The Challenge of Windows Update in the Windows as a Service (WaaS) Era

The Challenge of Windows Update in the Windows as a Service (WaaS) Era

Last month, for the first time since Microsoft started Patch Tuesdays in the early 2000’s, the software company delayed issuing patches and updates for its software products that were scheduled to be updated on February 14, 2017.

While the specific reason was not officially provided by Microsoft, according to some reports, it was either an issue with a particular patch or the system that prepares the monthly collection of updates for distribution. A couple of days later Microsoft officially announced that those patches would be rolled into the March cycle of Patch Tuesday updates and those are scheduled to arrive next Tuesday.

Yet this past Tuesday, patches for Office were pushed out to users over Windows Update, so that shows the delivery mechanism itself is working fine. There are no indications from Microsoft that we should not see a normal Patch Tuesday next week.

I am sure if I asked many of you about Microsoft, Windows Update, and system patches most of you would not use the word normal to describe that process. In fact, over the years there have been many issues with patches that gets issued each month. This has become an even bigger concern for end users as Microsoft shipped Windows 10 and made updates mandatory for the consumer version of the operating system, i.e. Windows 10 Home.

As someone who has been watching this industry for many years and worked as a computer repair technician, I have seen the sorry state of people’s computers. Approximately 75% of those systems were out of date, missing at least two or three months worth of updates — when they weren’t missing updates dating back a year or more. So, unsurprisingly, many of the problems they were facing cleared up after getting the system up to date.

That is why I was pleased to see Microsoft force updates to consumer machines and they now include Windows Defender as part of the OS and not a separate download. That means these everyday users are getting their system updated, having security related issues addressed each month, and they have at least some level of protection on their system. These are the folks who called me for computer support when they were running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows Vista, and yes, even the outdated and unsupported Windows XP.

Advanced users — like you, the person who subscribes to this publication — know how to manage your devices, get updates installed, and keep your computer secure and protected. Your machines are not typically vulnerable to security breaches or malware/ransomware infections because you stay up to date however, those everyday users are very vulnerable because of their lack of awareness and knowledge in these areas. The mandate from Microsoft for updates to be required on Windows 10 Home, the version of Windows that is now sold on OEM hardware, is making for a safer and more secure Internet.

A short story: I had one client that I was visiting every 6 weeks or so because their Windows 7 system would slow down and become nearly unusable. Turns out they were installing updates that included additional software, such as toolbars and other extensions for their browsers, and those were quickly bogging down the system. After Windows 10 was released I upgraded them and set them up with Microsoft Edge, with all their shortcuts on the Favorites Bar, and now I do not get those slow system calls anymore. Since Microsoft Edge extensions must be installed from the Windows Store, it makes the OS and browser much more secure.

Understandably, many people who prefer to fine-tune everything in their machines are not fans of the mandatory updates in Windows 10. I am the same way about wanting to remain in charge of every detail in my system configuration, but with Windows 10, I have embraced the approach of installing system updates as soon as they are available in Windows Update.

Yes, I’ve run into a problem or two. It’s going to happen: Producing patches for a dazzling variety of PC systems is a challenge for Microsoft.

The sheer variation of these Windows devices is mind boggling. Back in late August of 2015, less than a month after the initial release of Windows 10, Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi one of the Corporate VP’s in the Windows & Devices Group took to Twitter to share some stats about the roll out of Windows 10 to end users: Windows 10 was already running on over 75 million devices, with 90,000 different PC and tablet device configurations running the Windows 10 operating system.

With over 400 million devices running Windows 10,  there is no doubt the number of different configurations running the OS has increased as well. Now broaden the scope even more: there are approximately 1.5 billion PCs in the world.

Now imagine creating patches for that collection of devices. Based on the varied number of systems and their own states relating to updates and other device drivers, there is absolutely no way any Patch Tuesday is going to be 100% perfect. It certainly makes for a monumental task for Microsoft, and one they have been fairly successful with over the years. (Of course, if you have been negatively impacted by a bad patch that is not going to be your perception.)

However, Microsoft is making some changes in the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update that will make updating your system as an advanced user more manageable.

*

For Windows 10 Home users, a new prompt will pop up when there are updates to be installed that require a restart of the system.

The three choices are self explanatory. They accomplish a couple of important things. First, the everyday user will know there is an update to install on their system and that their system is being maintained. Secondly, it allows them to manage when that update is installed and the system restarted so that no in progress work is lost by an unexpected reboot.

The Snooze option will delay the update for three days and then the user will get prompted to install it at that point. No alarm clock style snoozing here – one and done!

The Pick a time option will let the user choose the exact time for the update and restart to occur and I suspect that time will need to be within the next three days based on how long the snooze option provides.

Of course, if the user is at a point that the update can be installed they can pick Restart now and get it sorted out right then.

Another configuration option that is coming in the Creators Update is expanded Active Hours.

In previous versions of Windows 10, this window of time where your system was unavailable for updates was limited to 12 hours. In the Creators Update, this gets expanded by six hours to a total of 18. That means you can mark a six hour window of each day so that Windows 10 can be updated as necessary.

At this point, if you want more control over updates under Windows 10 you are going to need an upgrade to Windows 10 Professional. That upgrade costs $99 if you are on Windows 10 Home and can actually be done from right inside of the OS.

In the Creators Update on Windows 10 Professional a couple of additional options become available for managing updates.

The first one is the ability to pause updates for a period of seven days.

Once you have paused updates using this toggle switch, you will be required to update your system before updates can be paused for another seven days. If you want to use local Group Policy, then you can pause updates for 35 days however, you will have to run Windows Update and download any new patches before pausing them again.

The last major change for controlling system updates related to Feature Updates such as the Creators Update. Those are typically issued two times per year, with quality updates which address performance, bug fixes and security updates.

