17 Optional Win 8.1 Updates

[NoelC]

Second Patch Tuesday

 

I guess there are a few folks busy at Microsoft fixing bugs.  I haven't personally had an OS bug in quite a while, but bugfixes in general seem like a good thing.

 

 

See also http://www.ghacks.net/2015/06/17/microsoft-releases-batch-of-non-security-patches-for-windows-june-2015/

 

I vetted them all by reading the Microsoft documentation...  They're mostly bugfixes, which run the gamut from a system crash due to a hardware timeout (changed to some kind of less intrusive recovery I presume) to Chinese characters not displaying correctly to certain TVs not working to something described as a general reliability improvement that has a lot of files in it and appears to be related to the Windows Store.

 

One (KB3058168) describes an update that enables Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 KMS hosts to activate a later version of Windows, and contains a whole bunch of .manifest files.  I'm wary lately of installing stuff that purports to facilitate an "upgrade" to Windows 10, but I don't think this update is going to harm Windows 8.1 operation.

 

One (KB3064209) claims to be a microcode update for Intel processors, though they don't get very specific.  Very interesting indeed.  I don't remember ever seeing one of these before.

 

I don't sense an obvious nefarious attempt to shoehorn Windows 10 (though that KMS update had me looking twice) in so I guess I'm going to install them all, even though most don't apply directly to what I do, on the general principle that hiding updates is not a good long-term strategy.

 

Note:  These require a restart.  If you don't hear from me in a few days, please send a St. Bernard with a barrel.

 

-Noel

[NoelC]

All seems well.  Aero Glass, the theme, and all the tools I use appear to work.

 

-Noel

[netbookdelgob]

Thanks for the information!

[osRe]

I was about to send my Great Dane.