Windows 8.1

Clanger

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I am new to windows 8.1 and using an iso that includes November 2014 update roll up.
I need to install .net3.5. Enabling it in Features on a running system it downloads the file, where is it downloaded to, Software Distribution, and what type of file is it, an executable, cab file or other?
I need to update the image, do i need a Servicing Stack and the latest CU only or do i need to add all the updates in the updates downloader tool.
What would be the install order on a running system, install .net 3.5 then the SS and CU as per usual?
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I am using this post as a temporary location for 8.1 related uploads. Before running any file check them through as they may disable things you need to use, i run them as they are but users can cherry pick bits that suit them.

Download from Here
 
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To make a long story short, I found that NTLite 1.8.0.7070 did not integrate KB3027209 and KB3088195 the first time I tried it on fresh Win8.1 Pro U3 iso.

(I checked the Preset. They're in there.)

When I integrated them at the end of my build (that is, after initial 100+ updates; then remove fonts, keyboards, languages; then remove components, add drivers, tweaks, etc.), then they show in the Windows' Installed Update list.
 
And to make another long story short, I think nuhi is right. WSUS Offline updater might not be as wonderful as I had thought. It downloads an awful lot of KB's and apparently installs more than I need. (Even tho it seems to be selective about KB's it installs.) I suppose the one thing it has going for it - maybe - is that it removes obsolete KB's? (I'm not sure that it does that.)

A trick that I was missing with NTLite is that, after finishing a build with NTLite, one should download updates while the Live Windows is loaded. When I did that after my build, I found a few recent updates (mostly security patches for .NET 4 and up) that were not offered with my base .iso.
 
And while I'm at it, reporting minor problems, the only way that I could remove Adobe Flash 32 was with a Live removal.

And what are .hold files in the updates folder?
 
I found five more KB's that did not install in my initial integration of 120 updates to a fresh Win8.1 Pro U3 iso. They are:

KB3303667 - something to do with camera RAW files
KB3011780 - Keberos
KB3021674 - local login attack
KB3023266 - local login attack
KB3140185 - removes commerce specific entry points for WAU.

None of these matter to me. But it is disconserting to tell NTLite to integrate 120 updates but see only 115 when Windows is done. And it takes a lot of grunt work to find the missing KB's.

Now, it might be that these five are not in my system after removals and clean ups because they don't apply.

I don't know the answer to that because I did not take the first Lite'd wim and run in in a VM to see how many updates made it initially. (Rats. Guess I'm gonna have to do that now.)
 
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I guess I am just chasing my tail. For when I ran my first wim with the updates, most of the now missing ones were there. So apparently they come out after component removals.
 
Hmm... is anyone having trouble with Win8.1 crashing all of a sudden after applying (almost) all of the latest Microsoft Updates?

A few days ago I did a Win8.1 refresh using only 112 (out of about 125) available updates. That Refresh is working well and, like Win8.1 before it, has never crashed.

Then I thought I would try making another wim of Win8.1 using almost all of Microsoft's updates. (Including the July Rollup.) (I didn't download things like Surface fixes, Journal fix (since a later KB removes Journal), etc.) So now I'm up to 117 updates.

Then I removed my usual list of fonts, keyboards and languages and am running this wim (iso) in VirtualBox.

To my surprise, this instance of Win8.1 also crashes in VBox.

So now I know it's not a hardware problem on my computer. The problem seems to be following a recent Microsoft KB.
 
Update: I notice one difference between my two builds is that the NTLite update list seems to have changed in the past few days. (July 25 or 26.)

For example, in my build that doesn't crash, it downloaded and integrated KB3173424-x64, a Service Stack update from 2016. That SSU didn't show when I made my most recent wim. And so that SSU is not in the wim that crashes.

So could a changed update list be the problem?
 
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Create a test partition or vm then manually install your latest batch of updates one at a time, restart after each one, you soon find the bogey. Remember a while back there was a bad update? Near the beginning of this fred i think.
 
Update: I notice one difference between my two builds is that the NTLite update list seems to have changed in the past few days. (July 25 or 26.)

For example, in my build that doesn't crash, it downloaded and integrated KB3173424-x64, a Service Stack update from 2016. That SSU didn't show when I made my most recent wim.

For me, the list doesn't show KB3173424, it shows instead the KB4504418. (July 2019, listed as 6/27/2019)

For Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2, this update replaces the previously released update KB3173424.
 
In the meantime, i found this about KB2994290. "Before you apply this update, you have to install update 2919355 on the computer."

I don't see the latter in the list. But perhaps superceded, as Kasual's above.
 
In the meantime, i found this about KB2994290. "Before you apply this update, you have to install update 2919355 on the computer."

I don't see the latter in the list. But perhaps superceded, as Kasual's above.
There is no info about being replaced, the KB2919355 info has been updated on July 16, 2019.
Check the KB2919355 replacements (887 MB, click on the title then on package details).

I haven't checked if is required by Windows Updated, may be some day i'll test it, looks like i don't have time anymore, some days i can't use my computer because lack of time.
 
Can someone with a Win8.1 box check something for me?

Before I did this July Refresh of Win8.1, I don't recall seeing a Scheduled task called SetSQMTask before. (And, for example, Clanger's scheduledtask cmd file doesn't mention this task.)

But after doing a Refresh of Win8.1, with updates through June 2019, now I see it. (See screen shot, attached.)

SetupSQMT.jpg

If you are still running an un-updated Win8.1, can you check for me and report here?

I can't find much about SetSQMTask. But SQM is the data base that Microsoft uses for Telemetry. (CEIP)

So this has me wondering if MS sneaked in a Telemetery thing into Win8.1 the way MS did with Win7.
 
pmikep Nice to see my task file being used :)
ms slipped a new telemtery wotsit into windows 7 recently so they prolly did it with 8.1, have a look in the news topic.. If its not in my scheduled tasks file its new and can be disabled and deleted etc. You will have todo 4 things, disable the task(they live in several locations in the registry), delete, delete in registry then delete the folders. My file is split into sections so add your new entries in each one, observe the timeouts, these give the os time tocatchup and the file has been 100% reliable. :) Its not in my not updated u3 iso and ive run my tasks tweak already.
 
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It could be a false alarm on my part. I will plan on restoring a pre-June image of Win8.1 to one of my partitions to check for myself. Tomorrow. Been at this too long today. (Starting to see double.)
 
I dont think it is a false alarm. Its there, youve seen it(unless you been on the mushrooms again :D) and i would like to add it to my file :)
 
The only task i cant get at and have toodoo manually is Optimize Start Menu Cache Files-S-1-5-21-2987171574-104805103-3153373437-500 because that string is different on every install. I think someone(Kasual?) told me how to get it.
 
I can check it on a fresh install later today (I'm going to test a new version of my 8.1 this week anyways).

as for the Abbodi's script, does it work on windows 8.1? how does it compare to WUB + Blackbird + WPD + W10Privacy (I have automated them to run at first startup in the above image)
 
Confirmed. SetSQMTask is NOT in my previous (pre-June updates) version of Win8.1 Pro. I am about to use NTLite to do a Live install of the latest Updates into this version of Win8.1. If my theory is correct, then after I do the integration, SetSQMTask should show up after I'm done.
 
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