Two versions of KB4538483

Topic

New Reply

For those of us who’ve been on the fence about acquiring an ESU license and are about to get one, or for those who’ve just gotten one in the last few days, part of the instructions from MS have included installing KB4538483 as part of the prep work before activating the license.

However, now that there are two distinct versions offered by the Update catalog (February 2020 and May 2020) and each having a different file size, I have a question:

Does the May edition, which is much larger in size, completely supersede the February edition or does it supplement the February edition?

In other words, for those who haven’t installed KB4538483 at all yet but who need to in order to get with the ESU program: Do we install the February edition first, reboot and then install the May edition and reboot again, or do we just install the May edition, reboot and continue on with the rest of the ESU installation and activation steps?

I’m asking this question because I’ve been reading that folks who’ve already installed the February edition now have to install the May edition as well.

 

BTW, I’ve decided against using abbodi86’s script due to the distinct possibility of it being against MS Windows’ licensing terms, so that’s not an option, especially since I’m using a Pro edition of Windows 7 which is eligible for the ESU program.

Reply | Quote

Replies

The MS Support page for KB4538483 dated 5/5/2020 says:

This update provides the complete set of licensing changes to enable installation of the ESU MAK add-on key, which is one of the steps to prepare for installation of Extended Security Updates. For the full set of steps, please see KB4522133.

Reply | Quote

Yes, the May update is documented to supersede the earlier February update. In fact, if you have the May version installed and then you try to install the February version, you will get an error message for the earlier version which states that “This update is not applicable to your computer.”

Reply | Quote

So why does the Update Catalog still offer both the original version from February and the latest version from May?

Reply | Quote

BTW, I’m the OP, just forgot to mention that in my post just above this one.

Reply | Quote

[EP]

maybe some Win7 users are comfortable using the old version of KB4538483 than the new revised one – let Win7 users decide which version of KB4538483 to install

that’s up to MS themselves whether they will pull (or de-list) the older version of KB4538483 or not from the catalog

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by EP.

Reply | Quote

Because this is not the first time that Microsoft has offered subsequent versions of the same hotfix KB number, and because this also is not the first time that Microsoft does not remove previous versions of the same KB from the Windows Update Catalog.

Reply | Quote

Another good  set of questions:

Why was this new version of 483 not offered to ESU users through WU?

Why did we have to learn about this through ‘The Grapevine”? (I only know about this because of Patch Lady’s info posted here.)

In light of the above, is MSFT deliberately making life as labyrinthine, obscure, and hard as it can for Win 7 ESU’ers to force them into WIN 10?

(Nah, they’d never do that….Gilbert & Sullivan: “Never?””No, Never.'”Never?“”No, never!“”NEVER??””<Cough-cough> “Well, hardly ever!”)

Win7 Pro SP1 64-bit, Dell Latitude E6330 ("The Tank"), Intel CORE i5 "Ivy Bridge", 12GB RAM, Group "0Patch", Multiple Air-Gapped backup drives in different locations. Linux Mint Newbie
--
"The more kinks you put in the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the pipes." -Scotty

Reply | Quote

Just a guess, but the v2 version of KB4538483 might not be offered to those who have legitimately purchased Win7 ESU licenses. The v2 version of this update is a lot larger than the original v1 version. I surmise that the v2 version is an attempt by MS to prevent Win7 users, who have not purchased a legitimate ESU license,  from being able to successfully install ESU updates. An example may be the latest ESU update for the .NET runtimes.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Nibbled To Death By Ducks

Reply | Quote

[Nibbled To Death By Ducks]

…and all he heard was the sound of one hand clapping.

C’mon, can anyone shed some light on this:

Why was this new version of 483 not offered to ESU users through WU?  Why did we have to learn about this through ‘The Grapevine”? (I only know about this issue because of Patch Lady’s info posted here on Woody.)

I’d really like to know.

Win7 Pro SP1 64-bit, Dell Latitude E6330 ("The Tank"), Intel CORE i5 "Ivy Bridge", 12GB RAM, Group "0Patch", Multiple Air-Gapped backup drives in different locations. Linux Mint Newbie
--
"The more kinks you put in the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the pipes." -Scotty

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Nibbled To Death By Ducks.

Reply | Quote

[Nibbled To Death By Ducks]

Nibbled To Death By Ducks wrote:

…and all he heard was the sound of one hand clapping.

C’mon, can anyone shed some light on this:

Why was this new version of 483 not offered to ESU users through WU?  Why did we have to learn about this through ‘The Grapevine”? (I only know about this issue because of Patch Lady’s info posted here on Woody.)

I’d really like to know.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Nibbled To Death By Ducks.

KB4538483 was always available ONLY thru MS Update Catalog (MUC) and thru WSUS and NEVER thru windows update.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4538483/extended-security-updates-esu-licensing-preparation-package

KB4538483 (any version of it) had to be manually obtained from either MUC or WSUS – maybe MS is kinda lazy to issue it thru WU

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by EP.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Nibbled To Death By Ducks

Reply | Quote

Why listed twice? Perhaps the clue is under the ‘Method 2 [WSUS] – Prerequisites’ paragraph:
“You must have the servicing stack update (SSU) (KB4490628) that is dated March 12, 2019 installed.”

Issuing sequence:
Feb – 4538483
Mar – SSU
May – 4538483, which requires/implements some functionality within SSU

But this doesn’t really explain why the Feb version hasn’t been dropped.

And — “If you use Windows Update,” (previous to above quotation) is in conflict with ‘MUC and WSUS only’. Documentation conundrum? OR, is WU supposed to kick in if/when ESU is installed?

