What exactly does KB2952664 do?

Anonymous
2014-04-27T00:12:24+00:00

KB2952664 was published on April 22, 2014 and appears in my Windows Update List (I am running Windows 7 Pro - 64 bit).

The description of this update is vague:  "This update helps Microsoft make improvements to the current operating system in order to ease the upgrade experience to the latest version of Windows."

Anyone have more information on what this update actually does? If its sole purpose is to ease the "upgrade" from Windows 7 to Windows 8 (or 8.1 or 8.1 update), then I'll just permanently hide KB2952664 (I have no desire or intention to "upgrade" my Windows 7 system to any flavor of Windows 8).

If its purpose is to ease what would be a true Windows 7 upgrade to a yet-to-be-announced Windows 7 SP2, then I'll keep it (but still would like to have more information about what KB2952664 actually does before installing).

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-09-26T19:46:07+00:00

    It installs a Telemetry Scan that monitors all of your online activities so that Microsoft can direct ads at you.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-09-26T19:14:01+00:00

    And a more recent article and even more relevant:

    http://www.infoworld.com/article/3122260/microsoft-windows/gwx-swept-away-as-pattern-emerges-in-windows-updates.html 

    I have advised my clients to set WU to NEVER...   AND, to disable the WU service.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-09-26T17:20:13+00:00

    Starting with the October 2016 monthly updates, Microsoft is changing the way Windows Update will work ... only cumulative updates will be offered ... users will not have the opportunity to accept/reject individual updates.

    You can read more about the new process in this article ...

    http://www.infoworld.com/article/3115766/microsoft-windows/blame-microsoft-not-users-for-fragmented-patching-in-windows-7-and-81.html

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-09-26T16:48:53+00:00

    I am not sure that all of the current Windows 7 patches are all "either grease the skids to Win10 or telemetry (AKA spyware)".  If some Windows customer discovers a problem in Windows 7 (e.g., via a BSOD), and the problem is not security-related, will MS issue a patch if MS can determine what caused the problem?  I install all patches that are issued on patch Tuesday, but for patches that are issued on other days, I look at the description before installing each.  With the demise of "Get Windows X", I have not seen a patch that I needed to hide.  As a resident of the US, I don't care about a patch that changes the time zone in Egypt or Novisibirsk, but I install them.  There may be a patch that fixes a problem that I have encountered, and I might not know that via the MS description.  That is why I install all patches.  I assume that if I tried to install the Win10-related patches that I have hidden, MS would tell me that those patches are no longer available.

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-09-20T21:14:44+00:00

    I and my 150 client computers have had no problems with all of this ever since it started.  We follow a very simple process.

    • Set Windows Update to Never
    • Once a month about a week after patch Tuesday, we start WU manually.
    • Once we get a proposed list of updates, we find the updates that are NOT labeled security.
    • All of those updates are hidden
    • No optional updates
    • No unchecked recommended updates
    • All Office updates are allowed, as well as other updates like C++, Malicious, etc.

    We have smooth running systems that have never been bothered by the Win10 debacle.  We do not see commercials.

    We run IE11 most of the time.  Personally, I have no other browser installed.

    When I do re-installs, I reject all Windows updates that are not security that were issued after 2014. 

    Important to know:  MS stopped all development work on Win7 at the end of 2014.  Any and all updates that are not security, in my mind and according to all that I have read are either grease the skids to Win10 or telemetry (AKA spyware).

    When the big change comes next month, we will have disabled WU service and will likely never again do a windows update, unless we can find a way to get security only updates.

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