Microsoft just released dozens of new patches — some dated July 23 in the Update Catalog, some dated July 24, some dated July 20. Wotta mess. All sup
[See the full post at: Yet another massive mess of Windows patches]
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There are isolated problems with current patches, but they are well-known and documented on this site. |
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Yet another massive mess of Windows patches
- This topic has 55 replies, 26 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 2 months ago.
AuthorViewing 18 reply threadsAuthor-
One thing I will give Win10, is the deferrals, how they relate to updates, when they’re pushed and/or you’re bugged about them (depending on WU settings)…. with the deferrals, you get no notices, nothing…until the deferral is up (me: 30 days), by which time, they’re generally sanitized enough to not break as much and the DEFCON rating has improved. Same with the feature updates as well.
For all the things MS jacked up with 10, at least (so far) deferrals work and they actually adhere to them – for now, at least.
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The frog has been boiled. We jumped from being able to select individual patches to install just a few years ago, through cumulative updates but still being able to install them WHEN AND IF THE USER WANTS in every Windows version to being able to defer only for 30 days in the Pro version and being very happy about that.
Well done, Microsoft!
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I wouldn’t say I’m ‘happy’ about it per se; I’m more happy that at least they’re honoring it still.
Given their track record, that can and will probably change, since they constantly move the goalposts with everything else as it pertains to 10 (and especially 10 Pro).Unfortunately I think things may end up getting worse in the end, especially with the recent org restructuring and the importance on cloud and AI being pushed (and Windows as a desktop being set on the shelf).
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I wonder if this will be the month that the advice is finally given at least to Windows 7 users to switch to Group W – never update. It must be a close call at this stage, given the shift in balance between the major threat to our systems coming from Microsoft rather than third parties. How Windows 10 users can follow such a prompt is beyond me, it seems that they are pretty much signed up in perpetuity to whatever Microsoft chooses to throw at them – which it also seems to me is the biggest single reason to avoid “upgrading” to Windows 10!
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I actually started reimaging my machines last night from 10 to 7.
First one I did, I updated using Sec Only through 12/17.
I couldn’t RDP to it today, because of the CredSSP patch missing. So I installed Jan-June 18 Sec Only patches, and could RDP to it. But due to the Smeltdown patches, I worried about performance, so i disabled Smeltdown performance using Steve Gibson’s InSpectre.In hindsight, I have a backup of 10 off it from the night before, and I think I’m going to go back to that when I get home. Why? I don’t think I can deal with using 7 if it means no updating, even Sec Only. I can continue updating, Sec Only, but it’s a hassle. Right now, with 10, I have my deferrals set, my systems notify me when an update is available (AU option 2), I have to acknowledge that and click Download. IOW, it’s a safety net. Overall though beyond that, the updates (thus far) have not broken 1703 or 1709 for me.
I’m trying to compare safety nets, in an apples-to-apples way as best as possible….and IDK, I feel like it’s less hassle to deal with 10’s updates than 7’s (assuming you set deferrals at least, and optimally, change the AU behavior and either disable reboot for scheduled installs with logged on users, or, set active hours). 7’s updates are basically a circus, but you have more control. 10’s updates are better, but you have less control. You really have to decide what poison you want to have.
I’d just switch en masse to Ubuntu MATE and get it over with, but only 1/3 of my Steam library has native Linux support, so I have to have a running, working Windows install somewhere if I want to play all the games I’ve paid for. I’m just hoping Win10 continues to improve and evolve in a way that benefits us, instead of handicapping us further.
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For me, it will come down at some point to a couple of simple questions. First, is having my two home desktop PCs unsupported by Microsoft more or less safe than having them continuing to receive monthly updates? Second, is the safer of those two options better or worse for me than upgrading those machines to Windows 10?
My main PCs run W7 and Linux Mint ( I also have XP & W10 installs and VMs).
All you need to do to keep running W7 is to make regular Backup Images (remember to “Verify” the Images and store extra copies on external drives).
There are several free programs that can do this (I use Macrium Reflect Free Edition).
As for “unsupported by MS”, I’m still waiting for the “XP Armageddon” that we were promised would occur in 2014 (my XP install & VM still run properly).
Unlike W10, I can connect XP to the Internet without having to worry about it downloading GBs of garbage code and then self-destructing.
