Blog Archives

• Win10 optional updates placed on hold

  Posted on March 30th, 2020 at 01:05 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  As the world hunkers down in response to the COVID crisis, so does Microsoft.

  On March 24, the company announced it would pause optional non-security patches (C/D-week updates), starting in May. I assume the April releases are already mostly baked.

  The primary purpose of C/D-week updates — aka “previews” — is to let enterprises test non-security fixes before the formal releases go out — typically, two or three weeks later.

  Microsoft will reportedly continue to ship the official monthly cumulative updates, but with this announcement, the company is clearly putting its focus on critical security patching. In effect, Microsoft is acknowledging that both it and its customers already have a lot on their plates.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.12.0 (2020-03-30).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, March 2020 Black Tuesday, Windows 7 threats, Windows updating

• Win10 cumulative update gets an update. Don’t panic!

  Posted on March 16th, 2020 at 01:05 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  Even in the best of times, we almost always expect to get Windows-updating surprises. And these are far from normal times.

  Still, it was a bit shocking that two days after Microsoft released the expected March cumulative update for Windows 1903 and 1909, it released another cumulative patch.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.11.0 (2020-03-16).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deferring patching, Vulnerabilities, Windows 10 Cumulative Updates

• Questions on controlling Windows 10 updating

  Posted on March 2nd, 2020 at 01:10 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  With the end of free support for Windows 7, there’s a spate of new Win10 users.

  One of the most common questions I see from this group is how to manage the monthly updating task.

  Over its many revisions — culminating with Version 1909 — Windows 10 has come a long way toward making the patching experience more agreeable to rank-and-file users. But the key is to follow some important guidelines. Here are my rules for making Win10 updating as pain-free as possible.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.9.0 (2020-03-02).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Group Policy Editor, malware, Patching guidlines, Windows updating

• The trials and tribulations of Windows 7

  Posted on February 17th, 2020 at 01:10 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  We’re starting the Windows 7 extended-support era … with more than our fair share of confusion.

  Before I shed some light on making Extended Security Updates (ESUs) work, here’s a bit of good news for all Win7 users.

  You might recall that the final free Win7 updates (January’s) included a bug that broke the “Stretch” wallpaper setting. Some systems ended up with black backgrounds. The easy fix was to use another “Choose a fit” option. But if “Stretch” is important to you — or you’d just like your Win7 copy to be as bug-free as possible — Microsoft released KB 4539601 to fix the flaw. Currently, however, you must manually download and install the patch.

  The February launch of extended-support updates got off to a shaky start.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.7.0 (2020-02-17).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Recalled patch, Win7 ESU, Windows updating

• Microsoft agrees to clean up a small Win7 mess

  Posted on February 3rd, 2020 at 01:05 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  The NSA might have rained on Windows 10’s patching parade in January, but most of the attention was focused on the demise of Windows 7.

  You’d think Microsoft would get the last batch of free Win7 updates right — but apparently not. January’s Patch Tuesday fixes broke Win7’s wallpaper. If you used the “Stretch” option for background slide shows, you ended up with just black! Microsoft’s initial response? The fix would be offered only to those who had purchased Win7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) keys.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.5.0 (2020-02-03).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Chromium Edge, Win7 extended security updates, Windows Updates

• 2020 patching starts with a bang!

  Posted on January 20th, 2020 at 01:05 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  Patch Tuesday arrived on January 14, and it was not an auspicious start to the new year.

  An NSA warning about a newly revealed Windows vulnerability isn’t the only newsworthy event for January. Let’s recap:

  As we’ve discussed thoroughly on askwoody.com, millions of Windows users are saying goodbye (sort of) to the beloved Windows 7. For consumers, January’s updates are the last they’ll receive — barring some extraordinary event. Businesses still relying on Win7 machines (and there are possibly millions) get a three-year reprieve — if they take advantage of Microsoft’s Win7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) offering.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.3.0 (2020-01-20).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, NSA alert, Win7 ESU, Windows patching

• No fireworks, closing out 2019 updating

  Posted on January 6th, 2020 at 01:05 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  The past year of Windows and Office patching sure had its ups and downs, false alarms, and true debacles.

  Fortunately, we seem to be ending the year on a relatively positive note.

  The new decade starts off with the official end of Windows 7 support — for most users. As regular readers know, we’ve come up with a process for acquiring extended security updates. It’s not free, but the cost is relatively low for any small business that can’t easily upgrade to a newer OS. (See my article “Hunting for an elusive Win7 ESU license” in the 2019-12-23 AskWoody Plus Newsletter.)

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.1.0 (2020-01-06).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Extended Security Updates, Windows 7 EoL, Windows patching, Windows Servers EoL

• Closing out the patching year …

  Posted on December 16th, 2019 at 01:05 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  This is a busy time for Windows upgrading.

  Win10 1803 officially fell into the bit bucket this past November; Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 will suffer the same fate this coming January.

  Upgrading to a newer version of Windows 10 should be relatively painless. But the shift will be far more difficult and consequential for the mass of PC users still running Win7.

  Security is obviously a concern for Win7 users, but Microsoft has stated that Security Essentials updates will also end in January. However, it’s likely that third-party browsers and anti-malware apps will continue to get updates for some unknown period of time. Based on the XP experience, it could be months or years.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 16.46.0 (2019-12-16).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Extended support, Windows 7 EoL, Windows updating
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