Is Microsoft blocking Win7/8.1 updates on Kaby Lake and Ryzen chips?
It’s hard to pin down the source of a flame war like the one currently underway in the Windows blog echo chamber. Yes, Microsoft’s KB 4012982, published last week, says that Microsoft will actively block Win7 and 8.1 updates on the newer hardware. There’s a mighty AMD Reddit thread on the topic. Bloggers are beating their chests about it, although Microsoft first warned about the direction more than a year ago.
What I want to know: Have you seen the warning message?
I’ve looked high and low and can’t find anybody running a Kaby Lake or Ryzen processor (or Qualcomm 8996, for that matter) who’s had their Win7 or 8.1 patches blocked.
According to Microsoft, attempting to update Win7 or 8.1 on one of those newer machines should result in errors:
When you try to scan or download updates through Windows Update, you receive the following error message:
Unsupported Hardware
Your PC uses a processor that isn’t supported on this version of Windows and you won’t receive updates.
Additionally, you may see an error message on the Windows Update window that resembles the following:
Windows could not search for new updates
An error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer.
Error(s) found:
Code 80240037 Windows Update encountered an unknown error.
A Win 8.1 user named JayzTwoCents posted a video on YouTube showing that he was able to install and update Win 8.1 on a Kaby Lake processor on Jan. 24. Has something changed since then?
If Microsoft is blocking Win7 or 8.1 patches on Kaby Lake or Ryzen processors, will running through WSUS Offline Update — which downloads and installs patches independently of Windows Update — bypass the block?
If you’ve been blocked, I’d sure like to hear about it. Post your real world results on the AskWoody Lounge.