, Retail may behave differently.

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It is not. It is a rollup of the Recommended Updates and maybe some of the Important non-security updates with exceptions. See the Technet article mentioned few times here for details.
Someone posted a list of the updates contained, however I don’t know how it was extracted or if it is accurate. The person posting it seems knowledgeable though.

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I believe the other individual patches are the result of the machine still being connected to the internet and the standalone installer for KB3125574 initiating a Windows Update search. At least one of the individually listed patches, KB2670838, is specifically mentioned in the TechNet article describing KB3125574 as not being included in KB3125574 and being offered after KB3125574 is installed.

--Joe

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Thanks to askvg.com, here is the list of individual items included in the “SP2” rollup:

KB2574819 KB2603229 KB2607047 KB2607576 KB2633952 KB2639308
KB2640148 KB2647753 KB2660075 KB2661254 KB2677070 KB2679255
KB2699779 KB2709630 KB2709981 KB2719857 KB2726535 KB2731771
KB2732059 KB2732487 KB2732500 KB2735855 KB2739159 KB2741355
KB2749655 KB2756822 KB2760730 KB2762895 KB2763523 KB2773072
KB2779562 KB2786081 KB2786400 KB2791765 KB2794119 KB2798162
KB2799926 KB2800095 KB2808679 KB2813956 KB2829104 KB2830477
KB2834140 KB2835174 KB2836502 KB2843630 KB2846960 KB2846960
KB2847077 KB2852386 KB2853952 KB2863058 KB2868116 KB2882822
KB2888049 KB2890882 KB2891804 KB2893519 KB2904266 KB2905454
KB2908783 KB2913152 KB2913431 KB2913751 KB2918077 KB2919469
KB2922717 KB2923398 KB2923545 KB2928562 KB2929733 KB2929755
KB2966583 KB2970228 KB2973337 KB2977728 KB2978092 KB2980245
KB2981580 KB2985461 KB2994023 KB2998527 KB2999226 KB3000988
KB3001554 KB3004394 KB3005788 KB3006121 KB3006137 KB3006625
KB3008627 KB3009736 KB3013410 KB3013531 KB3014406 KB3020338
KB3020370 KB3040272 KB3045645 KB3048761 KB3049874 KB3054476
KB3065979 KB3068708 KB3075249 KB3077715 KB3078667 KB3080079
KB3080149 KB3081954 KB3092627 KB3095649 KB3102429 KB3107998
KB3112148 KB3118401 KB3121255 KB3133977 KB3137061 KB3138378
KB3138901 KB3147071 KB3148851

Looks like 123 updates to me. That’s way fewer than I expected but no doubt several of these supersede multiple older updates each.

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I was building a new Win7x64 Quad-core (Intel Skylake) system when “SP2” was released.
So have just completed a live install as a test.

I installed “SP2” on a fresh Win7x64-SP1 system with no installed updates
– I disconnected from the internet and installed “SP2”
– I then checked “Installed Updates” again and only KB3125574 was listed
I’m not sure why you were seeing other KB’s listed

The “SP2” update took only 5 minutes to install – very nice.
I then installed the latest “Win7 Slow WU Fix” (KB3138612, KB3145739, KB3153199)
– also installed IE11 plus its latest Cumulative Security Update.
– and finally ran GRC Never10 to forstall any GWX activity.
Then did a WU Check for updates (Windows only, inc Recommended)
– this returned 46 Important updates + 9 optional – and only took 6 minutes
All in all a very satisfactory result

NOTE: You need to install KB3020369 before running “SP2” on a fresh Win7-SP1 system
– or you just get a nondescript “not applicable to your computer” error message.
The installer needs an explicit warning for this situation.

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I don’t see why one would want to install this SP2 for Windows 7? My impression is that the only potential benefit (though it sounds like that’s not even a guarantee either) is that it could help with the high CPU usage and long time it takes to check for updates. But that (so far) seems to get fixed each month when they release whatever the new version is of that update that seems to fix that. Currently, I have no intention of installing the “SP2.” I suppose at some point they could make it mandatory or you won’t be able to get Security Updates at all? (But even if that’s the case, I’d wait until that day came.)

Thoughts?

Thanks!

