Microsoft Update Product Team Blog : MU Catalog

Windows IE 8.0 Installation

muteam — Sat, 09 May 2009 04:17:00 GMT

Hi All,

We’ve been hearing that there is some confusion with how Windows Internet Explorer 8 is offered through Windows Update (WU) and Automatic Updates (AU), so we thought we’d post a little bit of information regarding this update.

WU and AU will not automatically install Internet Explorer 8. It can be installed just like any other interactive update in WU or AU. The update will be offered to you, and you can choose Install, Don’t Install or Ask me later. If you choose Don’t Install then it won’t be actively offered to you again, and it will become an Optional Update which you can manually install at some point in the future.

Why is it classified as an Important (or High Priority on XP) Update? This classification is used for updates that protect you from security or privacy threats, significantly improve the reliability of your PC, etc. There are many new security features in IE8 that protect you while browsing the Web, and this update is offered like other updates that have similar security implications, like the Microsoft Software Removal Toolkit (MSRT). For more information about how we classify updates, please visit the Windows Update Website on microsoft.com.

Hope this information is clear!

MU Team

Upcoming Expiration Reminders of Windows XP and Windows Vista SP Blocker Tools

muteam — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:01:00 GMT

Hi Folks,

Just a reminder, If you have used the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista then make sure you’re prepared for the expiration of the blocker tool. The Windows Vista blocker tool expires on April 28, 2009. The Windows XP SP3 blocker tool expires May 19, 2009.

For those of you who haven’t used the blocker tools. They temporarily prevent certain updates or service packs from being offered to a computer through WU. The service pack blockers work for one year after general availability of the service pack. We provide them for business customers who don’t manage software updates using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or our System Center products and solutions.

For more information on the Service Pack Blocker Tool, please see the FAQ available through the Springboard Series on TechNet.

Thanks,

The MU Team

Office 2007 SP 2 .... coming soon

muteam — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:58:00 GMT

Hi Folks, Just a heads up that SP2 for Office 2007 will be available soon through MU. Be sure to check the Office Sustained Engineer team blog for the latest news on SP2 as it becomes available.

thanks,

The MU Team

.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Package Clarification

muteam — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:55:00 GMT

Hi Folks,

We’ve been noticing some questions regarding the recent update for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 titled “Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 Family Update (KB951847)”. This update includes a full family update for .NET Framework bringing versions 2.0 and greater, up to version 3.5 SP1, as well as a small compatibility update for .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

If you already have .NET Framework 2.0 or higher installed, you will be offered this update as an Important Update. If you do not have .NET Framework 2.0 or higher installed, then you will be offered a Recommended Update. For those users who already have .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed, only the app compatibility update will be installed as part of this update; for all other users, .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 will be installed, followed by the compatibility update.

Hope this helps,

The MU Team

Announcing New Office Sustained Engineering Blog for all Office update information

muteam — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:21:00 GMT

Hi all,

If you use Microsoft Office, a great new resource has recently come online to help you understand how Office updates work. The Office Sustained Engineering blog features release announcements, known issues, explanations of update behavior, and other information about Office updates. If you work with Office updates, it’s worth monitoring this page for the latest info, such as the recent announcement that Office 2007 SP1 will be delivered through Automatic Updates starting in mid-June. Check it out!

Hope this is helpful,

The MUTeam

Windows Vista SP1 Prerequisite Releases

muteam — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:16:00 GMT

Hi all,

This week we're releasing two more prerequisites for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 that will be coming later this quarter. We wanted to let you know about them because they are both marked as Important updates (and they’re a little different than usual).

KB938371 is a multi-component update that supports the successful install of SP1 and allows it to be uninstalled. KB937287 updates the Windows Vista “Servicing Stack.” Both updates (required before SP1 will be offered via Windows Update) are being made available now to reduce the number of reboots and make installation of the service pack easier.

Even if you're not ready to install the service pack once it's released, you'll want to install these updates because they'll help increase performance and reduce failures for the installation of other updates.

Thanks,

MU Team

New Product Family Expression coming Tuesday, 1/22/08!

muteam — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:15:00 GMT

Next Tuesday, 1/22/08, we are adding a new product family to your WSUS server - Expression. The Expression product family will include updates for all Expression products, including service packs, optional updates, and critical or security updates. For additional information on Expression Studio Products see: http://www.microsoft.com/expression/. Tuesday, 1/22/08 we will be publishing the first Expression Media Service Pack (SP1) to the Microsoft Update Site, and making it available (depending your on settings ) via Automatic Update, and to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

We recommend WSUS admins having Expression deployments in their corporation; select this new product family to synchronize associated update classifications of your choice. Additionally, Expression updates will be available from the Microsoft Update Catalog http://catalog.update.microsoft.com.