-lehnerus2000
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I agree with both of you on one vs. another, last updates for my Win7 were for June’s rollup. Currently with Group A, about to consider Group W now, based on all this mess. Haven’t had any issues on my Win7, as a Home user with updates through June.
If it gets much worse for Win7 users I might just decide to use the PC as a work station off line, my Mac as a main station. Won’t go to Win10 for various reasons, some obvious, some personal having to do with losing a few good programs. What a crazy mess.
MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, and SOS at times.
Not so soon. I am working on a Group A to mostly Group B rip, which users can run every month, after applying Group A updates. Completing the Group B rip will require making sure that CEIP is disabled, and checking for and disabling any new Task Manager tasks which are related to the Customer Experience.
“DOS isn’t done until Lotus won’t run.”
I say, “Windows 7 isn’t done, until all telemetry won’t run.”
Yep. This is my goal: Remove all telemetry updates, except for a couple of telemetry updates which one can not remove if the user has Office 365 installed, or if the user has installed one or more “Windows 10 only” apps. The user then has to verify that they are opted out of CEIP, and that they have disabled all Customer Experience tasks in Task Scheduler. The latter is not specifically required, in order to prevent telemetry from being sent to Microsoft and their affiliates which includes Facebook. Yet the point of doing the latter is to stop your computer from gathering any telemetry in the first place, regardless of whether or not it gets sent to Microsoft and Microsoft’s affiliates.
It is what it is.
I wonder if this will be the month that the advice is finally given at least to Windows 7 users to switch to Group W – never update.
Canadian Tech has been making this recommendation for a while… and there have been no problems reported by the people following this… Personally I’m holding at December 2017 (but note that I’m making that decision based on patterns rather than the technical details of patching).
However! It is likely that malware will continue to evolve and develop. Perhaps malware developers will focus on finding new flaws in the new W10 OS… but with so many people unhappy with W10, it is likely that some malware perps will focus on exploiting older, known problems, or even find new ones, in Windows 7. Microsoft won’t care if Windows 7 is vulnerable because it will drive those users towards W10 (only the fact that they are supporting servers with long term contracts might mediate that, but their push has been towards wanting more ‘customers’ that they can harvest data from and abuse).
Personally, I think that a lot of the things that are exploitable are the same things that allow Microsoft and software developers to harvest data, along with providing services… and that by minimizing telemetry and unnecessary communications through a firewall the attack surface available is also minimized… but the non-techy Group A people are probably not going to tighten up their systems like that.
To make a recommendation to abandon updating in favor of Group W doesn’t take into consideration what the skills, and how motivated various users, actually are, and what actual dangers they might face. I recently found out a somewhat more distant family member is happily using Vista, blissfully unaware! They are of the opinion that if it works, don’t fix it… and a disaster waiting to happen… (back up, back up, back up!).
Woody has recommended that most Windows 7 users use Group A updating… and really, that is the largest group of people here, who aren’t on W10. Overall it is better to have patches against known exploits, than to play chicken and rely on hope (I’m not talking about adopting a well-shielded and backed up Group W, because most of the non-techy Group A’s aren’t going to carry through and actually do those things, and that is one of the things that must be considered in making that kind of recommendation). Of course, there might come a point of patching being such a disaster, that it is necessary to stop patching… but I’m not sure that we’ve reach that point (again, from watching patterns rather than a technical point of view).
Group B and Group W have been minority positions, however well thought out, tested, and workable they have been found to be. But the people adopting them, although perhaps not real techies, have at least taken the time to find out a little bit more about what is going on, and practice proactive defensive, protective computing. I’ve done quite a bit of coaching with family and friends, and those that have chosen Group B or W are all happy, and without adverse consequences. But… this is really a temporary position, and any recommendations need to be made with Windows 7 end of life clearly in our future.
Woody has given us Defcon patching, no matter what our patching styles are, outlining the best ways forward… and he gives us choices… anyone here value how important it is to have personal freedom and choice?
