What exactly does KB2952664 do?

Hello,

Thank you for posting your question on Microsoft community forum.

I appreciate your concern about KB2952664 update.

This update is only related to ease the upgrade from Windows 7 to newer operating system like Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

Please refer this article:
Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2952664

However, Microsoft recommends installing all the important updates as it keeps your computer up to date and prevents it from being vulnerable to any security issues. It also helps in various bug fixes.

I hope this information helps.

Please do let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thank you

Ratandeep,

I will never update my computer to Windows 8 (or any of its follow-ons).

What exactly does KB2952664 do, and can I safely hide and never install that update?

I also question the vagueness Microsoft has provided as to what this patch is intended to do as well as the "important" classification given.  I already have Windows 8.1 on a Surface but don't intend to upgrade/downgrade my Windows 7 Ultimate Desktop to anything W8.

If it isn't necessary, other than to prep for an OS upgrade, I plan to keep any potential bloat off my W7 Desktop and wait for perhaps a "Windows 9" release and will load any prerequisites for upgrade at that time.   

It would be nice if someone from Microsoft would answer these questions:

1. What exactly does KB2952664 do?

2. If one is running Windows 7 and has no plans for upgrading to Windows 8, can KB2952664 safely be hidden and ignored?

The information in this article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2952664/en-us

...  does not answer the above questions.

Hello,

Thank you for your response.

As I mentioned earlier that, this update is only meant for making upgrade process easier. There is no other purpose of this update.

You may hide an update, however, it is not recommended by Microsoft.
Refer this link:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff382716.aspx

I hope this helps.

Thank you

Ratandeep,

Your reply did not help me.

It was too general and did not address the specific questions I asked. You provided a generic link to instructions on how to hide an update. I already know how to hide an update. You stated that KB2952664 makes the Windows upgrade process easier (but you did not explain how the upgrade process is made easier, and what impact there might be if one ignores this update).

I would like to know what (specifically) this update (KB2952664) does to my computer, and whether it is safe to hide and ignore this specific update (if I have no intention of ever upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8 or any of its flavors)?

What is it about KB2952664 that makes Microsoft label it as "important" rather than "optional"?

Please address my specific questions about KB2952664 rather than providing generic replies.

We are not party to every little change which the update will make. You see as much as we do in a search..

A Recommended Update.
"This update helps Microsoft make improvements to the current operating system in order to ease the upgrade experience to the latest version of Windows."

It only applies if the user is going to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 8.1. It does not apply if the user intends to clean install Windows 8.1.

If you intend to neither of the above, it is quite safe to hide the update and forget about it. There will be no ill effects.

Microsoft see it as important because it IS if the user intends to upgrade to Windows 8.1 at some point in the future, and Microsoft assumes that users will do this. There is nothing more that can be said.. :-)

If you intend to neither of the above [upgrade Windows 7 to a flavor of Windows 8], it is quite safe to hide the update and forget about it. There will be no ill effects.

Microsoft see it as important because it IS if the user intends to upgrade to Windows 8.1 at some point in the future, and Microsoft assumes that users will do this. There is nothing more that can be said.. :-)

Thank you Mike, that was what I was looking for.

I understand that Microsoft may assume users will "upgrade" from Windows 7 to Windows 8, but I just do not think this is going to happen on a large scale. People may buy new computers with Win 8 (because that's what their new computer comes with), but I have my doubts that huge numbers of people running Win 7 will choose to upgrade their computer to Win 8. And I don't think (after the poor market acceptance of Win 8) that Microsoft is naive enough to think otherwise.

Thus, I wonder why in Windows Update, KB2952664 is listed as "important" rather than "optional" (since upgrading from Win 7 to Win 8 is itself optional). Given that we are not a party of every change that KB2952664 will make, and Microsoft is not sharing the details, what makes you confident that ignoring the update will result in no ill effects? Is there something about this update being designated "important" that we don't know?

I mean no disrespect to you  .... I'm just asking.

Importance is subjective. Microsoft see it as important to get users onto Windows 8.1, and if they can make the transition easier, they will, hence KB2952664.

While you and a good few others are never going to upgrade to Windows 8.1, the constant improvements and increased frequency will tempt many to g for it.

Re sharing update specifics, Microsoft doesn't do that for any of them.

Will you miss out on anything if you don't plan to ever upgrade Windows 7? Microsoft says no, you will not.

Do I think that Microsoft is hiding something? No more than any other company within IT.

:-)

Upgrading ones PC from Windows 7 to Windows 8.x is optional. I think we can agree on that.

I see nothing wrong or unusual in Microsoft coming out with an update (KB2952664) that makes it easier for a user to choose the option to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8.x.

What does seem strange to me is that apart from the optional choice to upgrade from Windows 7 to 8.x (which a given user might never do, or might not do for months or years), Microsoft decides to designate KB2952664 as "important" .... thus resulting in this update getting installed by all users who have set their Windows Update to "automatic", and by many others who manually install all "important" updates.

Microsoft could just as easily make KB2952664 a prerequisite that would not need to be installed now, but rather have to be installed at the point in time one chooses to upgrade their PC from Windows 7 to Windows 8.x. If the only thing that KB2952664 does is make the upgrade easier, then why would Microsoft go to the trouble of marking it "important" to get it installed way before users even choose to upgrade from Windows 7 to 8.x?

So, in the absence of any detailed information from Microsoft about what KB2952664 actually does (I agree with you ... such information is not likely to be forthcoming from Microsoft), what we are left with is Microsoft saying that the update (KB2952664 ) is "important" and should be installed now, even though the sole purpose of that update is to make easier an event (upgrading to Windows 8.x) that might never happen on ones PC, or might not happen for months or years.

Doesn't that seem somewhat strange to you?

Of course, Microsoft could issue an official statement explaining exactly what KB2952664 does, or they could change its designation in Windows Update to "optional", or they could state officially that there are no consequences if the user postpones KB2952664 until such time that they make a decision to upgrade to Windows 8.x. All of these would be the customer friendly thing to do. The likelihood of Microsoft doing any of the above: zero.

Since it is not likely that Microsoft will shed any light on this issue, a paranoid person might just think that the update could do something to Windows 7 to make the user think they "need" to upgrade to Windows 8.

I do agree with you:  Microsoft does not hide things any more (or less) than other IT companies ... but that does not make me feel any better about the strangeness of this update. Just because they all hide things does not make it right.

I guess I'll just quit whining about it and just hide the update.