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
    2015-12-17T21:05:33+00:00

    The below response is very helpful for the Windows users but not helpful in understanding what the KB2952664 actually will do. It clearly appears Microsoft does not want the users to have knowledge of these many different new KB numbers for now.

    My basic complaint with Windows is why not allow the existing Windows users who are happy with Windows 7, or possibly 8, and why are not given the proper knowledge and instructions to receive updates necessary for Windows 7 and 8 only? Our plan is to purchase Windows 10 later when we can evaluate the significance for change or upgrade to Windows 10 from our contentment with Windows 7.

    Microsoft 2000 NT and Microsoft XP have been the best OS system produced by Windows in the past. Now, Windows 7 is the next best product to use thus far until proven different by use of choice not by unknown KB number upgrades labeled by Microsoft as Important and/or recommended which are Windows 10 possible upgrades.

    We just need to know exactly, not vague with word semantics, what these barrage of KB numbers mean so that we can decide to stay with the current OS  we are happy with or move up to Windows 10 for ourselves.

    Microsoft was embarrassed by customer's lack of acceptance for Vista and Windows 8. Microsoft failed to LISTEN to their customers. Microsoft produced versions of Windows that we did not want with features we did not need. Customers rejected those versions.

    Now comes Windows 10. Perhaps Microsoft does not want to be embarrassed by customers again rejecting a version of windows that we do not want or need.

    One way to avoid having customers reject Windows 10 would have been to actually listen to customers and give us a version of Windows we really want. But apparently, Microsoft does not want to use that method ... instead they appear to be avoiding transparency regarding Windows Updates whose sole purpose seems to be nagging customers into installing Windows 10. And if we try to hide these "nag" Updates, Microsoft unhides them in an attempt to get them installed (regardless of their customer's wishes).

    In addition to releasing, re-releasing, and re-re-re-releasing "nag" Updates, it also appears that even in cases where customers do not respond to the nagging (i.e., those customers who do not want to install Windows 10), Microsoft still (in some cases) downloads the Windows 10 installation files. The files total approximately 3 to 6 Gigabytes; the unrequested download uses up network bandwidth and uses up hard disk space when stored on customer's computers. For more info on the huge Windows 10 installation files being downloaded without permission, see http://www.infoworld.com/article/2983777/microsoft-windows/how-to-clean-the-windows-10-crapware-off-your-windows-7-or-81-pc.html

    Why would Microsoft download Windows 10 installation files to customers who have not asked for them???? Well, perhaps Microsoft is counting each occurrence of these unrequested downloads as a "Windows 10 installation".

    So, when Microsoft releases a statement as to how well customers are accepting Windows 10, perhaps those numbers include cases where customers have received an unrequested download of the Windows 10 installation files.

    Rather than resorting to these kind of tricks to boost the numbers, Microsoft needs only to do one thing to get customers to accept a new version of windows ... LISTEN to customer feedback, be transparent about the purpose of Updates, honor customer's request to hide specific Updates, do not force customers to accept/install all Updates (let customers choose which Updates to accept and which to reject), do not send any telemetry data back to Microsoft without customer's explicit permission, and give us a Windows version that meets our needs. For more information on how Windows 10 is snooping, see http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/attempting-to-answer-whether-ms-is-snooping/

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-12-17T16:38:28+00:00

    I got that a couple of days ago.  It's another "Get Windows 10" annoyance. I immediately hid it. I just can't understand why Microsoft can't understand that 'NO MEANS NO!"

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-12-16T20:26:50+00:00

    FYI - I just found (and installed) KB3035583 (nagware) in Windows Update for the fifth time.  I have not researched what has changed.  Windows 7 Professional

    --Barry Finkel

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-10-11T00:07:24+00:00

    While I will remain on Windows 7 for at least the next five years, I had considered switching my daughter's laptop from Windows 8 to Windows 10, but the forced updates are a deal-breaker. Unless Microsoft wants to provide it for free, I will continue in the quaint notion that I own the hardware that I buy, and will not use any operating system that removes my control over what is installed on it.

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  5. Anonymous
    2015-10-10T22:01:08+00:00

    Do you think there is any way to get Microsoft to court for what they're doing with us?

    I think the best way to let Microsoft know of our disappointment in their products/services is to vote with our wallets, and by making recommendations to our friends.

    I will remain on Windows 7 and not install Windows 10 (and advise my friends and family to do the same). Over time, I will replace other Microsoft software on my computer with their non-Microsoft competitor. Finally, I will look into other non-Microsoft Operating Systems.

    With quarterly revenue over $20 BILLION dollars, Microsoft is not currently worried about the loss of customers ... thus we are seeing Microsoft make decisions that are counter to their customer's wants and needs such as the recent "nagging" and "telemetry" updates (without allowing customers the option to hide or disable the updates they do not want). However, if Microsoft continues to dis-respect their customers then (over time) Microsoft may discover that they have many fewer customers. If Microsoft will not LISTEN, then we customers have other choices.

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