There are more people, individually, looking at Group W… and it has been a viable choice. But is it right for the majority of non-techies? July patching might justify a temporary Group W hold (don’t know, though, waiting on word from Woody). But we just don’t know what malware is being developed… and from what we do know, there is a huge untapped potential for difficult to detect, nasties, because of the flaws baked into our processors (thank you, Intel and AMD as stellar examples of deliberately creating flaws that they could utilize, but that make end users more vulnerable). Social engineering might be in play, to herd us fearfully into a future of data harvesting and marketing manipulation with W10… but hackers have made quite successful malware with less… and to ignore the likelihood of exploitation is as irresponsible as the fear-mongering. I’m not the expert Woody is, but it seems that there are pitfalls in every direction, with no perfect, good answer. In the end, pointing out the various directions and their flaws, and letting people make their own choices is probably more responsible.
People not ready to become informed and make their own decisions are choosing to be used for the prosperity of others. Freedom has to be exercised to be meaningful. The fact that Woody has always supported individual choice, is priceless…
Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter
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Hello Elly,
I enjoyed reading your post. If you continue to hold your Win7 computers at December 2017, which I did for quite some time myself, then you are missing out on Meltdown protection and other important security updates. Note that updating Win7 computers from December 2017 to June 2018 requires installing updates in a specific order, in order to get around various update issues by taking advantage of update supersedence features.
Meltdown is readily exploitable via JavaScript in web browsers or via software downloads which include malware, whereas Spectre is more difficult to exploit. It should be noted that Spectre vulnerabilities have now increased to four variants, with the addition of the latest side channel vulnerability. It is important to not only use the latest versions of web browsers, but also to keep Internet Explorer updated since IE is deeply embedded into Windows itself. With IE, it doesn’t matter if you are using another web browser, since a ton of IE DLLs are always running under the Windows OS itself. The upshot is that IE is a huge security hole on all Windows computers, even if IE is never visibly running.
Microsoft has implemented boot OS loaded microcode patches for both Meltdown and Spectre in Windows 10, yet Microsoft has only implemented OS loaded non-microcode kernel patches to prevent Meltdown in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
Presently, Meltdown is the most realistic attack vector. Yes, the latest versions of web browsers have changed default settings for JavaScript pooling to disabled, and have implemented other features to prevent Meltdown from within the web browsers themselves. Yet such protection does not extend to graphics drivers which can be touched via any web browser. Yes, the mini-computers within your computer’s graphics card can be used to exploit Meltdown. Thus, there is an additional requirement to keep your computer graphics drivers updated. This assumes that your graphics card vendor has revised their drivers to prevent Meltdown.
The upshot at the moment, since you are running Win7, is to either get updated through June via the specific January through June 2018 update installation order which I have found to work, or and if you are lucky, your computer motherboard’s manufacturer has released Intel’s V2 BIOS microcode which prevents Meltdown and Spectre. Either method will cause a noticeable slowdown of your computer. Updating your computer’s BIOS with the latest CPU microcode to prevent Meltdown and Spectre will cause the most significant performance impacts. Yet getting your Windows 7 computer updated through June 2018 for protection against Meltdown will result in a less significant performance impact.
The sad state of affairs is that most AV programs are NOT detecting Meltdown and Spectre Why? Because the code to exploit Meltdown and Spectre does NOT require any malware techniques, and because such code is easily obfuscated. Thus the reason for the so-called “no known exploits in the wild” statement. I don’t know if working Spectre exploits are out there in the wild, yet I strongly suspect that working Meltdown exploits actually are out there in the wild.
Best regards,
–GTP
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@GoneToPlaid-
I’ve been thinking about updating to June. My old hard drive was successfully updated. What I’m battling is an emotional reaction to all of Microsoft’s problems. I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t trust them, and that I need to focus on the future, using my Windows 7 offline, and something yet to be determined, online. I re-read your informative post several times, and although it is reassuring, and points out what path to take… I just can’t bring myself to update further… and thus I become a member of Group W (temporarily, I hope).
Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter
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Elly – that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about doing sometime down the road of MS havoc. but the tech folks who basically run the masses, my heart goes out to them. Personally, I’m one of the “little guys” who can walk away into the Mac world full time and pull the online plug on the PC to do the work and save to an external flash drive. Have had everything from MS-Dos (the best, but lots of writing involved haha), Win98, WinME, Vista, XP, now Win7, the latter if left alone with simple updating like once upon a time, is a perfect companion and workhorse. Living in the dark ages, still on Photoshop 7. But it’s looking sad, and I share in your emotional state. I’m holding off until the push through WU to 10 comes along again, but trying to have faith in making a major change. Hang in there kiddo
MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, and SOS at times.
