Old Posted News

[parkd1]

Microsoft is getting its head down to work and pushing out internal builds of Windows Threshold at a rapid pace and while we had heard that a fall preview was in the works, it looks like the end of September is now the timeframe for release. What we do not know is if this will be a public release or if this will be limited to Microsoft partners. It looks like the preview will be public but there are still quite a few details to be ironed out about the release.

The information comes from the reliable Mary Jo Foley and we can corroborate some of her information. While we have not specifically heard that the end of September is the definitive timeframe, we were told that a release for the enterprise would occur in the very near future. More significantly, internal builds now reflect this with an updated watermark.

Over the past few weeks, we've been slowly uncovering Windows Threshold with tidbits about its distinctive new interface, virtual desktops, Charms bar overhaul and now we are learning a little bit more about the development path of the project.

There are still more bits and pieces to learn about Threshold and we still have not seen any references to Windows 9 in the builds; it is believed that this will be the name, but it is still subject to change.

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-thre ... -september

[parkd1]

Last Tuesday Microsoft issued their August updates for fixes and security, unfortunately it renders Windows 8.1 completely to un-bootable for a lot of end-users as they end up with a black failure screen. The issue resides in two updated files. On the Microsoft support forum it rains complaints about the so called August update. Read more after the break.

Users that have a system restore point enabled can retrieve access to the OS in the pre-update state and get Windows going again. Those that have system restore disabled are in a world of hurt and might have to reside to a system OS backup, or revert to a clean install. For those with a system restore point, please make sure that you uninstall the following updates: KB2982791 and the optional update KB2975719 as these are the two responsible for all this.

The problem identifies itself (for those affected) after your system has had two reboots after installing the August update. Microsoft explains that the problems are being investigated and that they are looking for a solution with the team responsible for the KB2982791 and KB2975719 updates.

Yeah ... FAIL.

http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/window ... pdate.html

[DesertJerry]

Installed all updates this past Tuesday - no problems at all rebooting and/or running system ever since. (Win8.1 u 2 64bit) [The u 2 is the indication I use to remind myself I did install the August Update - also misnamed update 2: Windows8.1-KB2975719-x64.msu]

[Whatacrock]

Microsoft Takes Down Windows 8.1 August Update Download Links

Microsoft rolled out the highly-anticipated Windows 8.1 August Update earlier this week, but right now the download links do not seem to be working anymore.

Both the x64 and x86 versions of August Update are down at the time of writing this article, but it’s not yet clear whether this is happening due to a technical issue or Microsoft is attempting to solve some problems with the update.

The two builds can still be found online if you know where to look, but every time you attempt to load the official Microsoft links, an error reading “The resource you are looking for has been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable” is displayed in the browser.

As we’ve already told you, some users have indeed reported a number of problems with the Windows 8.1 August Update, but it’s not yet clear whether this link removal is related in any way with the bugs that some of you found in the last few days.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft to see what’s happening, so we’ll update the article when and if we receive an answer. Anyway, expect the download links to be restored in the coming hours, as the update still seems to be available via Windows Update.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsof ... 5164.shtml

[Whatacrock]

KB2976897, KB2982791, and KB2970228 Patches Causing BSODs on Windows 7

Microsoft rolled out August Update plus a number of other patches on this month’s Update Tuesday cycle, but it appears that a number of computers are affected by random BSODs whose cause is yet to be determined.

First reported by InfoWorld, this issue shows up after installing KB2976897, KB2982791, and KB2970228 patches on Windows 7, with the BSOD error reading a simple 0x50 message.

Several users have already confirmed the problems in posts on Microsoft’s Community forums, with some claiming that Windows 7 64-bit could be the only version of the OS that’s affected until now.

“I too have had the same problem blue screen of death after installing Tuesdays updates after messing around for hours I have had to hide KB2976897, KB2982791, and KB2970228 to be able to start my computer normally I wish that Microsoft would check the updates before releasing them I suspect that these updates mentioned above are not compatible with windows 7 64bit which I am running,” one user explains.

Those who are experiencing the issue are recommended to hide the updates until Microsoft provides a workaround for this. The company hasn’t yet commented on the cause of the problem, but it’s most likely looking into reports as we speak.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/KB297689 ... 5065.shtml

[Whatacrock]

Windows 8.1 August Update Breaks Down Some PCs, Causes Black Screen at Boot

Windows 8.1 August Update was launched earlier this week, and even though everything seemed to work just fine at first, it appears that the new pack of improvements is causing some pretty big issues on a number of computers.

While it’s not yet clear whether this is the reason why Microsoft took down Windows 8.1 August Update download links, it appears that some computers that have been updated to this new OS version can’t boot anymore due to some modifications made to system files.

A Microsoft Community thread where users are reporting this issue already has 9 pages, but it’s still not known whether this is a common problem or just one experienced on a limited number of computers.

We’ve already installed Windows 8.1 August Update on several PCs, laptops, and tablets here at Softpedia and found absolutely no issue after that.

Here’s however what one of the users is reporting on the forums:

“I installed all of the august 12 updates today, after the first reboot everything seems fine. After a second manual reboot that wasn't requested, the system shows the initial flag and loading throbber, then kicks to an all black screen and gets no further. System restore fixed the problem, I have reinstalled some of the updates so far, and found some are ok, but at least two are definitely still causing this black screen on second reboot.”

The problem has been tracked down to KB2975719, which is actually the Windows 8.1 August Update pack supposed to deploy the necessary files on your computer.

