The August version of the monthly Windows updates and patches has turned out to be a real mess. Some systems got bricked by the first release, which Microsoft then had to withdraw entirely. Then a second version was released but it has bugs. At this stage, it looks wise to avoid installing any of the August updates until the problems get cleared up. Unfortunately, Microsoft has been less than candid about what is going on. In fact, it almost seems that they don’t know what went wrong but won’t admit it. There is a lot of frustrated commentary on the web.
At ZDNet, Larry Seltzer writes:
Not only have the developers at Microsoft had a bad month, but the communications machine has faltered as well. Microsoft has a large collection of blogs, several of which touch on update issues, especially the MSRC (Microsoft Security Response Center) blog. There have been problems with updates in the past and Microsoft has been rather forthright about them in these blogs. But the discussions of the recent troubles with updates are so fleeting, perfunctory and, I would argue, misleading, that the company seems more embarrassed than concerned.
At InfoWorld, Woody Leonhard puts it even more strongly:
Even by Microsoft standards, this month’s botched Black Tuesday Windows 7/8/8.1 MS14-045 patch hit a new low. The original patch (KB 2982791) is now officially “expired” and a completely different patch (KB 2993651) offered in its stead; there are barely documented revelations of new problems with old patches; patches that have disappeared; a “strong” recommendation to manually uninstall a patch that went out via Automatic Update for several days; and an infuriating official explanation that raises serious doubts about Microsoft’s ability to support Windows 9’s expected rapid update pace.
I’ve been covering (and suffering) Microsoft’s patching mishaps for more than a decade, and I have just one question: Who the hell is in charge of this mess?
The monthly Windows updates have become a real problem for many Windows users. Botched updates are not new. Already last year, I was posting about update problems. I think Chromebooks are looking better and better for many average PC users.
