Microsoft recently released Windows 7 KB4088875 for the general public and the update comes with security improvements. While Windows 7 KB4088875 is supposed to fix the reported bugs, it appears to be causing more harm than good.
A lot of users on Microsoft community forum claims that Windows 7 KB4088875 break down Network Interface Cards, and in some cases, the update could delete remove NICs. It could also delete the static IP address configuration, and the bug seems to be only affecting the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 updates. While on the other hand, a Reddit discussion claims that the update creates a ghost NIC on some systems and if it is removed, the system would work as expected.
Microsoft may be not aware of this issue and as the bug is only affecting a small group of users, the fix might not work arrive before April. We recommend users to install the security update as it includes critical patches for the operating system, and delaying the update is not a good option.
Microsoft in a support page confirmed that the latest update for Windows 7 operating system comes with many known issues, for example, the Physical Address Extension (PAE) mode has been disabled. “Microsoft is working on fixing this issue, and this update is, therefore, currently made available to machines with the Physical Address Extension (PAE) mode enabled,” the company said.
KB4088875 for Windows 7 comes with bug fixes and improvements. Microsoft has fixed issues with Internet Explorer. This update has also introduced Meltdown and Spectre protections. Microsoft has also released security updates for Windows Kernel, Windows Shell, Windows Installer and Internet Explorer.
Microsoft could be aware of the problem and the company may be preparing a hotfix that could be released this month or next month if the issue is not widespread. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are also provided with new security mitigations for Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. Microsoft also aims to release new updates with security fixes in the coming months on Patch Tuesday.
