New cumulative update for Win10 1607 fixes bugs in the old one

I think.

MS released KB 4039396 a few hours ago, bringing Win10 Anniversary Update (version 1607) up to Build 14393.1670.

According to the KB entry:

• Addressed issue where Update History and hidden updates are lost and a full scan for updates happens after installing OS Updates 14393.1532 through 14393.1613, including KB4034658. Installing this update will not restore past update history or hidden updates for users who have already installed the listed updates. However, this current update will address this issue for users who have not yet installed them.
• Addressed issue with WSUS update metadata processing that can cause some clients to time out with a 0x8024401c error.

Those are two important bugs in the old cumulative updates for 1607.

I hope you’ve been following along here and haven’t installed the August update for 1607 as yet. Can anybody out there confirm that installing this cumulative update, and not the earlier ones, will maintain Update History? I’m away from my test machine and would appreciate any confirmation…

Crowdfunding site for @MalwareTechBlog

The guy behind the initial block of WannaCry propagation, @MalwareTechBlog, has a new crowdfunding campaign for his legal defense fund.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/malwaretech/

Ongoing discussion of Windows 10 Privacy settings

See: The definitive guide to privacy settings in Windows 10 Creators Update, Computerworld.

I’m astounded at the number of Windows 10 settings that are related to privacy, and how they’re scattered all over the place. I’m also overwhelmed by the dearth of documentation – and conflicting documentation – for Privacy settings in Win10 Creators Update.

If you know of a particularly irksome privacy setting, I’d like to hear about it.

There’s a huge guide to Win10 privacy settings in the works. More news as I’m allowed to divulge it.

Mysterious Windows 8.1 patch KB 4039871 making the rounds

I have no idea what it is, but there are reports of a new patch delivered on Friday night, called

2017-08 Preview of Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems (KB4039871)

Reportedly, it is marked important but optional. There is no KB article as yet, no entry in the list of Windows 8.1 updates, and nothing in the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Günter Born reports that one of his readers said four of his eight Windows 8.1 systems were updated overnight. His guess is that this undocumented update fixes a bug in the Rollup Preview for September, KB 4034663, which is also officially called the ” 2017-08 Preview of Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems (KB4034663) .”

There’s a confirming report from Japanese language site Winveg. That may be significant because the original 2017-08 Rollup Preview, KB 4034663, has a known bug “Japanese IME may hang in certain scenarios.”

Of course, I recommend that you avoid it like the plague – let the other beta testers iron out problems with Microsoft’s patches, especially Previews like this one.

Word and Outlook table bug found in this month’s Word 2016 patch KB 3213656

Merged cells don’t work correctly after applying the patch. The only fix found so far is to uninstall KB 3213656.

Let’s hear it for Automatic Update.

Computerworld Woody on Windows.

New Surface Pro 3 firmware update reported

Rich Woods at Neowin reports that Microsoft just released new firmware for the Surface Pro 3. Funny thing about that – the official update page says it was released on August 16.

Surface Pro 3 devices on Windows 10 Anniversary Update 1607, that attach the new Surface Pro Type Cover and the Surface Pro Signature Type Covers

My Surface Pro 3 is running Insider (Fall Creators Update) Fast Ring, so I can’t check.

Can anybody out there confirm if the new set of drivers just went out the Auto Update chute? If so, can you confirm if the drivers are just for version 1607 (the Anniversary Update), as it says on the official update page? Or are they for 1703 as well?

UPDATE: Paul Thurrott reports that the updates are only for version 1607. Which makes no sense to me, unless 1703 had the drivers and somebody forgot to put them in 1607.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Barb Bowman reports that she just got three updates on her Surface Pro 3 that’s running Win 1703 — Keyboard, System, HIDClass – and they’re all dated March 3. Her three drivers version numbers correspond to three of the five driver updates listed on the official update page. But the dates are all wrong. Go figger.

Chromebook is making big inroads

Those of you who follow along here know that I’ve been recommending Chromebooks for a long time. In my opinion, people who don’t have a need for a specific Windows program should seriously consider using a Chromebook. I use mine all the time.

Paul Thurrott has been going through a gradual transformation, and his post this morning is encouraging.

Android on Chromebook Edges From Fantasy Into Reality

It’s time to switch from the current “nothing to see here” mode and accept that the Chromebook threat to Windows is real. It’s also time to wake up and acknowledge that Windows 10 S, as currently designed, represents the weakest possible response that Microsoft could have offered.

Check it out.

Microsoft releases fix for botched Office 2016 patch, KB 4011093

It’s a manual patch, designed to fix a bug in the August 1 non-security patch KB 4011051.

Computerworld Woody on Windows