14 responses to “MS-DEFCON 2: Make sure automatic updates is turned off”

1. 

   Jack March 13th, 2013 at 04:49

   Hi Woody,

   I had these updates show up, with numbered questions below:

   Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 9 for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2809289)

   1. I don’t use IE for any web-browsing, so do these updates even matter? (I’ll apply after you give the all-clear, of course.)

   Internet Explorer 10

   2. I plan on skipping this altogether. Any reason to install if you don’t use IE?

   Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2807986)
   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/MS13-027

   3. For some reason this update was not automatically check-marked to download, like they all are usually. (Neither was IE 10, which makes more sense.) Why is that? Is this an update one might want to avoid?

   Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2791765)
   http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2791765

   4. This seems like something that might be good to avoid? (And it’s only listed as “Recommeneded” even though it’s grouped under the Important updates.) It sounds like it would mess up any programs you have that might not be made specificially to work with Windows 7? Any reason to install this?

   Thanks, Woody! (And I’ll be waiting for the all clear, of course.)

2. 

   Connor March 13th, 2013 at 05:19

   IE 10 is being distributed to Windows 7 systems (at least on 64-bit computers) through WU, FYI.

3. 

   Dennis March 13th, 2013 at 21:21

   Hi Woody, I noticed some of the “important” updates are not automaticly checked. What does that mean? Also, IE 10? Can I just hide this, never use IE. Thanks.

4. 

   woody March 14th, 2013 at 12:26

   @Dennis -

   DON’T APPLY THE CURRENT UPDATES just yet. There are lots of potential problems.

   The unchecked “important” updates are causing all sorts of trouble. Don’t install them.

   Even if you never use IE, you’ll have to patch it sooner or later. Jury’s still out on whether you need to upgrade to IE 10 sooner or later. For now, there are tons of problems with IE 10 on Win7. I’ll do an InfoWorld article on it shortly, I think.

5. 

   woody March 14th, 2013 at 12:27

   @Connor -

   See my reply to Dennis. IE 10 on Win7 is causing lots and lots of problems.

6. 

   woody March 14th, 2013 at 12:28

   @Jack -

   Don’t install any updates yet. Give them time. See my responses to Dennis and Connor above.

7. 

   rc primak March 15th, 2013 at 22:53

   Another vote for not installing either the Platform Update for Windows 7 SP1 (see Microsoft KB 2670838 for details)or IE 10 on Windows 7. I did these on a laptop without the worst-case graphics disasters, and IE 10 is still buggy and slow as hell. The Platform Update is totally unnecessary if you aren’t upgrading to IE 10.

   However, the IE 9 Security Update will eventually become necessary and should be applied sometime.

8. 

   sanda March 16th, 2013 at 23:01

   Woody,
   This seems the best blog entry to put this. I sang your praises on the Tech page of the Guardian (UK,the U.S.edition) online this week.’
   Someone was kvetching (neg nag) about tablets, possibly another comment and the author of the article was a bit “I’m the techie for my dad who is confused about Win8″ (but it seems didn’t bother to spend enough time showing old dad, my contemporary, “how to” but likes looking like “the grownup”).

   I’m learning Win8 using your “…8 for Dummies” at the same time I’m still learning Windows 7, sitting with your “…7 for Dummies” at hand. Maybe it’s because I started, at 68, with your “Win..XP Pro for Dummies” five years ago, when I got my first, a rebuilt Thinkpad R51- a user friendly for dummies machine. But it died a year ago…

   Maybe it’s easier because of that history,
   but it’s easier learning to use the tiles of win8 than the traditional “desktop” and Win7.

   Scared cautious since my first real trouble, the Delta Search (Redirect) Malware last month, trying to fix it got me into a mess, I read “Win8 for Dummies” before doing much with the SurfPro. Illness (nastily named Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in US but correctly ME in UK)has me a slow learner, especially verbally, since middle age.

   As an artist, the tiles and Win8, with limited use so far, is a natural. It’s a brilliant invention. I can see why the reviewers on CNET were going “happy” over it. And your suggestion, the MiFi is one neat small gadget.

