Windows 10 Version 1709: Servicing Stack Update KB4090914

[German]In addition to the cumulative update KB4090913, which fixes the USB bug, Microsoft has released a Servicing Stack Update KB4090914 for Windows 10 Version 1709 on March 5, 2018. Here is some information and thoughts on the topic.

Update KB4090914

The Servicing Stack Update KB4090914 is available only for Windows 10 Version 1709 (Fall Creators Update). It was released on March 5, 2018 and will be distributed via Windows Update. The installation of the update does not require any preconditions. No reboot required after installation

Servicing Stack Update uninstallable

However, a Servicing Stack Update cannot be installed by default after installation. This option is missing from the Control Panel for such an update. In case of massive problems with such an update, you can try the approach described in the blog entry Uninstalling 'uninstallable' Windows Updates. However, you have to be prepared for the fact that no more updates can be installed afterwards.

Inside Servicing Stack updates

Microsoft's employee Joscon (Microsoft Servicing Guy) and the Windows Team has published some articles about Servicing Stack details under Windows Vista. Susan Bradley has linked that at AskWoody. Here are the links to this articles, who are also helpful under Windows 10:

• Servicing Windows: Part One
• Servicing Windows: Part Two
• Understanding Component-Based Servicing (https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/askperf/2008/04/23/understanding-component-based-servicing/)

An inflation of Servicing Stack-Updates?

MVP colleague Susan Bradley (aka Patch Lady) thinks about servicing stack updates at AskWoody. She writes that if you have problems with an update under Windows 10, you can reset a machine much faster and update it to the current patch status than under Windows 7, but she also noticed something else: Servicing stack updates used to be pretty rare.

Under Windows 10 it seems to be the case that a Servicing Stack Update is rolled out with every update. Bradley writes that we also receive an update for the service stack with every patch for Windows 10. If there are problems with a Servicing Stack update (and this has already happened several times), the user cannot simply uninstall it (see above).

At Susan Bradley, this inflation in servicing stack updates leads to more questions, without being able to give answers. Bradley also writes that Servicing Stack updates are uninstallable. I haven't tested it on Windows 10 (and won't boot VM with W10) but my knowledge is, that Servicing Stack updates are definitely not uninstallable.

The question remains, what has changed with Microsoft is that they have to update the Servicing Stack with every Windows 10 update to believe? If someone has an answer, they can leave a comment.