[ZDNet] A hidden Patch Tuesday gem: A Windows 7 hotfix rollup

[zalbard]

As part of the myriad fixes and updates that Microsoft released on March 13, this month's Patch Tuesday, is the Slow Boot Slow Login (SBSL) Hotfix Rollup for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. This is a rollup of 90 hotfixes that were released after SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. These fixes improve overall performance and system reliability of both operating systems.

Source
Link to KB2775511
Link to TechNet blog
Direct download links: 32-bit, 64-bit

Not Service Pack 2, but hey, it's something.

Update (from comments to the article):

You don't necessarily have all 90 of those hotfixes

In general, Hotfixes aren't publicly available. They get created to fix a problem a user (or a bunch of users) has reported, and then delivered to that user (first for testing, and then for real). If other users report the same (or a similar) issue, then the hotfix is sent to them to try out.

Hotfixes get tested, but not to the same extent that the OS or a service pack gets tested. That's why their availability is (at least, initially) restricted.

Sometimes, hotfixes are found (over time) to be of such use and to have no deleterious side effects, and they are made more widely available (there will be a link in the corresponding KB article saying "download this hotfix to fix the problem"). Most of the time, the KB article will say "there is a fix available for this issue, contact support to get it" (for what it's worth, if there is a KB article that points to a hotfix, there isn't any charge for that support call - you are getting a bug fixed, and bug fixes are free).

Eventually, a bunch of hotfixes are rolled up together and tested as a whole. In the core Windows world this is what become Windows Service Packs. Other technologies have labeled these things as "roll up hotfixes" (they were very common in IIS and DCOM and a few other similar technologies back in the day). Roll-ups are like minor hotfixes.

So, the answer is "you are probably wrong - you may have some of these, but it's unlikely you have all of them".

[kromosto]

don't we get this with windows update?

[CarvedInside]

Normally, hotfixes are not released through Windows Update only if there is a situation that demands them to be available for the general public and they have to be considered stable or bug free for every environment. Usually hotfixes are packed and delivered through Service Packs.

@zalbard Thanks for sharing!

[zalbard]

don't we get this with windows update?

That's basically a mini Service Pack. Most (but not all) of these have already been available via Windows Update. This is just a large update containing 90 small hotfixes.

This update is currently available only through Microsoft Update Catalog.

[kromosto]

thank you i will try this tonight.

[FlanK3r]

Im curious, hope some test before and after

[NEOAethyr]

I recommend reading through the list of hotfixes.
There looks like there's some decent ones, like the max usb stick transfer size tweak/fix.
A half dozen or more faster startup patches.
And few random bsod fixes.

Also today marked the day not just for this rollup, which is like kinda like a service pack btw, I recommend it...
But also today windows 8 embedded standard, the final was released to oem's.
I'm getting a copy of it, I've already got the 1st chunk of it.

Also windows 9 was leaked I guess, not really sure though.
Just saw some news on it this morning.
Doesn't really look all that interesting though.
Heard a rumor that win9 isn't gonna have x86 code, it's all x64.
Not sure if that's true or not, but if it is, maybe that's for the best, I probably need more motivation to move to unix and that would doit.

[mattkosem]

Heard a rumor that win9 isn't gonna have x86 code, it's all x64.

Bout time if you ask me. Their server OSs have been 64-bit only for quite some time now. Let's hope they introduce AARCH64 support with it too. I'm guessing they'll still have WOW for 32bit apps, or at least seamless VM stuff like they do for XP mode.

--Matt

[Mats]

This doesn't make much difference to consumers, right?


- Improves the Windows Client Remote File System components.

- Improves the SMB Service and TCP protocol components.

- Improves the processing of Group Policies and Group Policy preferences.

- Improves the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) components to reduce the CPU usage and to improve the repository verification performance.

[Scorpio[pt]]

They are more interested in selling windows 8

[Hornet331]

- Improves the SMB Service and TCP protocol components.

actually it does for people who one a NAS.

[SubZero.it]

actually it does for people who one a NAS.

So true!