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Patch Tuesday: Here's what's new for Windows 7 and 8.1

Today is the second Tuesday of June, and that means it's time for all supported versions of Windows to get new updates as part of Microsoft's Patch Tuesday. That includes multiple versions of Windows 10, but also Windows 8.1 and Windows 7, though you'll need to be an ESU customer if you want to get updates for the latter.

As usual, there are two variants of the updates. First is the monthly rollup update, which is what you'll get automatically from Windows Update. There's also a security-only update you can download manually if you don't want any other changes made to your system.

Starting with Windows 8.1, this month's cumulative update is KB4561666, and it can be downloaded manually here if Windows Update isn't for you. Here's what's new in this release:

  • Addresses an issue that prevents users from updating .msi files from a network folder.
  • Security updates to Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Kernel, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Fundamentals, Windows File Server and Clustering, Windows Hybrid Storage Services, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.

This update has no known issues.

As for the security-only update, it's labeled KB4561673, and you can get it manually here. This one won't come through Windows Update, so you'll need to get it yourself if you prefer it. The changelog is the same as the second bullet point of the update above. This update also has no known issues.

In regards to Windows 7, you'll need to keep in mind that Microsoft has killed off extended support since January, so the majority of users won't be getting any updates. However, if you're a business customer and your organization is paying for Extended Security Updates, there's still something for you.

The monthly rollup update for Windows 7 is KB4561643, and it can be downloaded manually here, though it should also show up on Windows Update. The changelog is very similar to the one for Windows 8.1, but here it is:

  • Addresses an issue that prevents users from updating .msi files from a network folder.
  • Security updates to Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Kernel, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows File Server and Clustering, Windows Hybrid Storage Services, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.

There is a known issue with this update:

Symptom

Workaround

After installing this update and restarting your device, you might receive the error, “Failure to configure Windows updates. Reverting Changes. Do not turn off your computer,” and the update might show as Failed in Update History.

This is expected in the following circumstances:

  • If you are installing this update on a device that is running an edition that is not supported for ESU. For a complete list of which editions are supported, see KB4497181.
  • If you do not have an ESU MAK add-on key installed and activated.

If you have purchased an ESU key and have encountered this issue, please verify you have applied all prerequisites and that your key is activated. For information on activation, please see this blog post. For information on the prerequisites, see the "How to get this update" section of this article.

As for the security-only update, that's KB4561669, and you'll have to download it manually here if you want it. The changelog is the same as the second bullet point of the list above, and it has the same known issue as the monthly rollup update.

As a reminder, these are the only updates Microsoft is putting out each month, since the company decided to halt the release of optional updates, which used to arrive later in the month

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