   Unfortunately, the SurfPro is a steep price for artists. (I used some years of unspent bday gifts.) But, I will say that for very young kids(*) and for old people, and people who have verbal problems (all ages), and disabled people, the visual tiles on touch screen and their use is easier to learn than the word-heavy word dependent “regular” old way.
   Finally, I’m so tech naive (but a good researcher), when doing my h.w. before buying the SurfPro, I’d see other tablets with the same black background and tiles and thought, “They are trying to steal Surf Pro’s potential customers and copy Microsoft” before I read in your “Win8 for D” that all Windows 8 have tiles, but not all are touch screen. (*)yes, I saw that viral video of a baby trying to swipe at a paper magazine awhile back.

9. 

   EP March 17th, 2013 at 16:06

   Even though IE10 final (version 10.0.9200.16521) for Win7 SP1 installed and worked fine on my Win7 computers, it’s best to follow woody’s advice and not install IE10 yet.
   IE10′s setup program will automatically download and install the KB2670838 update if it hasn’t been installed yet [yup, that's the one patch that has been causing blue screen errors on certain Win7 machines with certain AMD Radeon graphics hardware]. MS already acknowledged the problem in MS KB article 2670838 and had posted links in that article to obtain updated & compatible graphics drivers for KB2670838.
   The final version of IE10 Win7 users are getting is newer than the IE10 version found in Win8.

10. 

    Pip March 19th, 2013 at 02:32

    the question i have is, that if i run a 64bit system do i need the 32bit updates?

    Philip

11. 

    woody March 19th, 2013 at 23:12

    @Philip -

    The list of updates offered by Windows Update is tailored to your machine. You don’t need to worry about 32-bit vs 64-bit, if you use Windows Update.

12. 

    rc primak March 21st, 2013 at 12:54

    @Philip —

    To clarify, nearly all Windows software is 32-bit, even on a 64-bit Operating System and 64-bit hardware. As such, it does not usually use fully both cores of dual-core processors, unless the hardware can run several so-called hyperthreads at one time, as my Intel Core-i5 architecture based Toshiba Satellite laptop does.

    Another thing about 64-bit Windows is that it forbids 32-bit programs from directly using resources located inside the OS kernel (also known as System Level or Driver Level resources). These resources are duplicated in the SysWow (Windows on Windows) and Win SxS (Windows Side by Side) areas of the Windows Directory. (Among other areas.)

    The Registry also becomes more complicated.

    All of which means that 32-bit programs under 64-bit Windows versions need both the 32-bit program patches and the 64-bit Windows patches to be fully updated and fully secured. A few programs are truly or partly 64-bit, and need 64-bit patches of their own. (This is true on my laptop of .NET Framework, for example.)

    Internet Explorer in Windows 7 and Windows 8 has two versions — one 32-bit and one 64-bit. These versions update separately and use separate plug-ins. (And separate Java Runtimes, if you still have those.)

    It’s a lot to think about if one gets into too much technical detail. Just know that you do need 32-bit patches for software which is really 32-bit software running under a 64-bit Operating System on 64-bit hardware.

13. 

    rc primak March 21st, 2013 at 13:02

    @Sanda —

    Nobody else stole the Tiles on Black (or patterned) Backgrounds meme from Microsoft’s Windows 8. It’s entirely the opposite. As the most recent arrival on the scene, Microsoft is building on concepts developed first by Android and Blackberry, then enhanced by the Apple iPad, and brought to the current state of development under Windows 8 RT.

    For end-users, this is all pretty trivial, but for lawyers and companies who like to sit on patents to earn extra money and discourage competition, every nuance and every tick of history’s clock is of great interest.

    Totally not interesting for folks like me, who are desktop, keyboard and mouse traditionalists. Swipe all you want — the desktop and the laptop are here to stay.

14. 

    teton March 23rd, 2013 at 21:21

    Hi Woody your windows 7 all-in-1 book is in front of me @ desktop. soooo glad i found you! My ? pertains to speeding up firefox. In the about:config — network.http area — the configuration settings on my browser show the pipelining.maxrequests line is now set @ 32…? You suggested 30…so?? should i preform just the 2 false/true conversions & create the NEW ENTRY.delay with a 0 value as per listed in dummies? leave 32@32?? or bump up to idk 64??lol whats the magic number please? i wouldnt wana void my warranty LMAO! Everthing else so far has been super helpfull! thanks! feeling more secure and informed now 4sure and to b honest FireFox isnt really “slow” but who doesnt wanta go faster,?? when safely able too of course;-)