MS-DEFCON 2: The maintenance window for Windows closes

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ISSUE 19.49.1 • 2022-12-08 By Susan Bradley This is your last call to install updates. Businesses typically have a concept in their information techno
[See the full post at: MS-DEFCON 2: The maintenance window for Windows closes]

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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G, abbodi86, Travasaurus, Alex5723

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Alternatively, you can wait until 13.1 releases. According to one source, it is currently in beta

RC released to public. Final probably next week.

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install updates EXCEPT KB5012170

just saw this recent article from Neowin about KB5012170 w/ Win11 22H2

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That’s specifically called out not to be installed in the patch list.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Hi so I’m confused, again!  What does ‘another maint window will open up’ mean?

If you haven’t had a chance to update your Windows 10 to 22H2 yet, don’t worry: another maintenance window will open up at the end of the month. For now, I recommend that you prepare your systems to defer updates until later this month.

I think I missed the OK to update to 22h2, but I removed the GP Edit setting to stay on 21H2.  I have not received any updates yet.  I assume my machine will search and pick up the update after 12/13.

Why does the alert say the “this is your last call to install updates”? Ugh, I thought I understood this stuff after all these years!   My updates will not auto-download and I have  WUMGR. I am going to leave my system open to receive updates and check what I get against the MPL.  That should allow my system to update to 22H2, when it’s offered, correct?  I have a Dell Latitude E5470 Win10 Pro.  I didn’t understand the alert that came out on 12/8 for Consumers.  thanks, Donna

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dmt_3904 wrote:

My updates will not auto-download and I have  WUMGR

You don’t need to wait, just run WUmgr (providing it is properly set and you don’t have pause..).
You better do it before next week’s patch Tuesday.

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thanks i ran it and nothing came up.  i don’t have anything hidden that should prevent it from coming up.  why should I do it b4 patch Tuesday?

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If you have Windows Update Paused, WUMgr won’t work either because it also uses the Windows Update Service to scan for updates.

Likewise, if you have the Windows Update Service stopped, it won’t find anything.
Likewise, if you are using any other third-party Windows Update blocker. InControl?
Or have Target Release Version set in the Registry for 21H2.

Be sure you check all the bases.

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thanks none of that stuff running. just ran wumgr again – nothing but defender.  why do i have to update b4 patch Tuesday?

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If you do it after Patch Tuesday, you’ll automatically get the December 2022 update as well, which will likely not be ready for installing yet.

So you’d either better install before Patch Tuesday now, or wait until the MS-DEFCON goes back to 3 or higher, which will probably be around Christmas time.

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oh duh. i did have a gp edit setting. Preview builds and feature updates was set to ‘1’. I removed that and 22H2 came right up!

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Lars220, Alex5723

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OK, lesson learned 🙂

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Lars220

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Saw this for SQL ODBC issues Microsoft warns of database problems after Patch Tuesday • The Register

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I have a question regarding the following statements:

1. “If you haven’t had a chance to update your Windows 10 to 22H2 yet, don’t worry: another maintenance window will open up at the end of the month.”
2. A “Windows 10 22H2 update [will] be released on December 13”.

My current status:

o OS version is Windows 10 Professional 21H2.
o November 21H2 updates have already been installed.
o Group Policy “Select the target Feature Update version” is configured to Windows 10 21H2.

My question:

I am assuming that the intent of statements 1 & 2 is to recommend that I should either update to 22H2 prior to December 13, or to hold off updating to 22H2 until after December’s patches have reached a safe DEFCON level.

Given that there are now only two days until December’s Patch Tuesday release, it sounds like my safest approach would be to wait until later this month, since if I revise the Group Policy Feature Update version to 22H2 today (December 11), I don’t know whether the 22H2 update will be offered prior to the December’s patch release. Does that seem like the most appropriate way to proceed?

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@Bruce –

I am assuming that the intent of statements 1 & 2 is to recommend that I should either update to 22H2 prior to December 13, or to hold off updating to 22H2 until after December’s patches have reached a safe DEFCON level.

You are COMPLETELY correct with that statement. If you change your setting in GPEdit’s Target Feature Update to 22H2, then things may go just as @Alex5723 describes below and you will be offered 22H2 either today or tomorrow, provided you don’t have some other blocking mechanism (inadvertently?) set.

To take Alex’s statement about the Windows Update service a bit further, it runs by default every 22 hours to check for any available updates.

I’d say that if you’ve changed your setting to 22H2 and you don’t get it offered to you by tomorrow evening, then change it back to 21H2 and wait until later in the month when Susan will probably change the DEFCON level to 3 or higher to give us the go-ahead for installing the December patches.

I hope this helps a bit!

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jburk07, Bruce, Susan Bradley

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Bruce wrote:

I don’t know whether the 22H2 update will be offered prior to the December’s patch release.

22H2 may be offered today or tomorrow providing you don’t have any pause setting.
Windows update service runs once a day.

PS. You can initiate it manually. I would have run WUmgr and not Windows update.

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Bruce

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