What went wrong with Microsoft's August updates?

[Brink]

It's been a long time since Microsoft had a Patch Tuesday this bad. By Friday they were conceding problems with several updates. Not only did they withdraw four updates, but they recommended that users uninstall one of them.

Yesterday they reissued that update, but they also announced that it had its own set of new bugs, one of which can make windows inaccessible or invisible. Three of the four withdrawn updates are still withdrawn and two of those are also subject to the missing window bug. Two other updates, previously uninvolved with the August updates, also have this missing window bug.

I have no hard numbers to go on, but I do suspect that the number of users affected by all these problems is, as Microsoft says, small. Perhaps very small. Even so, it's hard to escape the feeling that something went very wrong recently at Microsoft's update shop.

Read more at: What went wrong with Microsoft's August updates? | ZDNet

 

[jc836]

Sadly, the reissue does nothing to fix the updating problem 80246002 as of this afternoon.
So how do we get the re-reissue?

 

[Seffrid]

Another blog on the same subject:-

Microsoft ships replacement patch KB 2993651 with two known bugs | Microsoft windows - InfoWorld

 

[ThrashZone]

Good analysis article thanks for sharing it Brink
It didn't say anything about KB2973201 which came with some funky side effects or known issues when or soon after release ?
You have to wonder is this ordeal a learning experience for consumers and Microsoft or just consumers to review these updates and hold back weeks before installing them after the dust settles

God only knows how long the vulnerabilities existed in the first place and if a end users holds off a few weeks will the sky suddenly fall by not installing them anytime soon :/

 

[Borg 386]

All I can say looking at all the articles is "What a freakin' mess."

If you read the re-released security bulletin carefully, and specifically read the Update FAQ, you see that "Microsoft strongly recommends that customers who have not uninstalled the 2982791 update [the old update that was withdrawn] do so prior to applying the 2993651 update [the new, re-released update]." They don't say you must do this, just that they strongly recommend it.

What happens if you don't? They don't say. Why does the 2993651 update, or Windows Update, not remove the 2982791 update first? This is unclear. In fact, at the same time, Microsoft recommends relying on Automatic Updates which will install the new update without removing the old one and not inform the user of the fact.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Looks like I'll be sitting on the "patched patch" for a while longer. I normally wait until Saturday to download and install patches, which saved me this time from the ones that got pulled since I hadn't installed any until after the problem patches had been pulled by M$. However, the fixed one sounds like it's no better that the original one.

 

[Layback Bear]

I have both 2982791 and 2993651 and so far no problems.
As of a few minutes ago checking again, I have all Windows 7 updates.
I really don't know what to do except leave things alone and wait.

 

[jc836]

The amount of work required to get anywhere close to removing these things is ridiculous. For that matter, MS must find a way to provide all users with an SP type of fix that we can download and install independent of the built-in updater.

I thought all was fine too - until last night when the failure appeared on ALL of our machines that had been updated. Stay tuned Layback Bear.

 

[Borg 386]

So far I've installed the new patch on Win 7 32 without removing the old one & no problems (knock on wood). However I haven't re-patched Win 7 64 Pro or Win 8.1 Pro yet...I think I'm going to sit back a while & see what comes out of this next. Both 7 64 & 8.1 were running fine after the updates (once again, knock on wood). I opted for every OS not to install the update that added the Ruble sign (didn't see the point).

 

[ThrashZone]

I'm with Jack no need to possibly create an issue following the contradictory processes in prior articles,
If the windows update system issued the Important updates and they loaded without bsod ?

I'd say we've done all we can as a end user is supposed to load Important updates as they're available or soon after,
It's up to Microsoft to straighten out the mess they've caused some users,

Then let those users figure out if trust is lost or not

 

[maxseven]

I have both 2982791 and 2993651 and so far no problems.
As of a few minutes ago checking again, I have all Windows 7 updates.
I really don't know what to do except leave things alone and wait.

It seems like they want(ed) 2982781 UN-installed before applying 2993651. If I were in yr shoes I might be inclined to uninstall both, then reinstall 2993651.

There must be something pretty critical in 2993651 that they would recommend its install despite the known bugs.

I have 2982791 installed on this machine w/no problems. I have yet to look at my WSUS installation (on WHS2011) to see what it's got for me, but I think I'm just gonna sit on all this for a few days and see if any more shenanigans transpire with these...

EDIT: How bizarre: WSUS shows I need to Approve KB2993651 for installation on 2 of my 3 W7 computers (the two that have 2982791 installed, the 3rd does not have this) but the notations make no reference e.g. to uninstall 2982791 first, indeed not even the support.microsoft.com/kb/2993651 page talks about uninstalling 2982791, and then strangely too the WSUS "superceded by this update" list contains two dozen earlier updates, but none of them is 2982791.

Stranger still, the 3rd computer that does not have 2982791 installed at all DOES NOT NEED THIS UPDATE!?!??!!! They seem to be saying by this that "if you installed 2982791 you do now REALLY REALLY need this update to fix it". But if that's the case, why have they said to uninstall it first? Or is that just false reporting---they haven't said this at all?

Most days I think I'm a pretty savvy computer guy, but MS is surely being successful if they are deliberately trying to make me feel stupid here!



P.S. Turns out my WHS2011 computer has 2982791 installed also, thus there is a Windows Update KB2993651 awaiting installation for IT as well...

 

[ThrashZone]

Look at it from a normal everyday users point of view,
They're on auto updates,
They at this date have all of these updates Important/ Recommended and Optional,
They see no issues at all/ No bsod.... even with the weird optional ruble update causing the bsod's on some systems,

It's not realistic for such action to be taken to uninstall anything,
So on that note your creating more issues by jumping around trying fix a non issue,
Cheers.

 

[Ranger4]

Look at it from a normal everyday users point of view,
They're on auto updates,
They at this date have all of these updates Important/ Recommended and Optional,
They see no issues at all/ No bsod.... even with the weird optional ruble update causing the bsod's on some systems,

It's not realistic for such action to be taken to uninstall anything,
So on that note your creating more issues by jumping around trying fix a non issue,
Cheers.

I think you have hit the nail on the head. I have auto updates set & always install all the recommended updates & so far I have not had a problem.

 

[King Arthur]

Guess I'll shelve the idea of running Windows Update for another several months. Was thinking of running it earlier this month, but then the whole BSOD thing happened and reading through this thread it doesn't appear the mess has gotten all that better.