The company explains why it removed the download links of some patches

Aug 18, 2014 08:50 GMT  ·  By

This weekend, Microsoft removed the manual download links for two different patches rolled out on Update Tuesday, and although no reason was provided at first, it was very clear that the decision was made after hearing about problems and issues experienced by users after installing the updates.

In an updated advisory on Microsoft Support, the company says that links for a total of four different updates released last week have been removed until the reported issues are being investigated.

Here’s the list of updates that are no longer available for download due to bugs:

2982791 MS14-045: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers: August 12, 2014 2970228 Update to support the new currency symbol for the Russian ruble in Windows 2975719 August 2014 update rollup for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 2975331 August 2014 update rollup for Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012

Microsoft says that all those who have already installed the updates and experienced issues should go over to Control Panel, open “Programs and Features” and click on “View installed updates.” Then, you should remove “any of the following updates that are currently installed”: KB2982791, KB2970228, KB2975719, and KB2975331.

In a statement sent to us this morning, the company also said that it was indeed investigating reports pointing to botched updates, but no other specifics were provided.

Windows 8.1 August Update was launched last week to introduce a series of new options in Microsoft’s modern operating system, but everything quickly became a fiasco due to these bugs.

Here are the three main improvements that are part of Windows 8.1 August Update:

• Precision touchpad improvements – three new end-user settings have been added: Leave touch pad on when a mouse is connected; allow right-clicks on the touchpad; double-tap and drag.

• Miracast Receive – exposes a set of Wi-Fi direct APIs for Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV) drivers or OEM drivers to develop Windows 32-bit applications that run on all supported x86-based or x64-based versions of Windows 8.1, enabling the computer as a Miracast receiver.

• Minimizing login prompts for SharePoint Online – reduces the number of prompts with federated use in accessing SharePoint Online sites. If you select the “Keep me signed in” check box when you log on for the first time, you will not see prompts for successive access to that SharePoint Online site.

A complete list of Windows 8.1 August Update improvements is also available if you’d like to find out all features that are part of this release.