Earlier versions of the Win7 and 8.1 patches kicked off enhanced snooping routines, and there's no indication what's changed in these versions Credit: geralt We don’t know what KB 2952664 (for Windows 7) and KB 2976978 (for Windows 8.1) actually do. But both patches have been shown in the past to trigger a new Windows task called DoScheduledTelemetryRun. The patches appeared in the Automatic Update chute earlier todayas Optional, so they won’t be installed unless you specifically check and install them. But in the past, the Optional versions have been converted rapidly to Recommended, and thus installed on most machines. The last release of KB 2952664 went from Optional to Recommend in a week. Microsoft’s descriptions of the patches are quite bland: This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. The diagnostics evaluate the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem, and help Microsoft to ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows. There is no GWX or upgrade functionality contained in this update. GWX, of course, is Microsoft’s malware-like “Get Windows 10” campaign that plagued Windows 7 and 8.1 users last year. I last wrote about the patches on Oct. 5, 2016: A Microsoft spokesman says it isn’t bringing back the “Get Windows 10” campaign, but our old nemesis KB 2952664 reappeared suddenly yesterday afternoon, and Windows users are livid — and scared. The revision dates on the KB articles don’t instill any confidence. When I wrote about KB 2952664 last October, I noted that the KB article was up to revision 25, dated Oct. 4, 2016. The current KB article, dated Feb. 9, 2017, is at revision 11. I have no idea what’s up. Why is Microsoft releasing this CEIP diagnostic program on a Thursday? Why isn’t it being held for next Tuesday’s Monthly Rollup? Why does it fall outside the announced schedule of Security Only and Monthly Rollup patches? Why did the revision numbers change? But I do know that earlier versions of these patches triggered new snooping scans, whether the Customer Experience Improvement Program is enabled or not. And I do know that Microsoft hasn’t documented much at all. Discussion continues on the AskWoody Lounge. Related content opinion On a personal note... Woody Leonhard looks back a bit, looks ahead to retirement — and shares good news about who's picking up the Windows patching torch. By Woody Leonhard Nov 09, 2020 3 mins Small and Medium Business Computers Windows news analysis Get Microsoft's October patches installed — and seriously consider Win10 2004 Odd ancillary patches have their problems, but the mainstream October patches look pretty reliable. The big question: Is Win10 version 2004 up to your stability standards. I’m skeptical -- especially because it has few worthwhile improvements. By Woody Leonhard Oct 30, 2020 6 mins Small and Medium Business Microsoft Computers news analysis Microsoft Patch Alert: October 2020 The big news with this month’s patches – aside from the usual smorgasbord of strange errors – has more to do with the patches that are outside the regular cumulative update stream. Remarkably, we didn’t get any security fixes By Woody Leonhard Oct 22, 2020 189 mins Small and Medium Business Microsoft Office Microsoft news analysis With Patch Tuesday here, be sure Windows Update is paused With all the flotsam floating around, it’s easy to lose sight of Second Tuesdays. October’s arrives tomorrow and, with it, another round of Windows and Office patches. Take a minute to make sure you aren’t in the front lines, as eve By Woody Leonhard Oct 12, 2020 5 mins Small and Medium Business Microsoft Windows Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe