14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re still on Windows 7, and the chance are that you are, given the fact that nearly 50 percent of PCs out there are still running this OS version, here’s something that could really come in handy.
Microsoft has just introduced the so-called Windows 7 SP2 convenience roll-up, which is a collection of patches and updates that users of this particular OS version can install to bring their computers up to date.
As you certainly know, installing an older version of Windows from the original disc is quite a painful thing to do because you then have to install tons of updates, many of which require a reboot before completing the process. But with this convenience rollup, everything is getting significantly easier as you just have to install this one, and your PC is brought up to date.
Not Service Pack 2, but it’s the next best thing you’ll get
Although it’s very important to note that this isn’t Service Pack 2, it’s pretty close to it, as it contains security and non-security fixes released between the launch of Service Pack 1 and April 2016. Internet Explorer 11 patches are no included because they are released separately, and neither are updates to .NET.
Once you install the convenience rollup, you only need to deploy patches rolled out after April 2016, so your job is a lot simpler.
What’s important to note, however, is that this new pack of updates is not available via Windows Update, and you need to manually download it using this link. Before applying it, you have to install the April 2015 servicing stack update for Windows 7, known as KB3020369. It goes without saying that you must be running Windows 7 Service Pack 1.
Microsoft says that this update can also be injected into Windows 7 SP1 media, so when you clean-install Windows 7, the PC automatically deploys patches that are included in the convenience roll-up too.