Another user says that it could all be caused by a botched patch, as in his case, the computer fails to boot and the monitor loses signal, while the mouse and keyboard go into an unpowered state.

“Hello, I'm also having the exact same problem. In my case, the screen isn't just black, I get a lose of video signal and my monitor goes into standby, additionally it seems like my mouse and keyboard go into and unpowered state (I can't toggle num lock and the lights on my mouse go out). It's only after installing kb2982791 or KB2975719,” he explained.

Download links of the new Windows 8.1 August Update are no longer available, so users experiencing these problems could try re-installing the new OS version when they are restored, as Microsoft might actually prepare a fix for these PCs. We’re still waiting for more info from Microsoft, so we’ll update the article when we get it.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows- ... 5173.shtml

[parkd1]

In a Reddit AMA yesterday, the Internet Explorer team discussed the negative reputation surrounding Microsoft’s browser and confirmed that internally they had considered changing the name.

Front-end Engineer Jonathan Sampson admitted, "I remember a particularly long email thread where numerous people were passionately debating it. Plenty of ideas get kicked around about how we can separate ourselves from negative perceptions that no longer reflect our product today".

It’s no surprise that Microsoft decided against renaming the browser. For all the negativity that surrounds it, it’s still a very strong brand -- synonymous with the internet itself in the mind of many web users -- and the people who work on IE have done a superb job in recent years of improving the browser’s reputation. Clever marketing campaigns like the Browser You Loved to Hate have really helped, as of course has building a much better product.

What is surprising is that the debate is still a fresh one. When quizzed, Sampson said, "The discussion I recall seeing was a very recent one (just a few weeks ago). Who knows what the future holds".

So there’s still the possibility of a name change at some point, although I personally think it’s unlikely. A well-known browser with a (dwindling) negative reputation will always do better than a brand new browser with no public awareness. And what sort of message would a rebrand send out anyway? People would just think Microsoft was trying to disguise the flaws of its browser behind a change of name.

If you were thinking of giving Internet Explorer a new name, what would you choose?

http://betanews.com/2014/08/15/microsof ... -explorer/

[Whatacrock]

After further research in to these issues, found that Microsoft strongly advises users to uninstall these offending updates.

Known issue 1
Microsoft is investigating behavior where fonts do not render correctly after any of the following updates are installed:
2982791 MS14-045: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers: August 12, 2014
2970228 Update to support the new currency symbol for the Russian ruble in Windows
2975719 August 2014 update rollup for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2
2975331 August 2014 update rollup for Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012

Mitigations
Open the Programs and Features item in Control Panel, and then click View installed updates. Find and then uninstall any of the following update that are currently installed:

KB2982791
KB2970228
KB2975719
KB2975331

More information can be found in the following support bulletins

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2982791

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2970228

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2975719

[Whatacrock]

Microsoft Tells Users to Uninstall Windows August Updates

This weekend, Microsoft removed the manual download links for two different patches rolled out on Update Tuesday, and although no reason was provided at first, it was very clear that the decision was made after hearing about problems and issues experienced by users after installing the updates.

In an updated advisory on Microsoft Support, the company says that links for a total of four different updates released last week have been removed until the reported issues are being investigated.

Here’s the list of updates that are no longer available for download due to bugs:

2982791 MS14-045: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers: August 12, 2014
2970228 Update to support the new currency symbol for the Russian ruble in Windows
2975719 August 2014 update rollup for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2
2975331 August 2014 update rollup for Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012

Microsoft says that all those who have already installed the updates and experienced issues should go over to Control Panel, open “Programs and Features” and click on “View installed updates.” Then, you should remove “any of the following updates that are currently installed”: KB2982791, KB2970228, KB2975719, and KB2975331.

In a statement sent to us this morning, the company also said that it was indeed investigating reports pointing to botched updates, but no other specifics were provided.

Windows 8.1 August Update was launched last week to introduce a series of new options in Microsoft’s modern operating system, but everything quickly became a fiasco due to these bugs.

Here are the three main improvements that are part of Windows 8.1 August Update:

• Precision touchpad improvements – three new end-user settings have been added: Leave touch pad on when a mouse is connected; allow right-clicks on the touchpad; double-tap and drag.

• Miracast Receive – exposes a set of Wi-Fi direct APIs for Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV) drivers or OEM drivers to develop Windows 32-bit applications that run on all supported x86-based or x64-based versions of Windows 8.1, enabling the computer as a Miracast receiver.

• Minimizing login prompts for SharePoint Online – reduces the number of prompts with federated use in accessing SharePoint Online sites. If you select the “Keep me signed in” check box when you log on for the first time, you will not see prompts for successive access to that SharePoint Online site.

A complete list of Windows 8.1 August Update improvements is also available if you’d like to find out all features that are part of this release.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsof ... 5313.shtml

[parkd1]

The August Update for Windows 8.1 (once rumored to be Update 2) has been pulled from the web and is currently no longer available for download after Microsoft received complaints that it was causing errors and system instability for some users.

If you attempt to visit the original download links you’ll be met with a message stating "The resource you are looking for has been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable".

The worst offender appears to be MS14-045 (Vulnerabilities in Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege) and Microsoft recommends that users uninstall that particular update. There’s a Knowledge Base article covering this at KB2982791 which includes all the known problems and detailed uninstallation instructions.

I haven’t had any problems with the update, have you? Let us know about your experiences in the comments below.

http://betanews.com/2014/08/17/microsof ... e-updates/