What exactly does KB2952664 do?

BDSolomon,

I recommend that you read Woody Leonard's site here.

Woody has categorized Windows users into three groups:

Group A:  those that install everything that Windows Update offers each month. This includes the monthly rollup with all of its potential telemetry (rollup is obtainable from Windows Update).

Group B: those that do NOT install the monthly Rollup, but instead install the monthly Security Only updates for Windows and IE11 (obtainable only from the catalog). Also some misc updates from Windows Update (such as the .NET updates, Office updates) are installed.

Group W:  those that do not install any updates. Not a very good choice considering the malware that has recently been found to take advantage of several vulnerabilities in Windows.

Here is an article by Woody about these three groups.

I choose to be in Group B.

Each month (after Woody's DEFCON system has declared that it is all clear to install updates, see the article on Woody's DEFCON system here), I go to this page, scroll down to the Windows Version I use (Windows 7 or Windows 8.1), scroll to the month/year of the given version's  Security Only updates I want to install, and download the appropriate (32-bit or 64-bit) version of the Windows and IE updates (doing this is much easier than trying to find the appropriate updates in the Windows Catalog).

Once I have downloaded the two Security Only updates (Windows and IE), I install each one. Then, I go to the Windows Update applett in control panel and I change my Windows Update setting from "Never check for updates" to  "Check but let me choose whether to download and install". Then Windows Update will check for updates. and update its list of available updates.

Each month, when Woody issues the DEFCON 3 state, he also reviews the updates and describes which ones are ok for Group B users to install and which ones to bypass. I usually follow Woody's advice and only check/install those updates (in the Windows Update list) that Woody recommends. NOTE: I DO NOT install the monthly rollup update that is found in the Windows Update list (because I have already installed the monthly Security Only updates for Windows and IE). The updates (in the Windows Update list) that I usually install are those for .NET, Office, etc. The main point here is that as a Group B user, I DO NOT want (and do not install) the monthly rollup update found in the Windows Update list.

After I have installed the specific updates (from the Windows Update list) that I want, I change my Windows Update setting back to NEVER.

Of course, this does not guarantee that my computers are totally free from Microsoft's collection of telemetry .... Microsoft could always include telemetry collection as part of their Security Only updates.

To cut down on the telemetry sent to Microsoft, I have disabled the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) in Windows and Office (and disabled the corresponding Scheduled Tasks) ... along with a few other hacks.

As I mentioned, the above does not guarantee that all telemetry is eliminated, but it's "90% effective with 10% effort".

Admittedly, the catalog is horribly indexed.  I was directed to the catalog from the link I posted (I applied the rollup at work and they disable windows update). Their brilliant fix, after I did the legwork, was to tell me to install the rollup.  Since I couldn't find it in Windows Update, I went to the provided catalog link.

It showed 4 items (when I clicked on the link for Windows 7).  2 for Win7, 2 for Windows server 2008 as I recall.  At the time, each of the two had the same description.  I opened both Win7, and one was x86, the other, while it mentioned 64 bit or x64 (I forget), the X64 had AMD in the name.  I think the description said it was for 64 bit systems.  They have since updated it and the names say C86 and X64.  In any case, updating manually from the catalog worked.  Since I was told to do that at work, I did it.

I'm reluctant to apply it to my home PCs, and was really hoping to get some input here.  Soon I'm going to give up and apply the rollup, which basically is defeating the two main reasons I didn't get Win10, buying a system with a built-in death.  (I have enough stuff on my PC, including a PCIe NVMe drive requiring a slew of drivers to even come up, so if I get it wrong I'm in trouble, so I'd be nervous to downgrade to Win10... plus it might not be free by then.)  I didn't want the blind updates, and I didn't want the telemetry.  Well they've added the telemetry to WIN7 which I will on doubt be subject to when I install the rollup.  And for the blind updates (take all or get lost), well I guess I now have to voluntarily do that.

I was hoping for some activity here -- the people who posted about how to disable the telemetry, any news of microsoft releasing just a fix for what they broke instead of forcing "everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink" on us if we simply want to fix what they broke.  So far, nothing.  As I have been saying, if they WANTED to force this on us, it was a brilliant move.  Kinda hard to think that a security update accidentally broke indexing, and just outlook indexing at that.

I'm affraid the MS catalog is just a joke. There are only 4 items on the list for KB2952664. :(

P.S. No Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. on my computers/smartphones.

OK, so  I went to that Win7 link you provided to see if they published the individual fix for what they broke with the security updates.  And found that they don't even list the roll-up.  The ONLY Win7 item published in June (or July to date) is .net 4.7 on June 27.

I had hoped your recommended link would be able to get me just the fix, but as I said, it wouldn't even get me the rollup that has the fix.

Oh, and I don't use facebook, twitter or other social media, thank you.

Guys,

I have been following this thread for years and it is beating a dead horse. In fact this horse has been dead for so long it is starting to really stink. The fact is that SaaS is not going to go away.

Google started this mess with the Android OS (hate it); Adobe threw gas on the fire with "Creative Suite" (what a piece of crap that is). Apple is now doing it with their mobile platforms (poster child for SMUG) and it is only a matter of time before the iMac follows suit. In other words, "Welcome to the new normal."

Microsoft didn't start this; they are simply joining the crowd. Even one of my Linux boxes downloads beau-coup updates in a single batch so it might as well be called a roll-up.

The truth is that two-way communication is a more convenient and efficient way to maintain the ever increasingly complex software we call Operating Systems. If it weren't for the troglodytes who are still using Windows 2000 and Windows XP, "WannaCry" would have been nothing more than wasted effort on the part of the mafia scum who created it. None of the hundreds of Windows 7 and Windows 10 machines that I maintain even registered a hiccup.

And as for the "privacy" bug-a-boo that keeps resurrecting in this thread, anyone whining about Microsoft spying on them and violating their privacy, who has a Facebook account, should immediately get up from their computer, walk to the bathroom, stare long and hard into the mirror, and get a good look at a hypocritical moron.

Social Media, not your Operating System, is the real threat to privacy and individual sovereignty, but the world is drinking that kool-aid by the lake full. And people like Zuckerberg are laughing all the way to the bank.

If you really want to have ultimate control over what updates get applied to your Windows computer then take a hike over to http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Home.aspx where you can browse every update ever released by the folks in Redmond.

If you want to narrow your selection to just Windows 7 then go to http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=Windows%207 and you can pick and choose to your heart's delight.

Don't get me wrong, Microsoft's roll-out of Windows 10 was a royal sh*t-show on par with IBM's famous "...keep the software; everybody knows the real money is in the hardware." You would think that some of the smartest people on the planet would have devised a more intelligent marketing strategy. It just goes to show you that IQ is nothing without plain good old Common Sense.

If you really want to keep Microsoft from snooping, install a good firewall (like Untangle or pfSense), lock it down good and tight, then add Peerblock to the mix, and then you might even tick-off DHS and NSA.

Just saying.