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Just a thought to above post; perhaps this is exactly MS way to coerce W7 users into the “Do not Update Mode” it looks like a perfect scenario in a sense, i.e. kill W7 support (or lack of), to get a percentage of users to alter their mindset to bite the bullet & upgrade to W10? Create kaos, divide & conquer, grab the masses who jump ship…and start the kaos all over again? I can’t see any other logic these past months, i.e. there will always be order even among disorder; a method to the madness exists. (W7 forever!).
Please follow the –Lounge Rules–
If there is magic on this earth ... it's in the water.
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Never say never, but I’ll keep on updating my Win 7, Pro x64 machine Group B-style. When and why? Sometime, eventually, as usual, once the dust has finally settled, as it has always happened and I confidently expect to continue happening. So call me crazy all you want.
But I think we should always give credit where credit is due: in this case to those very active and even, yes, proactive people at MS that keep on spinning and weaving and sending us new patches like there is no tomorrow.
Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).
MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV1 user thanked author for this post.
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OscarCP – I like your attitude and would like to believe there will be light and we are again good to go, from a Win7 home user standpoint and for all others as well. For those Win7/Win10 users who rely heavily on security in order to serve the masses, I do believe this madness will end. Good thoughts OscarCP and thanks
MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, and SOS at times.
1 user thanked author for this post.
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Yeah, side-channel is another Spectre CPU vulnerability which I have known about for a good while. To quote:
“This latter attack is a big deal because Intel SGX (Software Guard eXtensions) are hardware-separated secure enclaves for processing sensitive data, one of the highest forms of protection that Intel CPUs provide to app developers.”
Interpretation: Totally blown out of the water — as in breached.
New Spectre vulnerabilities are being found considerably faster than I would have thunk. Well, perhaps not, since I did a lot of harping about Meltdown and Spectre, and since I figured that security researchers would jump on this Six Ways From Sunday. It is what it is.
I am working with a team on software which allows users to upgrade their computer BIOS to include complete Meltdown and Spectre protection via custom modified BIOS files which can be flashed. Microsoft, of course, is only implementing run time protection against Meltdown and Spectre in Windows 10. Microsoft is implementing Meltdown protection in Win7 and Win8.1 via Windows Updates, yet it is obvious that Microsoft has deliberately chosen to NOT implement run time Spectre protection when Win7 or Win8.1 computers boot up. Yet this is completely within Microsoft’s capability. It is what it is.
The final and overall upshot is this: Motherboard OEMs are not providing BIOS updates for any motherboards which were initially released more than three years ago. It doesn’t matter if you bought one of these motherboards last week. Microsoft has implemented Meltdown protection, via Windows Updates, in Win7 and Win8.1 upon bootup, yet Microsoft refuses to implement Spectre protection in Win7 and Win8.1 upon bootup, even though Microsoft is readily doing so for their precious Windows 10.
I won’t delve into the potential legal arguments about this new Microsoft strategy, as this is a topic which is not pertinent to this forum, and which is a topic which should not be discussed on this forum. It is what it is.
Best regards,
–GTP
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This is starting to be the new norm. These are the 4th Tuesday updates that don’t introduce any new security fixes, just fix up issues. Mind you they still don’t fix up the .net problems so yes, this is a pass. They may not even be offered up in the MU channel/pushed out – which is what we’ve seen in the past. So WSUS admins can push them out if they want to, but they may not be offered up via MU.
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
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I will let you know what I see when I goto my Test Partition…..
Pattern! yes, one I am not liking much…… Has all of the competent people FLED Windows now? Now that it is less of a thing?????
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1. Tower Totals: 2xSSD ~512GB, 2xHHD 20 TB, Memory 32GB
SSDs: 6xOS Partitions, 2xW8.1 Main & Test, 2x10.0 Test, Pro, x64
CPU i7 2600 K, SandyBridge/CougarPoint, 4 cores, 8 Threads, 3.4 GHz
Graphics Radeon RX 580, RX 580 ONLY Over Clocked
More perishable2xMonitors Asus DVI, Sony 55" UHD TV HDMI
1. NUC 5i7 2cores, 4 Thread, Memory 8GB, 3.1 GHz, M2SSD 140GB
1xOS W8.1 Pro, NAS Dependent, Same Sony above.-----------------
Only a fool would tread in these waters. DON’T PATCH.
