Updates to Windows RT 8.1

Question

My surface (32 GB) started out with Windows rt 8.0. In April of 2014, KB2919442 (Windows rt 8.1) was installed and at the end of May 2014, KB2919355 was installed. So I have operated with Windows rt 8.1 for quite a while. Near Christmas I noticed that I have not received updates of any kind since July 3, 2016. I am wondering if security updates (Windows Defender) and Office updates are continuing to come out?  A "Check for Updates" does not turn up anything after letting it look for hours at a time. Something like KB3033055 never came to my surface.

On the View Update History screen, I clicked on the link for Windows Update Troubleshooter. It opens a help screen that has a link to a troubleshooting program on the Microsoft website.  It did small fixes to the Update Installer and to a program that regulates the updates being done in the background. It gives a green circle with check mark after the fixes are done indicating they are satisfactory.  However, it is not fixing getting updates to my computer. The troubleshooter fix cleared away the contents of the Update History File,

but of course all the Updates that were installed are still installed.

 From the Microsoft website I downloaded a 40 MB file named Windows8.1-KB3097667-arm.  This file seems to open a "Standalone" installer, but it seems to search for an update file on my computer, which I suppose might be KB3033055, which never came to my computer.   

Normally, I am not on the internet a lot with this computer and use it primarily for "Office" files that I refer to in a couple of meetings I attend per month.

Answer 1

Hi,

We haven't released any updates for Surface RT recently. For any information about it, check this **article**to see all the updates made on your device.

Regards.

Answer 2

Thanks, Emmylou for your reply clarifying why I have not been seeing updates for my Surface RT with Windows RT 8.1 "Update" installed on it.  I have set the Apps to automatically update.  I guess I should not be expecting many office and security updates to be showing up for my Surface RT.

Rich

Answer 3

I guess I should not be expecting many office and security updates to be showing up for my Surface RT.

Are you sure that you have KB2919355?  Everything stops if you don't.

FWIW here are the last updates I got on December 15, 2016

December 2016 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows ...

MS16-155: Security update for the .NET Framework: December ...

MS16-154: Security update for Adobe Flash Player: December ...So, before worrying about whether you are getting functional updates such as "Update 3" I would be concentrating on making sure you had everything as up-to-date as possible security-wise.   

One detail that I am curious about is were you ever offered one of the cumulative updates such as KB3000850?  It seems to be very important but strangely little discussed.

You can use PowerShell  Get-HotFix  to capture some idea of what state your security updates are at.

C.f.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfwinrt-surfusing/surface-rt-will-not-pull-system-or-app-updates/f16ea84f-a331-4e21-a112-a7a7ef5ae9ae?page=1

HTH

Robert Aldwinckle

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Answer 4

We haven't released any updates for Surface RT recently.

@ Emmylou

Please check and tell us what we can do with ARM updates which currently appear to be available on the Catalog?

http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=ARM

For example, I see

November, 2016 Preview of Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1 on Windows 8.1 RT for ARM-based Systems (KB3196684)

(but not yet KB3205401 for the December one?)

and

December, 2016 Security Only Update for .NET Framework 4.6.2 on Windows 8.1 RT for ARM-based Systems (KB3205410) 

Talk about a confusing coincidence.   I don't have that one yet but I do have KB3210137 which supposedly is for the same thing?

Oh.  I see, there is something wrong with that so I guess it was "pulled"? 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3205640?sd=rss&spid=18324

(BING search for

    +KB3210137

)

I think that KB article you pointed out should clarify what it means by "update".   ; )

In any case, if there is any chance of RT users being able to download and make use of cumulative updates from the Catalog that might avoid the issue that some are seeing about their connections being "too slow" for the Store's liking.

TIA

Robert

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