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As mentioned under a previous article, the “SP2” does come with the updated Win10-telemetry of KB2952664, i.e. aepic.dll is at version 10.*, although it’s supposed to be at 6.1.* on a fully patched Win7 without KB2952664 installed.

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Thanks!

My saga continues. I have no idea why I only got 20 installed patches, but will soon report on the second round of patches.

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That’s highly likely. And, yes, as you surmise, I most definitely did leave the machine plugged in.

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Looks accurate to me.

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If the list from askvg.com is accurate, three telemetry patches are included KB3068708, 3075249 and 3080149. I’ve been hiding these.

I have not done a search on the rest yet.

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When you say “this patch”, do you mean 3126587 or 3125574?

I have a computer that fails to install 3126587 and so far, all my attempts to force the installation have failed. I hoped that perhaps 3125574 would install it. It looks like it would not.

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At this juncture, might it perhaps be useful to offer a refresher course in how to create one’s own fully-updated and customized Win 7 (or 8.1) installation disk through slipstreaming (something along the lines of what’s discussed at the Raymond.CC site – https://www.raymond.cc/blog/create-an-integrated-up-to-date-windows-7-install-disc/)?

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The intended benefit is to slipstream it into new images instead of installing hundreds of updates from Windows Update instead when the installation contains nothing else than Windows 7 (or Windows 2008 R2) Service Pack 1.
This rollup has nothing to do with Windows update checking time and is not claimed to have this benefit.

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I have the following Windows 7 updates waiting to be installed:
3154070,3136000,3142037, 3150220, 3153171, 3153199, 3155178, 3156013, 3156016, 3156017, 3156019, 3153731, 890830, 2316138, 3035583, 3123862, 3139923, and 3156417.
I don’t have the slightest trust that Microsoft is issuing updates that are needed or desired so I would appreciate suggestions concerning these updates.

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“Golly, the Update Catalog site doesn’t work with IE 8. So I opened IE 8 and upgraded to IE 11.”

WEIRD! On my HP A6230n computer with Win7 SP1 x64 installed, the MS Update Catalog site WORKS even in IE8 as I tested the site myself and can search & download updates there.

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That IS weird…. I kept getting an error that the ActiveX control couldn’t be installed.

So much is weird with this test installation. Sigh.

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You are probably being load balenced to a broken server. It should almost never happen, surely not enough to notice it…

Wait this is the new microsoft, it happens to me all the time. 404s in the windows update client, unreachable servers in Brazil for 2+ months.

I’d like to restore my backup copy of the old Microsoft. I don’t know how to backup that kind of thing though…

(cosmic rays corrupted our copy of Microsoft in memory now we are left with “new microsoft”)

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I told you… I had 18 after installing SP1 that showed up in WU of my FacReset. It took my uninstalling it to get any other updates to download, and that was after utilizing WU Trouble Shooter, WU Diagnostic, Mr.FixIt, manual WU Reset, etc. Then I had nearly 100 updates, mostly security.

After those took their sweet time getting installed and rebooted, I reinstalled SP1 from the ISO I got from MS site and put on DVD.

Then today I had over 100 more Updates ready to go. It’s odd but it seems to be chewing before it swallows so it’s going down nice and easy.

After this last year, I’m just not used to it… working, that is. : But so far, as I have avoided to telemetry and other GWX intended updates that I know of, there’s been no sign of GWX. **knocks on Woody** (pun totally intended):P

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If you are using a 64bit (X64) edition of Windows 7, did you try running the 32bit version of IE from the Program Files (x86)Internet Explorer folder? The MS Update Catalog site may not work with the 64bit version of IE and only with the 32bit version.

So far MS Update Catalog site works on my end (I have AT&T DSL internet in southern California).
And MS promises to make the Update Catalog site work on non-IE browsers (and remove the ActiveX requirement) coming this summer.

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Manually download & install the KB3153199 win32k.sys security update if you want faster Windows Update scans/searches. Use IE to get the KB3153199 update here.

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Interesting. Nope, I didn’t try that.

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Bear in mind that if you run IE11 on 7×64 it almost always runs the 32-bit browser unless you enabled “enhanced protected mode”, then it almost always runs the 64-bit browser.

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MikeFromMarkham didn’t list a source so I looked for it myself.

The AskVG page is here:
http://www.askvg.com/install-all-post-sp1-updates-offline-in-windows-7-using-convenience-rollup-package/

Since woody did not want to take the time to vet through the updates to inform his users, I’ve done so myself.

The ‘questionable’ updates list source (Windows Aegis): https://voat.co/v/technology/comments/853510
Official shorturl: https://tiny.cc/aegisvoat

The ‘Windows SP2’ (April Convenience Rollup) KB3125574 requires KB3020369 as a prerequisite as other comments have likely already stated.

Here are the included patches that people may want to think twice about:

KB2882822 – update for adding itracerelogger interface support (TELEMETRY!)
KB3068708 – update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry (TELEMETRY!)
KB3075249 – update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in win 8.1 and win 7 (TELEMETRY!)
KB3080149 – update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry (TELEMETRY!)
KB3081954 – update for work folders improvements in upgrading win 7 sp1 to win 10 (TELEMETRY!)

For those that don’t know, consent.exe is the official internal name of the Windows UAC dialog prompt asking to confirm an elevation request.

Personally, while the convenience of this ‘update rollup’ cannot be denied, those telemetry points alone can provide concern among IT professionals and users alike. It may be better to just continue to use scripts/utilities to auto-download all relevant updates minus the telemetry ones directly from Microsoft servers.

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KB2882822 is an old update released way before win10 era, now suddenly users see it as telemetry?

fyi, windows components are cumulative
and that consent.exe is already included in KB3139923 and will be included in any future security update that supersede it
and all have those “evil” telemetry points in the code
let see you skip those updates

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Why you people love to complicate things?
it’s just an update, very usuful one that release us from +580 individual updates
sure it has some “cosmetic” flaws:
1- telemetry components (just disable service and schedule tasks)
2- sfc integrity scan regards usbhub.sys.mui (completely harmless, out of confliction between winsxs components)
3- superseded updates show in WU (hide or install)
WU ask for them because rollup is LDR and WU needs GDR

that’s it
take it or leave it and move on

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I beg to differ. After spending a couple of days sweating over it, I can say without hesitation that it’s a difficult, complex set of patches.

See http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-make-installing-the-windows-7-convenience-rollup-a-little-less-painful

I only wish I had more time to thoroughly document the problems, but I’m buried in my new book.

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Just an fyi for anyone struggling to upgrade WIndows 7 to Windows 10 and not having previous updates available to allow it. I couldn’t install KB3125574, don’t know why. I used Autopatcher which Woody mentioned several pages back, to catch up with Windows 7 updates to 16th May. Ten installed with no problems after that.

So thanks to Woody, and the previous chap who first mentioned Autopatcher.

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I’m not sure u follow what you mean
it an almost-cumulative for every component updated after SP1, so it’s reasonable to be a little complex

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I just installed Windows 7 on a brand new PC. I have only ever used Windows XP. So far, I’ve managed to install the rollup SP2 and the 3 KB files mentioned above that are supposed to speed up windows updates.

Is it normal to take hours to connect to this windows update? It just keeps telling me “checking for updates”. I disabled windows firewall and defender just to make sure they weren’t interfering. Chrome works just fine and wifi works. IDK what else to do, so frustrated and have wasted like 5 hours tonight. It’s hard enough migrating from Windows XP and trying to figure things out.

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You need to follow the new rules, for July. Sorry about that, but MS keeps changing things. See https://www.askwoody.com/2016/best-approach-to-speeding-up-win7-check-for-updates/

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There are 5 known issues listed at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3125574/convenience-rollup-update-for-windows-7-sp1-and-windows-server-2008-r2.

1 user thanked author for this post.

walker

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The KB3125574 article ignores Language Packs.  The prerequisite KB3020369 states:
<span class=”text-base”>”Important</span> Do not install a language pack after you install this update. If you do, the language-specific changes in the update will not be applied, and you will have to reinstall the update.”
That would be nice to know before rushing to install Windows 7 SP2.
I noticed that now just downloading KB3125574-v4 is not so easy. Why are we sent to Microsoft Catalog which does nothing at all?  This provides direct links: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_7-update/using-the-windows-7-convenience-update-rollup-sp2/c2c7009f-3a10-4199-9c89-48e1e883051e?auth=1

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