Microsoft wants to make Windows 7 and 8.1 updating easier

Microsoft announced three upcoming changes to update procedures of previous versions of the company's Windows operating system today.

The company created what it calls rollup packages for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 which are designed to bring the operating system to the newest patched version without having to install all updates released for it one by one.

While Windows 7 users can install Service Pack 1 or even buy the operating system with the service pack included, all updates released after the official release of the one and only service pack for Windows 7 need to be installed individually.

All that users and administrators need to do now is to install the rollup update on the device running one of the supported operating systems to patch it completely.

Additional information about it can be found on the Knowledge Base page KB3125574.

This rollup package includes almost all the updates that were released after the release of SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, through April 2016. This convenience rollup is intended to make it easy to integrate fixes that were released after SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Microsoft will update the rollup packages regularly to add new patches and updates to them. These rollups can also be integrated into installation media so that they are installed alongside the operating system.

The convenience rollup package can only be downloaded from Microsoft's Update Catalog. Please note that the service can only be accessed using Internet Explorer and no other browser (not even Microsoft Edge works currently).

Microsoft plans to modernize the Update Catalog this Summer however by removing the ActiveX requirement from the site so that other browsers can be used to access the service and download patches for Windows systems.

The company announced as well that it will no longer provide downloads for security updates on the Microsoft Download Center. These updates will be available exclusively for manual download via Microsoft's Update Catalog.

The third and final change concerns non-security updates for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8.1 and the server-based operating systems Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

Microsoft will release monthly rollup packages for these versions of Windows that contain all non-security updates.

A single update will be released each month that contains all non-security updates of that month.

Microsoft will make these updates available through Windows Update, WSUS, SCCM and the Microsoft Update Catalog.

The intention is to make updating simpler by providing just one update for all non-security fixes released in a month.

Closing Words

The announcement offers no information on whether the release of monthly rollup packages will impact the current options that users and admins have to get non-security updates for Windows.

It would be problematic obviously if the company would not make individual patches available anymore but it seems unlikely that this is the case.

Now You: What's your take on the changes announced today?