Roy from Kentucky writes:
Your recent Tech Tips Premium said to uninstall Microsoft August updates, but if everything is still working fine do we still need to uninstall them?
I told you about some faulty updates that were causing some computers to crash. Microsoft strongly advised anyone who had installed these updates to uninstall them.
The updates with the problems were called KB2982791, KB2970228, KB2975719 and KB2975331 and they affected Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Many users had reported issues restarting their systems after installing these updates.
Many of you asked if you needed to uninstall those updates if they weren’t giving you any problems. The answer is yes.
Whether you are having issues or not, Microsoft wants you to uninstall these updates. They have reissued a fresh security update to replace KB298791 that fixed the bug that caused the crashes. In their security bulletin, Microsoft said, “Microsoft strongly recommends that customers who have not uninstalled the 2982791 update do so prior to applying the 2993651 update.” The company has not released new versions of the other updates.
Just updating, even if you have automatic updates enabled will not remove the old update. It’s important that you install the revised updates, as they fix some flaws that could allow someone to gain control of your computer.
You can get step-by-step instructions for uninstalling the old updates by clicking here. To learn how to install security updates in Windows 7, click here. To learn how to install updates in Windows 8.1 click here.
~ Cynthia
OMG thank you for the article. I have had a horrible time since these updates were installed. I knew what was causing the problems, the updates, but didn’t know which of the updates was the problem. Keep up the great articles.
My computer performed an automatic Windows update yesterday (11/12) that crashed my computer. Has anyone else reported this problem.
Same problem, same date. Currently running scans in safe mode. Do a system restore if you can, I had mine disabled to save memory.
I had several of these crashes, first was black, then an immediate blue. I called Microsoft Support many times about these repeated issues. As customers world wide, we purchase Microsoft products and expect that their advice “Recommended” is the best way to go when it comes to updates etc. I had a recommendation for them, after time & money spent, would you rather I spend my money on your Competition? So, I’m formatting again, lets see what comes up this time.