Win 8.1 Security Updates

Topic

New Reply

Win 8.1 Security Updates

Now that Win 8.1 can only obtain security updates from the MS Update Catalog I decided to install at least 2-3 months in arrears, which hopefully allows MS sufficient time to find and amend the faulty ones before I install them.

Eventually finding the Catalog, and searching for Win 8.1 Security Updates, I encountered a pig’s breakfast rather than a list of appropriate updates to install. There are 4 pages of them, unbelievably half are for .Net Framework, but how to choose?

The descriptions are no help – does “Windows 8,Windows Server 2012” mean it is for either, or that it’s only for the server operating under Win 8? Then there is “Windows 8 Embedded”, which suggests to me that it is already installed. Plain “Windows 8” presumably includes Win 8.1, as that is only mentioned in the section for drivers. There are also entries for Win 7 and XP, although cumulative updates were only introduced with the launch of Win 10. And the dates go back to 2013, which must be prior to Win 10.

To cap it all, almost everything is marked n/a, except for drivers and oddities such as
[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]GoldKey Security Corporation – Input, Other hardware –
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
and
[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]MingwahData ICBC UKEY – Input, Other hardware – MingwahData ICBC UKEY
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

So it would seem that there are no updates for my machine since the advent of cumulative updating for Win 8. It seems very strange.

Reply | Quote

Replies

Do a search for “October Security Only Monthly Rollup Windows 8.1”, “November Security Only Monthly Rollup Windows 8.1”, etc. This will bring you to the listings of these updates on the Microsoft web site. Write down the KB number of the update, and then go to the Microsoft Update Catalog and do a search for that update. You will then be able to download and install it.

I’m saving the monthly updates, with clear labeling, so that if I ever need them in the future, they will be readily available.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

Reply | Quote

What a rigmarole to get updates, but thanks for the help.

Your second paragraph sounds like a good idea, but after installation, how and where do you save it for possible future use?

Reply | Quote

I set up the following folder structure on my hard drive:
C:downloadsMicrosoftSecurity-only Monthly Rollup…
…Windows 7-32
…Windows 7-64

Inside of each of those, I have the following:
…2016 Oct
…2016 Nov
etc.

In this way, if I ever have to build a Windows 7 machine from scratch, I’ll have all of the Security-only monthly rollups. Of course, that doesn’t help me with what came before Oct 2016. For those, I imagine I can check for updates and then install all the ones which are dated prior to Oct 2016.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

Reply | Quote

I’m well and truly baffled. Yesterday, entering “October Security Only Monthly Update for Windows 8.1″ in Start /Search only found entries on my PC, all from Windows Secrets. Selecting one of the entries I came to Patch Watch, and a link to MS Catalog brought up the 4 pages of updates already mentioned.

Today, using your exact wording, again only produced files from my PC, although different from yesterday’s lot. Entering search in the browser brought more success. There were only 12 entries, all for the October Rollup, with only 2 entries for Win 8.1, KB 3185331, the only discernible difference being in size, one c 60Mb and other a lot more. Choosing the larger one, as being more complete, produced an error message. Attempts to download the other seemed to do nothing. After a while I looked in the download folder, not there, so I tried D/L History in Windows update.

I was immediately struck by the second item ‘December, 2016 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems (KB3205401) Installation date: ‎17/‎12/‎2016 Installation status: Succeeded Update type: Important.

How did that get installed? Since the change to Rollups I have set ‘do not install updates’, then when I’m ready I change that, allow a search for updates and install any approved by Susan Bradley, then change back to do not install. I installed a batch on the 17th and this must have slipped in unannounced, but it’s only supposed to be available from the catalogue.

Furthermore, I discovered the October rollup was one of four patches installed 4/11/16. Are these errors by MS, or are they determined to install the security patches whether we want them or not?

Should I give up and learn Linux?

Reply | Quote

First of all, it IS confusing; you’re not the only one who is baffled by all of this. In fact, since September, I had put off doing updates until a couple of weeks ago. But I knew I needed to do the security-only updates, so I finally got around to it.

I went to the Microsoft website and did a search there on that web site for the “Security Only Monthly Rollup” for October 2016. It returned me a list of available updates which fit that description, all for Oct 2016: Windows 7, Windows 7-64, Windows Server 2008 (I believe that was all). I saved the two Windows 7 updates to my hard drive, then updated my two Windows 7 computers with them. I then repeated the process for Nov 2016.

It doesn’t appear that you have installed these updates, only that you have downloaded them.

The “Security Monthly Quality Rollup” is the all in one, all encompassing patch. The “Security Only Monthly Rollup” gives you a month’s worth of security patches only.

I don’t believe you will be unknowingly getting any patches unless you have turned on “Download and install updates”.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

Reply | Quote