Everyone knows Patch Tuesday is the second Tuesday of the month, right? That’s when Microsoft releases its security updates for Windows and other products. But the fourth Tuesday of the month—that’s today—is the other Patch Tuesday, when additional updates, typically non-security-related, are released. (The "other Patch Tuesday" is documented in a Windows Help article, which says "Microsoft typically releases important updates on the second or fourth Tuesday of the month.")
Microsoft pushed out at least one interesting fix for Windows 7 today, via Windows Update and Microsoft Update. You should see it on any Windows 7 machine. The April 2010 stability and reliability update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 is available for 32-bit and 64-bit versions and is rated Important. Here’s a list of the issues it fixes:
- Windows Explorer crashes and then restarts when you access a third-party Control Panel item.
- You cannot connect to an instance of SQL Server Analysis Services from an application in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2 after you install Office Live Add-in 1.4 or Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant 6.5.
- Windows Explorer may stop responding for 30 seconds when a file or a directory is created or renamed after certain applications are installed.
- The Welcome screen may be displayed for 30 seconds when you try to log on to a computer if you set the desktop background to a solid color.
- You are not warned when you delete more than 1000 files at the same time. Then, the files are deleted permanently and are not moved to the Recycle Bin.
That third fourth issue—the 30-second delay in boot times when a solid color background is selected—was extremely annoying. Glad it’s been fixed.
If you’re running Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise, you might also be offered an update that resolves an issue with BitLocker. This one is described simply as Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB975496). It resolves a nasty-sounding issue: "a computer stops responding during shutdown if BitLocker is enabled on the system drive on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2." The KB article has more details.
Ed Bott 
I have recently noticed the Bitlocker issue you mention over the last couple of days. Screen goes black on shutdown, but the power light and BlueTooth light remain on until the power switch is pressed for more than 8 seconds (it’s a Dell laptop). Think I’ll get this fix soonest.
“That third issue” – don’t you mean fourth issue?
I do indeed. Fixed now, thanks.
Ed, All of the MS patches installed fine on my HP dv7t running Windows 7 Ultimate. But the optional update for the IDT high definition audio CODEC update failed with Error code 80070103. I found a site which said that for some who successfully installed this update report that they now have no audio. http://www.techrena.net/windows/idt-high-definition-audio-codec-update-error-windows-7/
Guess I’m fortunate it failed. 🙂
Am I the only one getting fed up with patches and updates.
I am done with them all together. Seems like every week someone is getting thier system hosed with a patch or update. Don’t warn me about a virus or something worse, I have only had two virsus in ten years or so. Now if anyone comes up with a patch for spam I’ll use it.
I am running Home Premium but was also offered the patch for BitLocker. Strange, isn’t it? I’ve installed it and hope there won’t be any problem with that …
My Win7 Pro machines also got the Bitlocker patch. I wondered about why – maybe some of these “lower” versions of Windows are getting these Ultimate/Enterprise patches in case of Anytime Upgrades are used on them afterwards.
And there is an operating system update for “Some font files are not updated when you install Microsoft Office 2010 on a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008”.
(No, I don’t have Office 2010 on my system.)
JohnJ, I presume you are running Windows Vista? The purpose of that update is described in KB 980248:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/980248
It doesn’t matter that you are not running Office. The point is to fix a broken configuration setting on some system fonts that can legitimately be updated by a program like Office.