Reply | Quote

EP wrote:

KB4538483 was always available ONLY thru MS Update Catalog (MUC) and thru WSUS and NEVER thru windows update. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4538483/extended-security-updates-esu-licensing-preparation-package KB4538483 (any version of it) had to be manually obtained from either MUC or WSUS – maybe MS is kinda lazy to issue it thru WU

Thank you! I was beginning to think that “No one would speak against Caesar,” or something like that.

Well, at least I’m a bit closer to comprehension. I had already downloaded the Feb. 483, but, once MSFT had the ESU numbers and identifiers for my machine and license (my ESU’ was bought in early January), there is no reason to not offer the new 483 to all ESU’ers through at least WU with the May 12th patches (the original new 483, which had been dated May 5th) is, IMHO just lazy, stupid, or, as I have said before, just a taste of the kind of backhand slap sort of treatment we 7 ESU’res are going to get until we upgrade to Win10.

They say “Never ascribe to malignancy that which can be explained by human stupidity,” but in this case, I might think that, at the least, it’s the former. This “‘Yo pays ‘yo money and ‘yo takes yer chance,” treatment is NOT what paying customers deserve.

…and not giving it a new KB number is just moronic. I spent 50 years of my life in technical and engineering environments, MIL Spec and commercial, and that sort of lazy, sloppy work alone would qualify for a wood shed hiding from the Engineering department manager.

Sorry; “I may po’, but I’m proud.”

This did it; I’m boning up on Linux Mint and dual booting. Thanks again.

Win7 Pro SP1 64-bit, Dell Latitude E6330 ("The Tank"), Intel CORE i5 "Ivy Bridge", 12GB RAM, Group "0Patch", Multiple Air-Gapped backup drives in different locations. Linux Mint Newbie
--
"The more kinks you put in the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the pipes." -Scotty

Reply | Quote

Well, not endorsing this, but remember that MSRT (KB890830) is re-issued almost monthly using the same KB number. And MSE updates (KB2310138) comes out multiple times a day (OK, this isn’t quite the same scenario). There likely are other examples.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Nibbled To Death By Ducks

Reply | Quote

Like KB2952664

1 user thanked author for this post.

Nibbled To Death By Ducks

Reply | Quote

How could I have forgotten that? And 3035583 (Get WinX). You jogged my memory that I have a file listing Optional Updates when Win 10 was being encouraged; there are some other multi-issued KBs there too.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Nibbled To Death By Ducks

Reply | Quote

OP here again. So exactly what is the difference between the February release and the May release?? Why the big difference in file size?? Did they add future licensing check capabilities to it that will be required in order to install all future ESU updates starting in June and going forward, did they fix the [problem] with the recent.net patch release, did they add licensing workaround blocking capabilities, etc??

Inquiring minds would like to know.

BTW, @PaulK, the SSU you reference in post 2267136 above (KB4490628) was released last year, in 2019, so it wasn’t a factor in the updating of KB4538483. I caught myself thinking the same as you were, till I remembered this year is 2020. (Insert “embarrassed” emoji for me here).

2 users thanked author for this post.

Nibbled To Death By Ducks, PaulK

Reply | Quote

I’m too old, just living in the past/present/futxxx; it’s all the same these days.
You are so right – and gracious in the correction, too.

Reply | Quote

OP here again. @PaulK, I myself am no spring chicken either, having been accused of, on several occasions, suffering from CRS (Can’t Remember (Stuff)).

In rereading  my reply just above, I did find one typo that could lead to someone not understanding what I typed, and scratching their head in the process. When I was talking about a possible patch in one of my questions, saying “…the [problem] with the recent.net patch…” I meant to add a space between the words “recent and “.net”, so it should read “…the [problem] with the recent .net patch…”.

In thinking about the SSU’s (servicing stack updates) that have been a monthly fixture, it also could be that MS has now included, or will with June’s release include, new code that checks for ESU licensing before allowing any ESU patches to be installed and it may do so in a way that can’t be circumvented by using tools such as DISM. They may have also realized that the new code would severely affect the currently licensed ESU users, so they then had to add a slew of new code to the licensing prep package, KB4538483 to keep things running properly. That would explain why those who’ve already installed the February edition of KB4538483 are now forced to install the May edition as well.

The unfortunate above concept would possibly render @abbodi86 ‘s extremely helpful script useless, which would be a disaster for those on Windows 7 Home, or those on an extremely tight budget who’ve been able to use the script to keep fully updated with security patches.

The size difference is tremendous between the February edition and the May edition (over 7.5 times larger for x86 and over 7.25 times larger for x64). It would be great if someone here with the technical acumen could take each edition apart and see just what’s been added to the May edition to cause such a tremendous difference. After all, doing so may prove my unfortunate speculation in the two paragraphs above wrong, which would be great news for those folks who would be affected otherwise.

Just saying.

Reply | Quote

I suspect @abbodi86 and the rest of the MDLers will be on it ASAP.

1 user thanked author for this post.

SueW

Reply | Quote

The size difference is tremendous between the February edition and the May edition (over 7.5 times larger for x86 and over 7.25 times larger for x64). It would be great if someone here with the technical acumen could take each edition apart and see just what’s been added to the May edition to cause such a tremendous difference. After all, doing so may prove my unfortunate speculation in the two paragraphs above wrong, which would be great news for those folks who would be affected otherwise.

the second releas is bigger because it contain and updated Software
Protection Service sppsvc

my guess is that this updated sppsvc is mostly to fix ESU keys activation issues listed in this article:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4547184/troubleshoot-issues-in-extended-security-updates

Reply | Quote