ICYMI: Major Windows Update Change Coming for Windows 7/8.1

Although the information provided in Further simplifying servicing models for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 is from the Windows for IT Pros blog, the changes do, of course, apply to consumers.  Snippets quoted from the referenced article below:

"Monthly Rollup

From October 2016 onwards, Windows will release a single Monthly Rollup that addresses both security issues and reliability issues in a single update. The Monthly Rollup will be published to Windows Update (WU), WSUS, SCCM, and the Microsoft Update Catalog. Each month’s rollup will supersede the previous month’s rollup, so there will always be only one update required for your Windows PCs to get current. i.e. a Monthly Rollup in October 2016 will include all updates for October, while November 2016 will include October and November updates, and so on. Devices that have this rollup installed from Windows Update or WSUS will utilize express packages, keeping the monthly download size small."

"Update documentation changes

To bring consistency to the release notes model introduced with Windows 10, we will also be updating our down-level documentation to provide consolidated release notes with the Rollups for all supported versions of Windows. We’ll extend and provide release notes for monthly rollup updates and also the security-only updates that will be introduced from October 2016." 

".NET Framework Monthly Rollup

The .NET Framework will also follow the Monthly Rollup model with a monthly release known as the .NET Framework Monthly Rollup. The monthly .NET Framework Monthly Rollup will deliver both security and reliability updates to all versions of the .NET Framework as a single monthly release, targeting the same timing and cadence as Windows. It is important to note that the rollup for the .NET Framework will only deliver security and quality updates to the .NET Framework versions currently installed on your machine. It will not automatically upgrade the base version of the .NET Framework that is installed.?

What does this change mean to consumers with Windows 7 and/or Windows 8.1 devices?  Following is information I have gathered from various sources:

1.  All security and non-security fixes (reliability updates) will be in one cumulative update -- no choices!
2.  It won't be possible to uninstall one troublesome update, rather the entire cumulative update will need to be removed.
3.  Updates for the Microsoft Office, Servicing Stack and Adobe Flash won't be included in the rollups.
4.  Each monthly rollup will supersede the previous month's rollup.  (Thus a computer not powered on in October will get the October updates included in the November update.)
5.  As illustrated in the Windows 10 update history, documentation will be consolidated release notes with the rollups for all supported versions of Windows.

Comments:

1.  Without a doubt, be more proactive in maintaining system backups.
2.  Ensure you have a recent System Restore point.
3.  No, do NOT disable Windows Update as missing critical security updates could indeed have serious repercussions.  That said, at this point, it is unknown what changes may be made to WU options or whether the option to "Download updates, but let me choose whether or not to install them" option will be available if you wish to delay updates a couple of days beyond the first Tuesday of the month.
4.  I personally prefer to obtain device drivers directly from the manufacturer.  To change the driver update setting, see How to stop Windows 7 automatically installing drivers which also works on Windows 8.1.

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