Born: Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool update KB 890830 causing problems

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Günter Born, posting on his Born’s Tech and Windows World blog, lists several problems with this month’s MSRT. Access violations during install error
[See the full post at: Born: Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool update KB 890830 causing problems]

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Whatever problems there may be with MSRT this month, that discussion on Bleeping Computer isn’t likely to be very helpful. Most recent post in that thread is 23 June 2016, i.e. almost a YEAR ago.
— EstherD

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I note Born proposes that “if MRT is already installed, uninstall KB890830 and block this update.”

Not updating seems obvious (DEFCON-1) but do you agree with the idea of uninstalling KB890830, Woody?

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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or disable installation of MRT completely:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\MRT]
“DontOfferThroughWUAU”=dword:00000001

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One Win10 1703 laptop, Reliability monitor lists an Mrt crash. On another laptop with 1703 also, no such crash; but oddly Reliability monitor entries get auto-deleted. :/

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I haven’t installed the MSRT since late last year.  I believe that it is spyware, and I want an anti-virus app that removes the malware when it finds it,  not after the fact.

 

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Is nothing from Microsoft safe anymore?  I had already installed this month’s MSRT with no problems…so far.  Win 7, Bitdefender Free, Malwarebytes Premium all are working.  I received no error message during the install.

iPhone 13, 2019 iMac(SSD)

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anonymous wrote:

I haven’t installed the MSRT since late last year. I believe that it is spyware, and I want an anti-virus app that removes the malware when it finds it, not after the fact.

Good point.  With Malwarebytes on my PC, I think I will follow your lead next month.

iPhone 13, 2019 iMac(SSD)

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I can confirm the behaviour as noted on bleepingcomputer that MSRT keeps offering itself continuously in WU, even though it has been installed before. This issue has been present on my Vista x86 laptop since about 10 months or so, although I do not recall the moment it started exactly. This did not happen on my Vista x64 machine. Because I have WU set at notify, but not download and install, it did not give me any problems. I just ignored it 🙂

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HiFlyer

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No problems at all after April update msrt on Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 + Norton Security.

(Or should I say: ‘No problems so far’?)

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I am using windows 7 x64.  kb890830 is not listed in add remove updates but was installed had to  uninstall manual . So I deleted it in C:\Windows\System32\mrt.exe also found it in C:\Windows\temp\ folder.  deleted the  mrt registry entries [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\RemovalTools\MRT]  only the  registry entrie keep’s coming back .Not sure if that normal or not. Windows updates is disabled too.

 

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If you already downloaded KB890830 simple way to get rid of it is first disable your AV.  Then check the day you installed it.  Click start, type in “restore” . click on “restore your computer to an earlier time”.  click on “Open system restore”  .  Check circle “choose a different restore point”.  Click on a date a day or so earlier then when you installed KB890830.  Make sure Auto update is off since it will show up again as if it was never installed.

 

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I first install KB890830 3 years ago because microsoft release’s a new version every month and the kb number stays the same.I Don’t have  restore point that old. I also installed every month to update it in windows update.Thats why I had to manual remove it.

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Thats what I did . I didnt go all the way back.  Just this April`s version which is giving the problems.

Edited to remove code

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Data point:

MSRT ran without problems on my Win 8.1 test system, as part of the April updates package installation.

-Noel

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MrBrian

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As anecdotal “evidence” I’ve installed this each time it’s been presented by WinUpdate so far (for the last couple of years) as I’ve never had a problem, but last night I was going through uninstalling all the MS-phone-home updates (and found I/we still had CEIP on!), then hid all the stuff which is currently causing havoc and then updated what was left, incl the latest MSRT (Apr 17).  When my machine rebooted, Avast stayed in the shields-off condition.  All OK again after a reboot, and the same behaviour didn’t happen on a second machine, but I shall be hiding MSRT in future!

Question:  Is MSRT a program that always runs in the background or is it a one-time scan type thing which runs when you “install” it?  I always thought the latter.  There is nothing running (or even present) that looks like “MSRT” under the Running Services list in Computer Management.  If so, it seems to me pointless to remove registry entries as all you have to do is never run it again.

 

WM
--
Win7Pro SP1
new Dec 2011
rebuilt Jun 2016
& still going nicely

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MSRT runs when you install it and every 30 days   automatically. Since MRT is run automatically, it must be triggered somewhere. If you check the Task Scheduler for MRT related tasks, you will eventually find the one task that Windows uses for that. Use the sidebar folder structure and go to Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > RemovalTools and delete the task.

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I never installed MSRT right off the bat until DEFCON level was at 3, 4, or 5.

Now I’m very happy I’ve always done it like that. Perhaps March 2017 were the last updates that I will install for Windows 7 on this PC.

Looking forward to any additional information or updates on the status of all Windows 7 updates in April 2017.

Thank you all.

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My first post on Woody’s Lounge, etc. Newby for sure.

Regarding Born and KB890830; appears to be first time of use on this PC was October 15th, 2015 to the last use on February 28th, 2017, sporadically over that length of time. Too far back for me to safely uninstall, so hope by just ignoring it from this point forward, it will not carry any harm to my Windows 8, upgraded to 8.1 Dell PC. I was forced to learn how to rebuild the hard drive following a complete data crash with the conversion to 8.1. Learning as I go and really appreciate this site and others like it.

If you have reason to believe it is feasible to use the patch, let me know. Otherwise I will just sit on it until it goes away. thanks.

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