Microsoft releases KB4512478 and KB4512514 previews
Microsoft released the monthly rollup previews KB4512478 and KB4512514 for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012 R2 this weekend.
The release on a Saturday is a deviation from the Tuesday or Thursday release schedule for the preview updates. Whether that is a one-time deviation or something that could happen more often in the future remains to be seen.
KB4512478 and KB4512514 are preview updates of the monthly rollup patch that Microsoft will release on September 10, 2019. Designed to give organizations time to test changes made in these updates, the previews are available on all devices running one of the supported operating systems.
A check on Windows Update will return these as optional updates and they may also be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The previews are not available on WSUS but they can be imported to WSUS manually.
KB4512514 for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
KB4512514 is a non-security update that fixes two issues on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 systems:
- Fixed an issue affecting svchost.exe hosting WSMan Service (WsmSvc) that caused it to stop working and to stop other services in the same host process.
- Fixed the long-standing Preboot Execution Environment issue that could prevent devices from starting.
Microsoft lists three known issues that affected previous updates as well:
- IA64 or x64 devices provisioned after the July 9th updates may fail to start with error" File: \Windows\system32\winload.efi Status: 0xc0000428 Info: Windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file."
- Certain Symantec or Norton security applications may block or delete Windows updates.
- VBScript should be disabled by default in Internet Explorer 11 but this is apparently not the case all the time.
The release notes list only one known issue that Microsoft fixed in the new update; what about the fifth known issue that is no longer listed as a known issue in KB4512514 but also not listed as fixed?
It is unclear if the Visual Basic issue is fixed in the preview update; Microsoft makes no mention of it. If you check the August 2019 Monthly Rollup update KB4512506 you find it listed there under known issues and the reference that the optional update KB4517297 fixes it.
A quick check of the package details on the Microsoft Update Catalog website shows that KB4517297 is not replaced by this update.
KB4512478 for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
KB4512478 is a preview of the monthly rollup for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 that Microsoft will release on the September 2019 Patch Day.
The update fixes the following three issues:
- Fixed a memory leak issue in LSASS that caused it to grow until it became necessary to restart the device.
- Fixed an issue that caused rdpdr.sys to stop responding or working.
- Fixed the Preboot Execution Environment issue.
Microsoft lists a single known issue:
- Operations such as rename may fail on files or folders that are on a Cluster Shared Volume.
The August 2019 Monthly Rollup log lists three known issues; the Visual Basic issue is not listed as fixed but it is not listed as a known issue either.
Now you: do you install update previews or do you wait?
Today (August 30, 2019) i’ve got offered kb3038936[1] which is a 2015 update, and that i already have installed, wtf… does anybody have any clue? The first thing that came to my mind is a MITM… I had installed those previews and it’s the first time i do install such updates, so not sure if might be related as well.
[1] : https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3038936/august-2015-anti-malware-platform-update-for-windows-defender-in-windo
I don’t install Windows Update Previews since I don’t want to be an unpaid Microsoft beta tester, with all that entails.
OK then this article is not for you!