Microsoft makes a big production out of its monthly bug-patching cycle. But the company also regularly releases non-security related upgrades designed to improve system reliability. Unfortunately, the latest batch appears to have gone the other direction.
eSecurity Planet has the details about an update that has caused some users’ systems to crash, and Microsoft’s take on the problem.
Although many users may not notice them, Microsoft often releases more than just security updates in its regular bug patching cycle. However, they are frequently not released at the same time as security patches.
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) released several non-security updates for Windows 7 and its server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 Release 2 (R2) two weeks ago.
The main purpose of four of those patches was to improve stability and reliability of the two operating systems. Unfortunately for an undetermined number of users, one of those updates broke their systems rather than make them more stable.
The problematic update is Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB977074, which is creatively named: “An update is available to improve the stability and the reliability of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.”