Thanks,

The MU Team

But wait.......there's more.... Another new product family, Silverlight coming Tuesday, 1/22/08 !

muteam — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 02:32:00 GMT

We are also excited to announce a new product named Silverlight, is being made available to Microsoft Update site and WSUS customers Tuesday, January 22nd! The Silverlight product family will include installers and updates for the Silverlight browser plug-in for Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, enabling simplified delivery of media and rich Internet applications that blend animation, audio/video, and interactivity. To learn more about Silverlight 1.0 visit the website at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight.

The Silverlight 1.0 installer will be published to the Microsoft Update site and available to WSUS servers. It will be applicable for both Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 systems. For users visiting the Microsoft Update site, Silverlight 1.0 will be published as “optional” and available to download and install interactively.

WSUS Admins, this new product family will appear in the "Products and Classification" selection dialog of your Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server, so be sure to select it if you want the Silverlight 1.0 installer to synchronize down to your server. The Silverlight 1.0 installer, will be classified as a “feature pack” for WSUS (so you’ll need to be sure you have that classification selected too), and will require EULA acceptance before approving to targeted managed clients. Additionally, Silverlight 1.0 will be available from the Microsoft Update Catalog http://catalog.update.microsoft.com.

Update (2/26): Today we made the Silverlight 1.0 Installer available to Windows Vista systems! WSUS admins will see it available as a "feature pack" and Microsoft Update users will see it as an "optional" update.

Thanks,

The MU Team

The Microsoft Update Catalog v1 is Live!

muteam — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 23:49:00 GMT

I am excited to announce that we have released version 1.0 of the Microsoft Update Catalog! With the new Catalog, you can search for updates available through the Microsoft Update service and download them to your machine (regardless of whether the update is applicable to your machine). You can also import updates from the Catalog directly into WSUS 3.0, System Center Essentials 2007, or System Center Configuration Manager 2007.

Some key features of the MU Catalog include:

- Full-text search: You can search using a keyword, KB article, MSRC bulletin, driver manufacturer, driver model, driver version, product, and/or classification.

- RSS: Save your searches in RSS and get notified when new updates match your criteria.

- Download with BITS: We use BITS to make the download experience robust and efficient.

- “Shopping basket”: You can select multiple updates (and multiple languages) and download them together.

- Integration with WSUS: You can import updates from your basket into Windows Server Update Services 3.0, System Center Essentials 2007 or System Center Configuration Manager 2007.

- Localization: The Catalog is localized in all core Windows Vista languages.

We hope you enjoy this new offering! Please give us your feedback. There are feedback options on the help page on the MU Catalog site.

NateC

Program Manger

Microsoft Update

MU Catalog Beta Preview is Live!

muteam — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 02:32:00 GMT

I'm happy to announce that we have released the Microsoft Update Catalog "Beta Preview / Alpha". What is the MU Catalog? Official description...

"It's a service from Microsoft that provides a listing of updates that can be distributed over a corporate network. You can use it as a one-stop location for finding Microsoft software updates, drivers, and hotfixes."

The MU Catalog represents a replacement to the existing WU Catalog, and what we hope will be a big step forward for both usability and functionality. In addition to being able to search for updates and download them to your file system, we are also providing integration with Windows Server Update Services 3.0 and Microsoft System Center Essentials. Both of these products provide links that will enable importing updates directly into WSUS 3.0 or System Center Essentials from the MU Catalog. This is especially useful for important content not typically synched down by either of these products (e.g. drivers). Check out the WSUS blog for additional details.

We have a beta newsgroup currently up and running (you need to be part of our beta to gain access… you can request an invite by sending us an email at mubeta@microsoft.com...just include the email where you would like the invite sent), and we hope to have a public newsgroup set up in the next month or so.

Quick disclaimer… this is an Beta site. There is still work to do… and getting your feedback is essential to ensuring we have the best possible experience. You can provide this by joining our beta and/or by posting a comment on this blog. Also, we hope to have a refresh to the MU Catalog Beta site in the next month or so. I will post an announcement at that time.

Thanks much, and enjoy!

NateC

Program Manger

Microsoft Update

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.