Well, that's an interesting way to ensure version compliance. They're essentially making Windows 8.1 RTM EOL from a patch perspective.
*ASB **http://XeeMe.com/AndrewBaker* <http://xeeme.com/AndrewBaker> *Providing Virtual CIO Services (IT Operations & Information Security) for the SMB market...* On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 12:04 PM, Susan Bradley <[email protected]> wrote: > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;2919355 (which is > Windows 8.1 update) This update will be out next Tuesday and must be > installed in order to continue to receive security and non security updates > in May. > > If you have not already installed http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2919442on > your 2012 r2 and Windows 8.1 machines, now is the time to do so. > > Windows 8.1 Update: The IT Pro Perspective: > http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/springboard/archive/ > 2014/04/02/windows-8-1-update-the-it-pro-perspective.aspx > Today we announced the availability of Windows 8.1 Update. This is a > cumulative update for Windows 8.1 that includes a variety of enhancements > for enterprises, including improved IE 11 compatibility for enterprise > applications, usability improvements, extended mobile device management and > improved hardware support. > In this post we will provide detail on some of these enhancements and how > to deploy the update. For an overview of the Windows 8.1 Update > enhancements please see the Windows for your Business blog announcement. > One of the important enhancements in Windows 8.1 Update is the > introduction of Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11, announced today > on the Exp! loring IE blog and the IE blog. This provides better > compatibility with older versions of Internet Explorer and tools to manage > which web apps use it. Businesses can benefit from the modern web > standards, better performance, and increased security of our latest > browser, while extending existing investments in legacy web apps. And by > decreasing dependencies on older versions, Internet Explorer helps you stay > up-to-date. > About the Windows 8.1 Update > As announced at the Build 2014 conference, the Windows 8.1 Update is > currently available on MSDN. It will be available on Windows Update, the > Windows Update Catalog, and WSUS on April 8th as part of the standard > "patch Tuesday" updates. And on April 14th, updated Windows 8.1 images will > be made available to all volume license customers via the Volume License > Service Center. > Depending on the update architecture (ARM, x86, x64), the update will > range in size from about 300MB to about 700MB. > Windows 8.1 Update has one dependency, http://support.microsoft.com/ > kb/2919442, which needs to be installed before the Windows 8.1 Update. We > recommend that you start the deployment process for this update now, in > preparation for the April 8th broad availability of the update. > Windows 8.1 Update is a cumulative update to Windows 8.1, containing all > the updates we have released for Windows 8.1, so if you install this update > you do not need any earlier updates. It also becomes the new servicing > baseline for Windows 8.1, so next month's security updates (on May 13th, > the next "patch Tuesday") will be dependent on Windows 8.1 Update. > Windows 8.1 Update is categorized as "security update" because it includes > two new security fixes (as well as all previously-issued Windows 8.1 > updates). Separate versions of these security fixes (KB2922229 and > KB2936068) are also available for those organizations that aren't yet ready > to deploy the full Windows 8.1 Update. > Deploying Windows 8.1 Update! > Depending on where your organization is in your Windows 8.1 deployment, > there may be a few scenarios to consider. Each of these are reviewed below: > * Computers currently running Windows 8.1 > For computers currently running Windows 8.1 and updating from Windows > Update directly, the deployment process is simple: Install the dependency > (KB2919442) if it's not yet installed, then install Windows 8.1 Update > (KB2919355). For organizations using WSUS, Windows Intune, or System Center > Configuration Manager for patch management, just approve or deploy those > same updates instead. > * Existing Windows 8.1 images > If you have already built your own Windows 8.1 images, you can add these > same updates into your existing images by mounting the WIM files and > injecting the updates offline, following the instructions available in > KB2919355. But if you routinely rebuild this image (for example, to pick up > each month's security updates), we recommend that you instead download an > already-updated Windows 8.1 ISO from the Volume License Service Center, > available on April 14th, and use that image instead of the original Windows > 8.1 image released in October, since it will have the needed updates > already installed. > * New Windows 8.1 Images > If you haven't yet created a custom Windows 8.1 image, you can get started > (using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit or System Center 2012 R2 > Configuration Manager) by downloading the already-updated Windows 8.1 ISO > from the Volume License Service Center, available on April 14th. That > becomes the base for your custom image. (Since the Windows 8.1 Update is > cumulative, so you won't need to install or apply any older updates when > you use the new image from VLSC.) > * Updating from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 > If you are currently updating computers from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 by > leveraging the automated upgrade process ("setup.exe /auto:upgrade") > available in volume license versions of Windows 8.1 (Pro and Enterprise), > you can swap out the current Windows 8.1 installation fil! es that you are > using (which includes the INSTALL.WIM, SETUP.EXE, and all other related > setup files from the Windows 8.1 media) and replace it with the new files > from the updated Windows 8.1 ISO available from the Volume License Service > Center on April 14th. That saves you the trouble of installing the new > updates separately. > * Updating from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 > Unlike with Windows 8, there is no direct upgrade process to move from > Windows 7 to Windows 8.1. Instead, create a new Windows 8.1 image using the > new ISOs available on April 14th, and then deploy that with a wipe-and-load > deployment process using System Center Configuration Manager or the > Microsoft Deployment Toolkit. > Updates have also been released for the Windows Assessment and Deployment > Kit for Windows 8.1, adding support for a new "Windows Image boot" process > (also called "WIMboot") introduced in the Windows 8.1 Update. These updates > are not required for deploying or using the Windows 8.1 Update, so no > action needs to be taken in regards to these; they will not impact existing > deployment tools (such as MDT or Configuration Manager). > It's important to note that because the Windows 8.1 Update is not a new > Windows release, no additional actions need to be taken in regards to > infrastructure readiness or product activation. Management tools like > System Center Configuration Manager and Windows Intune will fully support > updated Windows 8.1 computers. Your existing KMS infrastructure can support > updated Windows 8.1 computers, and existing MAK and sideloading keys will > continue to work. Speaking of sideloading, we'll be making improvements in > this as well, as mentioned in the Windows for Your Business blog. Look out > for more details on the Springboard Series blog coming soon. > > -- > Got your CryptoLocker prevention in place? > http://www.thirdtier.net/2013/10/cryptolocker-prevention-kit-updates/ > Only one more patching days of XP.... are you ready? > > > >