OR a Legitimate, Knowledgeable TESTER, on a TEST PC/VM/Partition…..
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1. Tower Totals: 2xSSD ~512GB, 2xHHD 20 TB, Memory 32GB
SSDs: 6xOS Partitions, 2xW8.1 Main & Test, 2x10.0 Test, Pro, x64
CPU i7 2600 K, SandyBridge/CougarPoint, 4 cores, 8 Threads, 3.4 GHz
Graphics Radeon RX 580, RX 580 ONLY Over Clocked
More perishable2xMonitors Asus DVI, Sony 55" UHD TV HDMI
1. NUC 5i7 2cores, 4 Thread, Memory 8GB, 3.1 GHz, M2SSD 140GB
1xOS W8.1 Pro, NAS Dependent, Same Sony above.-----------------
I was offered 1803 again (I get this every month and hide it as does another poster above), but this time WUMT listed it as 90 Gb! Is this right or a WUMT bug?
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KB4340917 is a new 1803 Cumulative Update that brings the Build to 17134.191, and has a Date of July 24, 2018. – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4340917/windows-10-update-kb4340917 – The Microsoft Update Catalog lists the x64 version as 713.1 MB = https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4340917 – I have heard that the Windows Update MiniTool WUMT sometimes has bad size listings. That is why it is a good idea to type in the KB# into your search engine and do some homework. Probably a good idea to WAIT / Defer this update along with all other July updates until Defcon 3.
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Whoa. I just looked at the MS Support page (updated as of July 19, 2018) which Woody posted regarding Spectre side-channel attacks. I see that MS is recommending that users install the January and February 2018 security updates, in addition to other actions such as BIOS firmware updates, to mitigate against Spectre side-channel attacks.
Now, wait a minute. The January and February 2018 Security Only updates introduced a flaw by Microsoft which became known as Total Meltdown. I do not see any indication that these January and February updates for Windows servers have been updated to address this issue. Total Meltdown wasn’t fixed until March or April 2018, as I recall.
Well! It’s just the beginning… and the Microsoft script kiddies will cause more havoc in the future. Since Microsoft open-sourced quite a few technology stacks, it’s (no) fun to see the junk they code. In regards to .NET Framework issues… just look at the mess Microsoft calls .NET Core (github.com/dotnet). Of course, that mess makes it into the .NET Framework stack as well. The most ridiculous thing is that Microsoft traded security by allowing .NET Core 2.1+ apps targeting newer and patched .NET Core versions to run on previous and unpatched versions so they don’t have to update their Azure Web hosting servers at the time security patches get released. Says it all, right?
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I’ll stick my head out and predict that MS will offer another FREE upgrade (downgrade?) to W10 solely for W7 users before 2020.
With this in mind, over the weekend, I re-installed W7x64 (directly) and further adopted Canadian Tech’s insight and method of installation (now in group B), I’m more than happy to have went beyond May 2017 to stay at December 2017 for security patches and the last dot NET roll-up being in September 2017 for now. Third party software, browsers, security extensions, AV’s, firewall rules and registry keys are now taking care of this device and WU is completely OFF! (and imaged off-line)
MS are tightening the screw and aren’t going to be caught out by another XP again for W7.
Credit and many thanks to Canadian Tech for the advice here: #188268
NOTE for CT: all of which still works great albeit I went to December 2017 instead of May 2017 for SO patches and Sept 2017 for dot NET roll-up.
No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created IT- AE3 users thanked author for this post.
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@microfix, what’s the reason for not installing .NET updates released since September?
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September .Net was the last of 2017 Roll-ups offered by WU. No particular reason, just means the PC is patched up to December 2017. This years MS patches never got off to a good start and that was an indicator for me not to go any further.
No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created IT- AE3 users thanked author for this post.
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“Windows upgrade offensive”: If it is much like the one they conducted when first Win 10 was offered for free, a few years ago, I imagine we’ll all be annoyed but survive it and still be Win 7 users to the bitter end, and even beyond it. At that time, for me it was simply a matter of checking on the updates by clicking on “more information” after right-clicking on the update name in the WU page in “Control Panel”. If the information had words such as “improving your experience quality” or “making it easier to transition to Windows 10”, I hid them and that was that. And I’m never, ever, going to click off popups “encouraging” me to switch to Windows 10… Instead, I’ll close down right away the whole Windows Update and the Control Panel screens. Or, if everything else fails, try logging off, or even turn off the machine, always starting the above by disconnecting it form the Internet.
Some interesting paragraphs in that “Softpedia” page:
“The end of support is coming in 2020 and it’s time to make the shift to 10,” Louisa Gauthier, product and marketing leader at Microsoft, was quoted as saying.My comment: Making a switch then will be quite timely, yes indeed. But a switch exactly to what, eh?
“Why is end of support so important for us? Because it is a huge opportunity to get your customers to modern. It is an opportunity estimated to be worth $100 billion when you put together all the partner services, Office and solution opportunity over three years”, she said.
“Softpedia” comment: Microsoft tells partners that the end of support that Windows 7 is projected to reach in early 2020 is also an opportunity for them to boost sales, especially because many customers might seek hardware upgrades to modern devices.
“If your PC and software are more than four years old then it’s time to move to a new Windows 10 device. Modern Windows devices are cheaper to manage and faster to run,” she said.
My comment: Mi non-modern Windows 7 Professional, x64 OS cost me exactly $ 0.00 to manage and run.
There are here, perhaps, certain assumptions made by certain people, that users share some important modes of behavior with lemmings. Interestingly enough, and contrary to common belief, it has been recently scientifically proven that lemmings do not jump off cliffs and into the sea en masse:
“Softpedia” comment: According to third-party data, Windows 7 is the leading choice on the desktop with a share of 43 percent, while Windows 10 is the runner up with approximately 34 percent share.
Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).
MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV1 user thanked author for this post.
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Hi OscarCP,
Occasionally parts for older laptop models do show up on eBay. You might want to save a search for the keyboard for your specific IBM laptop model.
Best regards,
–GTP
1 user thanked author for this post.
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@GoneToPlaid- I’ve been thinking about updating to June. My old hard drive was successfully updated. What I’m battling is an emotional reaction to all of Microsoft’s problems. I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t trust them, and that I need to focus on the future, using my Windows 7 offline, and something yet to be determined, online. I re-read your informative post several times, and although it is reassuring, and points out what path to take… I just can’t bring myself to update further… and thus I become a member of Group W (temporarily, I hope).
Hi Elly,
Note that all of the KB articles for all of the 2018 updates have been updated by Microsoft. Details are now missing in regards to what one could have manually checked for in a computer’s registry.
I too have been emotionally battling the seemingly unending issues of Microsoft updates. And I too, up until June, held all of my Win7 computers at December 2017. Yet there were issues with a couple of older XP programs which had started crashing either when running or during shutdown. These issues started roughly around September 2017 after installing updates which were meant to fix security issues in the Windows kernel. These issues continued up and until I installed the June Security Only update, and then sequentually “back installed” the other 2018 Security Only updates.
All of the Jan through May 2018 updates have issues, which must by avoided by implementing supersedence by first installing the June 2018 update and rebooting, and then sequentially installing the Jan through May 2018 updates without any reboots when installing them. To perform this procedure, any installed 2018 updates must first be uninstalled.
The upshot is that the June 2018 update for the Win7 kernel does fully implement Repotline protection within the Windows kernel against Meltdown, regardless of whatever version of web browser you are using, since web browsers are the most likely scenarios for Meltdown attacks, and since the latest versions of all of the popular web browsers have internally implemented Meltdown protection.
The June Win7 update also, and finally, fixes the months long issues when running older XP programs which could crash with “Pure function call” messages. I have been experiencing this specific issue since around Setember 2017.
The upside, after getting updated to June 2018, after holding at Dec 2017, is that Win7 will be fully protected against Meltdown, regardless of whatever version of web browser you run and regardless of whatever software you subsequently install. Note that outdated web browsers and outdated graphics card drivers remain the most likely vectors for Meltdown.
The downside, after getting updated to June 2018, is that Win7 likely will run somewhat slower, yet mostly only under the specific scenarios of copying or moving files. I have been successfully running all of my Win7 computers, fully updated through June, yet on Group B, for around a month with no issues.
The upshot is that June 2018, versus December 2017, has become my new “holding point.”
Best regards,
–GTP
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