Need to deploy monthly Windows updates to PCs on your network? Good news, we are now offering the Monthly Windows updates for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 in the PDQ Deploy Package Library!
Take a knee, team. Microsoft recently modified the way that OS updates are delivered. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 updates now behave a little more like their Windows 10 cousins. Basically, there are two sets of patches that are offered each month for the OS. (We aren’t talking about .NET or IE updates, just the OS). Anyway, Microsoft is no longer offering individual patches for security and bug fixes. Rather they are offering all patches in two different patch sets for Windows 7 and 8.1. They still only offer one OS patch set for Windows 10.
Windows Updates for Windows 7 and 8.1
Security Monthly Quality Rollup
These packages will be called Win 7 – Monthly Rollup and Win 8.1 – Monthly Rollup. These KB updates will, according to Microsoft, contain “all the new security fixes for that month…as well as fixes from all previous monthly rollups”. If you deploy this patch you do not need to deploy the Security-only update listed below.
Security Only Quality Update
These packages are called Win 7 – Security-only Update and Win 8.1 Security-only Update. This patch set isn’t cumulative. It only contains the security fixes for that month. If you deploy the Monthly Rollup package you do NOT need to deploy the security-only packages.
Windows 10 Cumulative Updates
These packages are broken up based on the Release ID of Windows 10. At this writing there are three different releases. There is the initial release, 1511 and 1607.
All the packages will have the version listed as [Month][Year]. In the event that more than one patch set comes out in a month the subsequent package versions will be called [Month][Day][Year].
Track Updates using PDQ Inventory
You can use the Collection Library to see up-to-date status of machines and their compliance with the Windows Updates. You can deploy monthly Windows updates to, for example, the Win 7 Monthly Rollup (Old) collection in PDQ Inventory from PDQ Deploy.
Keep an eye out for videos where we demonstrate Auto Deployments of your Windows updates.
At this point we are only making packages for workstations. We are not including Servers in the packages.
4 responses
Just wondering, when deploying this out to users, should I expect to see a return code of 3010 on the install step for their arch? I’m used to seeing a 3010 code only for errors installing, hence the question
Hi, Bob.
3010 is the Microsoft Installer return code which means “Installation successful. Reboot needed”. Its cousin is return code 1641 which means “Installation successful reboot initiated”. We mark 3010 as a success (since it is) with the understanding that files which were in use during the update will be replaced on the next boot. Here is an article which breaks down the MS return codes. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms681386(v=vs.85).aspx
Awesome. So far deployed out to 200+ devices after 5 minutes of work on my end. Love this product, saved me THOUSANDS of hours each year
We love to hear that, my friend. Take a few of those saved hours and pour a cold one.