It\u2019s good to keep Windows up to date, as it ensures you\u2019re safe from the latest security threats, and you might benefit from other improvements. However, you shouldn\u2019t always blindly install every patch that comes along. It\u2019s good to keep Windows up to date,…<\/b>
It\u2019s good to keep Windows up to date, as it ensures you\u2019re safe from the latest security threats, and you might benefit from other improvements. However, you shouldn\u2019t always blindly install every patch that comes along.
Case in point are the infamous snooping patches KB2952664 (for Windows 7) and KB2976978 (for Windows 8.1), which today get yet another outing.
In the past these triggered a snooping Windows task called DoScheduledTelemetryRun, and were linked to the infamous GWX (Get Windows 10) campaign that forced OS upgrades on Windows 7 and 8.1 users. Microsoft is at pains to point out there\u2019s no GWX or upgrade functionality in the updates now, but you still shouldn\u2019t install them.
Microsoft\u2019s description for the new patches is:
The scheduled tasks apparently run regardless of whether you have CEIP enabled or not, and aside from increased telemetry, which benefits Microsoft, not you, they serve no useful purpose and so should be blocked.
If you\u2019ve blocked these updates previously — they were last revised and pushed out a month ago — you\u2019ll need to block them once more now they\u2019ve been reissued.
Image credit: NatUlrich \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n