Where’s the KB 4034661 jumbo bug fix for Win10 Anniversary Update?

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2017 04:33:00 -0700

Wednesday night, Microsoft claims, it issued KB 4034661 for Windows 10 Anniversary Update, bringing version 1607 up to build 14393.1613. It was supposed to go out the Automatic Update chute. But as of early Thursday morning, U.S. time, nobody’s seen it. There may be a good reason why. Or maybe not. Such are the vagaries of patching Windows.

It’s a laundry-list patch, rolling out on a Wednesday (or Thursday, or …), nine days after the regular Patch Tuesday patch, KB 4034658 wiped out the Update History on many Win10 Anniversary Update machines. The KB 4034661 article lists dozens of small bug fixes (that’s “quality improvements” in Microsoft Speak).

It also says that this new patch wipes out your Update History and drives WSUS systems nuts. Microsoft still hasn’t fixed that bug and, since all Win10 updates are cumulative, the sins of the father are vested upon the son.

We do know that the new patch is available in the Microsoft Update Catalog. But at this point it’s anyone’s guess if this notice in the KB article:

This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update.

… is right, wrong, wishful thinking, or a viable threat.

The last time Microsoft issued a huge bunch of bug fixes for 1607, just a month ago, the KB 4025334 article explicitly said that the patch was only available for download. It never came down the Automatic Update chute. Instead, Microsoft let would-be beta testers download the package, install it, and see what broke before the big bunch of fixes rolled out on the next Patch Tuesday.

That’s a great idea, in my opinion. It’s exactly the method being used for Windows 7 and 8.1’s “Preview of Monthly Rollup” patches, except the Win10 cumulative update previews have been haphazardly documented and kicked into an untidy pile in the corner.

Are we witnessing another implementation of a Win10 cumulative update preview? Is the documentation wrong? Is there another patch headed out the Automatic Update chute? Will Jon Snow … whatever. I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.

In the interim, my old advice stands. It’s still too early to install any August patches.

Man, I wish Microsoft would rationalize its naming.

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