WOT Those hateful Win 7 updates

dxdy wrote on 5/18/2011, 3:41 PM

WIth three WIn 7 Home Premium 64 bit machines, I have just had triple the hassle with the monster update that came down from Microsoft in the last couple weeks.

Trusting soul that I am, I have always allowed MS to update my machines, so far without problems. This time, though...
23 updates (count 'em - oh my gosh) being applied. On all 3 machines one or more updates failed in the post-boot "Installing" phase. So it reverted and I was still not updated. Well, that is not so bad, the machine was running before, but....

On the Sony portable (with a Sony OEM Win 7 install, updated by me to SP1), it took several passes of installing the failed updates 1 at a time, and they all took. Elapsed time an hour.

On the i7-950, with a CyberPower OEM Win 7 install, first Windows decided I had a non-Genuine install, and then using the Control Panel/Find and fix problems/System and Security/"Fix problems with Windows Update" wizard run after each update (despite the wizard crashing twice), the "un-Genuine" messages went away (with their attempts to get $109 out of me), but IE 8 started crashing. Finally after 5 incremental update installs, everything seems to be working. Total time, about 90 minutes.

Finally, on system 3, a Q6600 upgraded from XP 32 to WIn 7 64 by me (upgrade purchased at Costco), I am still installing 23 updates incrementally, running the fix-it wizard in between, while I am doing something else on the other machine. I am about to go back to the last image I saved and turn off updates forever. This really stinks

Comments

im.away wrote on 5/18/2011, 4:45 PM

Same, same....

My last update repeatedly failed on boot-up. The PC would hang for ages, before giving up and reverting to previous configuration. I had to manually install the patches one at a time before I fixed the issue.

I guess the major problem is that so many of these patches are to address security issues and I'm too scared to ignore them!

Curiously though, I had two updates for Micro$oft Office in the queue to be installed, even though I don't have Office installed on my edit PC???

Cheers

Russ

srode wrote on 5/18/2011, 5:01 PM

I turned the automatic updates off and ignore them all now - they seemed to cause more problems than good. May get bit sometime from not updating but for now there's been no issue for me.

dibbkd wrote on 5/18/2011, 5:01 PM

Odd, I manage several dozen computers and haven't seen the issues with updates not installing properly.

As far as having MS Office updates installed on a computer which doesn't have Office, it could be that you at some point installed a free Office viewer, and maybe that needs the same kind of updates.

ushere wrote on 5/18/2011, 5:15 PM

same here - no problems with m$ updates - ever.

obviously if your pc is dedicated to solely editing and NOT networked or connected to the net, then perhaps simple service pack updates would suffice (especially since vegas runs .net).

if it is connected to the outside world (and i am including using other peoples usb / external drives), then you'd be a fool not to update and have av installed.

amendegw wrote on 5/18/2011, 5:22 PM

As far as applying patches, you take your chances. Every hear of "Conficker"? Here's a good read: The Enemy Within

"Every geek in the world knows this; it’s called “Patch Tuesday.” The company employs some of the best programmers in the world to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

If you choose not to apply updates, it's your choice. Mine is to apply updates as they are available - and I have never, ever had an issue with this strategy.

...Jerry

Former user wrote on 5/18/2011, 5:27 PM

I had a similar thing happen on one of my computers. 45 minutes donwloading and then it backed out.

I went and checked each update and unchecked the ones that did not seem relevent to this system. There were lots of hotfixes for issues I didn't have.

My other computer updated fine. I think it depended on hardware and certain configs in your system.

Dave T2

Former user wrote on 5/18/2011, 5:41 PM

My wife's Win7 laptop has had it's wifi go belly-up on the last few updates. It takes multiple re-boots and router resets to get it back up and running.

ddm wrote on 5/18/2011, 9:32 PM

I had the same issue recently but being a glutton for punishment I did a little searching and found a suggestion to just check one update at a time, so I tried it. That has worked for me on all of the machines I've tried (4 at this point). Not sure if it bought me anything but I am fully up to date.

