MS-DEFCON 2: 2004 is out of support

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ISSUE 19.18.1 • 2022-05-05 By Susan Bradley Check your Windows version, then update accordingly. I regularly come across PCs that are running old, out
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Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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abbodi86

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Maybe it is just me, but I don’t find using Wumgr, or wumt, to be any use in controlling automatic Windows updates.

If I set the Windows 10 deferral days, as I do every month until approximately the end of the month, neither wumgr or wumt see updates other than Windows Defender updates or driver updates.

In order to get wumgr or wumt to see the other updates, I have to resume updates, in which case Windows 10 will promptly install all of them.

The only thing wumgr or wumt seem to be useful for is an easy way to hide unwanted driver updates which are not automatically installed anyway.

Eited to add:

I find the metered connection trick is the most consistently effective for most updates, and would note that it doesn’t just work for wi-fi connections. (Just because the PC has an ethernet connection doesn’t mean your internet connection isn’t metered: not everyone has unlimited internet!)

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If you are a Pro user with GPEdit settings ‘notify=2’ than you don’t need deferrals/metered.. and can use WUmgr for updates.

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I do have notify=2, so that’s clearly not enough.

Edited to add screen

shot.

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I never set the Windows 10 deferral days exactly because it
(1) prevents WUMgr, wushowhide or other tools to “see” what updates are available and hide them
and
(2) as soon as the deferral period expires (or you hit “resume updates”) Windows 10 promptly downloads and installs all available updates.

Setting up my connection as metered no longer seems to be as efficient as it used to be in the past, at least on Windows 10 Home: some updates (notably KB4023057 and also monthly CUs) are downloaded even when setting connection as metered and then I get a constant reminder to install them.

I actually found WUMgr to be my preferred method to take control of the updating process: I have disabled automatic updates through WUMgr while leaving my connection as unmetered and I set no deferral days. With this setup I don’t receive any automatic updates for Windows 10 nor driver updates and I can check for and install patches at my leisure through WUMgr. At the same time, Defender updates still install automatically (which is prevented on a metered connection).

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Cybertooth, Coldheart9020

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Graham wrote:

I do have notify=2, so that’s clearly not enough.

Edited to add screen

shot.

Yes, it is.
You get just the list of updates. Nothing downloads.
You then run WUmgr and can hide all until you decide to unhide all or part and download and install

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I can assure you that it does start downloading, and then installs, updates.

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Only if you set Pause (when Pause ends it ignores the “2” setting),  click on “Check for updates” or the “Download” button.
If you have Pro, set the “2” and DO NOT set Pause.
Windows Update and WUMgr both use the Windows Update Service. When you set Pause, the WU Service does not run and updates will not show up in either WU or WUMgr.

See AKB2000016 for the correct way to use the settings. There are screenshots at the bottom to show where the Group Policy and Registry settings are located.

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Thank you for that clarification. I will try it when I’m feeling lucky.

AKB2000016 is about 26 pages (in my browser, on my larger screen) and to be honest, even as someone well versed in computers, I find it very hard to follow.

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I’m not sure why, but after doing this, there’s been some odd behaviour.

I decided to install the May W10 cumulative update using WUMgr since no consumer issues are known. Rebooted as required. All seemed fine, but then Windows Update started a nagathon telling me to download and update the same May W10 cumulative update. I’ve been ignoring it for days. Now, several days later, it has stopped nagging: I have no clue why. I’ve used WUMgr a few times in the meantime to check for updates (it showed none other than Defender,) but Windows Update kept on nagging, until today.

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I defer updates until the end of the first week of the following month but use  Belarc Advisor to check available updates, researching those before updating via the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Other than failing memory, it is me-proof (as in foolproof).

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Perq

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I regularly come across PCs that are running old, out-of-support versions of Windows because they aren’t on the Web long enough to be “serviced” by Windows Update….. I realized they were running Windows 10 2004 and thus no longer were getting security updates, a serious matter.

That is not a bit issue. I came across  50 or so Windows 10 still running 1507. MS told broke Windows updates that it needs 8 hours or more connect to Internet to get updates. There are computers that have no internet for that long periods or work in the field with spot wifi/sat connection. MS employs real need to realize how the real world works. Make one OS that works for as long as the computer hardware works. There is no point in have endless new versions that end support after a time….But MS will never wake up from the coma infused bunny eared made up dream world…..

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I don’t have a problem with a software ‘use by’ date. It must cost a lot of programming hours attending to all of the security holes and repairing the bugs.

The issue I have is you can buy a computer that updates to a new system then MS decides they won’t let you keep upgrading and pull all support. For example, I had a Windows 8.1 touch device. Microsoft was harassing all users to upgrade to 10. I upgraded. A couple more upgrades and they stopped Windows 10 support for my device. Windows 8.1 is still supported.

 

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anonymous wrote:

they stopped Windows 10 support for my device. Windows 8.1 is still supported

Has your device stopped working?
Do you get security updates for W10?
What exactly is the issue?

cheers, Paul

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My guess is that it’s part of the Intel Atom Clover Trail fiasco a few years back, where Microsoft stopped making Windows 10 feature updates available for Clover Trail devices (many of which were released during the Windows 8 era).

To my understanding, you’d still get security updates for your device until 2023, so it’s not like you’re completely left out in the cold.

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Updated both my machines to 21H2 and in each case the installation was pretty fast, both when moving from Home 20H2 to 21H2 (ISO method) and from Pro 21H1 to 21H2 (using WUMgr).

Regarding the suggestion for Consumer/Home users to use the “metered” connection trick, I found a while ago that this no longer seems to be as efficient as it used to be in the past in order to avoid updates (at least on Windows 10 Home). Some updates (notably KB4023057) were automatically downloaded even on a metered connection and I seem to remember that also monthly CUs and Feature updates could “bypass” the metered connection. This is the reason why I moved to WUMgr to entirely avoid automatic updates and take back control of what patches I want to install and when.

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I have been using winshowhide for years, with PKCano’s GPedit stgs.  Win 10 Pro 21H2.

(Only problem I’ve ever had is getting it on a new install before going online as it requires download, won’t install from thumb drive).

Is it no longer a viable or ‘Ask Woody’ preferred way to control updates? (Haven’t tried WUMgr as it looks complicated, and one more program to deal with.)

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Akb2000016 still works for Win10. But see Susan’s 6000000 series of Knowledge Base articles about settings to deal with Win10/Win11 versions.

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It’s much harder to find it.  When they pulled it when it only had the sha1 digital signature and then took forever to put it back, it’s now really hidden.  So when you google for it you can end up on some dodgy sites.

It’s still very viable but Microsoft hasn’t made it as easy to find.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Perq

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There is a link to the download for wushowhide from Microsoft in AKB2000016.

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My computers are all still on 21H1 and getting updates regularly. What would be thw problem with staying on 21H1 for a while longer?
Thank You.

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21H1 is supported through Dec. 13, 2022, so you will continue to get updates until then.

However, if your Windows is up to date, there is very little difference between 21H1 and 21H2. It is only turning on the Experience Pack that is already installed. A very short update. And it is supported until June, 2023.

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21H1 is fine for now, but you will need to move to 21H2 at some stage to keep being updated. When you do that is up to you – there will be announcements here telling you when it’s EOL for 21H1.

cheers, Paul

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