Microsoft's fixed patch day is the second Tuesday of every month. In July of this year, Microsoft launched a mandatory update, which will fix up to 29 security vulnerabilities. In addition, Microsoft also pushed a batch of optional patches for Win8.1 and Server 2012 R2 users. The "connotation" contained in this batch of optional patches is far more than just security fixes.
The connotation of the patch goes beyond security.
This time's optional update is mainly aimed at enterprise-level users and individual users who encounter specific problems. It does not deal with urgent security threats, but focuses on improving system stability and fixing long-standing functional bugs. This reflects that Microsoft is still fulfilling its life cycle maintenance commitments for old systems that have ended mainstream support.
These fixes cover the core component level of the system, involve hardware compatibility level, and also include network services and other levels. For example, one patch solves the translation problem of the German system, and the other fixes the USB device recognition error. This shows that Microsoft's update strategy is changing from just "patching" to a more comprehensive "system optimization."
In-depth repairs to localization and input methods
For users with multiple language needs, this update is of great significance. There is a patch specifically designed to fix the translation inaccuracies that occur in the German system in certain scenarios, so as to ensure the language consistency of the interface and prompt information. This improves the user experience for enterprise users and individual users who use the German version of the operating system.
There is also a patch for the Japanese user group, which corrects the inaccurate selection of candidate words in the search pane when the Kana input method is used. Although this type of input method vulnerability does not have a fatal impact, it will seriously interfere with daily office efficiency. The repairs made by Microsoft fully demonstrate its attention to detail.
Solve the stubborn problem of hardware compatibility
A major pain point in the old system is hardware compatibility. One of the fixes is for USB 2.1 devices. When the system's BOS descriptor verification fails, these devices cannot be recognized by Win8.1 or Server 2012 R2. This update solves this driver-level compatibility issue.
The patch related to sleep mode has also received great attention. Some computers will mistakenly enter sleep state again after waking up from sleep. This problem has troubled users for several years. This update has finally fixed it in the system power management mechanism.
Fix enterprise deployment and authentication issues
For enterprise IT administrators, multiple patches are of great significance. A certain patch fixes an issue where the server may return an "HTTP 403" or "Unauthorized" error when configuring OTP, or one-time password authentication, to ensure the reliability of two-factor authentication.
There is a situation where another patch comes into play and it fixes a bug, what bug? When an iOS device uses Microsoft's DRS service to join an enterprise workspace, an error like "configuration file installation failed" may occur. This situation is directly related to the smooth deployment of enterprise mobile device management, and it also reduces the complexity of the administrator's work.
Improve system service and group policy performance
The stability of the system's background services has been enhanced. One patch fixes a problem that caused the .NET Framework 3.0 function to malfunction due to the failure to import localized signature data files. Another patch enables the online responder to correctly handle OCSP requests covering multiple certificates.
Microsoft has fixed an issue with Group Policy application efficiency for large enterprise networks. In the past, if a policy item pointed to the DFS namespace, the system would be completely synchronized, resulting in an extremely long application time. The new patch has optimized this process and significantly increased the speed at which the policy takes effect.
Interface and accessibility improvements
The last batch of patches focuses on the user interface and accessibility features. One of them fixes the problem that when the screen is in landscape display mode, the switch buttons for languages written from right to left, such as Arabic and Hebrew, may not respond, thus ensuring equal access rights for all language users.
These seemingly minor interface fixes together build a more complete and obstacle-free operating system experience. Together with the functional and security fixes mentioned above, they form the overall appearance of this "connotation" update, showing the value of "moisturizing things silently" in software maintenance.
Now let me ask you, for those users and enterprises who still stick to the Win8.1 system or Server 2012 R2 system, will you choose to install the optional updates that are intended to improve the experience, or do you think it is enough as long as the security patches are in place?