Bill Ravens wrote on 5/19/2011, 9:48 AM

I've had no problems updating my three Win 7-64 bit machines. Occasionally, an update will fail, but, only because it's incompatible with the simultaneous installation of a concurrent update. You'd think M$ would warn customers about this....but, they don't ;(

LivingTheDream wrote on 5/20/2011, 8:18 PM

No problems with Win7 64-bit updates here either. SP1 and all other updates have gone just fine. I always check to make sure I'm not installing stuff my pc doesn't need, like IE9 updates since I'm still using IE8. You would think MS would program the updating to detect whether IE9 is on a computer or not and then not even offer it if not present.

Former user wrote on 5/20/2011, 8:19 PM

I think MS tries to push the new versions of IE on you.

I always have to reject WMP and IE updates.

Dave T2

PeterDuke wrote on 6/12/2011, 6:16 PM

My Win7 system does not have internet access so I don't need antivirus software or security updates. I do virus scans of any new software before copying via a USB storage device. (The double copy is a bit of a pain but I prefer it to the pain of security overheads.)

The main problem is that more and more software vendors require you to have the internet connected in order to install their software (indirect registration via another computer is not an option.) So far I have boycotted such software but I don't see any signs that the vendors have been intimidated by my actions!

SuperG wrote on 6/12/2011, 8:47 PM

I rarely have problem with automatic updates. I've had one update *once* refuse to install - so I merely told update to ignore it. Other than that, it's smooth sailing.

I'm of the belief that most update problems occur on systems that have configuration issues to begin with - bogus, missing, or incorrect registry entries, missing system dll's, and so on.

i6pwr wrote on 6/12/2011, 9:01 PM

No issues here using 7-64, I will say that since i've been using MSE as my AV, I have not had one glitch since my OS install.

Knock on glass, save my #%@....not one hiccup yet. Could be coincidence, but this is the first rig i've built that's been practically worry-free, and first using MSE.

craftech wrote on 6/13/2011, 4:04 AM

I never use automatic updates. I would rather read what each one is supposed to do then decide whether I want to install it. Malicious software removal tools I never install. They seem to be at the heart of the rash of attacks disguising themselves as "Your Computer is Infected. Scan Now to Remove Them" fake antivirus attacks that have taken over so many computers recently. And I never install the ones that make extra, extra, extra, extra, extra sure that your computer is running a legitimate copy of Windows. Windows Genuine Advantage should be enough.

I terms of Internet Explorer, the only thing it is good for is Windows Update because you don't have a choice. When Microsoft married it to the OS, they left it forever vulnerable.

John

LReavis wrote on 6/13/2011, 1:24 PM

As much as I dislike this ASRock motherboard because of its unreliability (I'm on my 3rd one now), still, I have absolutely no video quirks at all as long as I stick with Vegas 8c for editing and 9e-64bit for rendering. I do not get on the web with Windows (I use Linux running in a VMWare virtual machine window), but I do install all the security updates (I don't do automatic updates).

I'm also running MS Security Essentials as my AV.

My other programs (several animation programs, Handbrake, USB ATSC tuner, etc.) similarly are quirk-free. I must admit that this past year has been just about as close to computer heaven as I've ever experienced in the 20 years or so that I've been building my own systems.

MUTTLEY wrote on 6/14/2011, 2:57 PM

After the last update, think it was on the 10th, I was no longer able to log into my primary account on my laptop. After a whole lotta stress was finally able to do a system restore and get back to normal.

Few days later I got a call from my Dad, he was having mouse problems, just wasn't working. He had tried replacing the batteries and actually tried going and buying a new mouse. As soon as we got on Skype I noticed that Skype was using his laptop cam instead of the good Logitech one that I sent him which meant it was most likely none of his USB ports were working. Fiddled around through log me in removing and re-adding stuff in the device manager when it dawned on me me that he had probably been updated to. Went to his system restore, saw the last update, ran system restore to remove it, boom, all the USB stuff worked again.

Suffice to say I was not happy about the last one they rolled out.

- Ray
Underground Planet