The first option will let you choose to get the Current Branch (CB) or Current Branch for Business (CBB) build on your system. For example, the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which was released last August, is currently designated as the CB build of Windows 10. That designation typically occurs upon the updates release. The CBB designation usually follows within approximately four months of the feature update release.

The other two options in this setting allow you to delay the installation of a feature update by up to 365 days or postpone quality updates for a period of 30 days.

Of course these and the earlier modifications I showed you that are in current testing builds of the Windows 10 Creators Update are in pre-release and could change but since we are pretty close to general availability of this feature update I am not expecting any significant changes.

So do these upcoming changes make the Windows Update process perfect?

Of course not — because as I mentioned earlier there is just too much variation in the systems out there running Windows for every single possibility to be tested prior to the patches release to end users. There are going to continue being issues with system updates and patches and that is why backups and contingency plans are critical.

The bottom line: The new management tools will help a lot in taking control of updates. And being updated does equate to being more secure for Windows users.

My Favorite Free Microsoft Windows Utilities, and How They Can Help You

I’m a sucker for a free software utility. I love discovering programs that can make my computing life easier. Microsoft offers an array of useful and free utilities, and some of my favorites fall under the umbrella of a group known as Windows Sysinternals. Created by Microsoft Azure Chief Technology Officer Mark Russinovich, Sysinternals consists of utilities that can enhance Windows, gather useful information, and troubleshoot specific problems. What’s cool about the Sysinternals tools is that they run the gamut from simple to complex, are well-designed, and don’t require an installation. I’ve used several of the Sysinternals tools over the years and have come up with some favorites that I think would help many Windows users.

Let’s look at each tool.

Autologon

Windows 10 and 8.1 force you to enter your password at the sign in or lock screen as a means of security. If you’re working in an office or other public place and step away, you wouldn’t want someone to be able to access the information on your computer. But if you’re at home or another private place, entering your login credentials isn’t as necessary since no one else is around to peek at your data. In this case, a method that automatically logs you into your computer can be helpful. And that’s just what Autologon does.

Download Autologon from its webpage and then unzip the downloadeded zip file. Double-click the Autologon.exe file to launch the program. At the Autologon dialog box, enter your username and password (and your domain if you use one) and then click Enable.

Now sign out of Windows or reboot your computer. Windows automatically loads without prompting you for a password.

With Autologon enabled, your login credentials are stored in the Registry in an encrypted format, so no one should be able to obtain them. You can bypass the autologon by holding down the Shift key in which case you’re prompted for your password. You can turn off the autologon feature by launching the program again and clicking on the Disable button.

Autoruns

Certain Windows programs like to sneak their way into your startup routine, meaning they load into memory as soon as you log in. The problem here is that such startup apps chew up memory and resources, often unnecessarily, potentially affecting the performance of your PC. And the more programs that load at startup, the greater your PC is impacted. Windows 10 and prior versions already include a way to view and disable your startup apps. But a more advanced and thorough tool for managing all your startup items is Autoruns.

Download Autoruns from its webpage at Sysinternals. Uncompress the zip file. Double-click the Autoruns.exe file, and the program launches to display a list of all your startup items organized by category.

By clicking on the various tabs at the top, you can switch your view from all startup items to only those items belonging to a certain category, such as browser extensions, scheduled tasks, services, and drivers. The next step is to figure out which items don’t need to load at startup. To do this, right-click on a particular item. From the popup menu, click on the command to Search Online.

Your default browser opens up with search results related to the item you selected. You should find links to webpages explaining what the item does and whether or not it’s safe to disable it from startup. To disable an item, simply click off its checkmark. Then reboot your computer to make sure that disabling the item has no negative effects. If all is well, leave it disabled. If you bump into any problems, just launch Autoruns again and click on the item’s checkbox to re-enable it.

Desktops

You’ve opened so many apps in Windows that your screen has become too crowded. How can you avoid this dilemma in the future? By using virtual desktops, each of which can store their own set of apps. Yes, Windows 10 already provides such a feature. But if you’re using an older version of Windows, the Sysinternals Desktops tool offers similar functionality. Through Desktops, you can open and juggle up to four different virtual desktops.

Download the Desktops tool from its Sysinternals webpage. Unzip the downloaded file. Double-click the desktops.exe file. At the Desktops launch screen, click OK to kick off the utility.

Open some apps and windows. Now click on the Desktop icon in the System Tray and click on the panel to create Desktop 2. You’ll see a blank screen with just your desktop showing. You can now open additional apps in Desktop 2. Again, click on the Desktops icon in the System Tray and click on the panel to create Desktop 3. Open more apps in Desktop 3. Click on the Desktops icon again and click on the panel to create Desktop 4. Open a few more apps. Click on the icon once more and then click on one of the other desktops to return to it. Using this method, you can bounce among the four different virtual desktops.

Unlike the Windows 10 virtual desktop feature, Desktops has some limitations. You can’t move windows from one desktop to another. You can’t close Desktops while Windows is running. The tool is designed to be available while you work in Windows, so the only way to close down your virtual desktops is to log off or shut down Windows. But if you don’t use Windows 10, Desktops is one way to organize your apps with multiple desktops.

SDelete

You have a very private, sensitive file on your hard drive and want to make sure it’s fully deleted. That’s when you call in a program like SDelete. When you delete a file in Windows, it doesn’t really get removed; rather it gets placed in the Recycle Bin where it can easily be recovered. Even if you empty the Recycle Bin, the file can still physically exist and be undeleted with the right tools. SDelete makes sure that doesn’t happen.

Download SDelete from its webpage at Sysinternals. Uncompress the zip file. You’ll see two exe files – the 32-bit SDelete.exe and the 64-bit SDelete64.exe. SDelete is a command line utility, which means you run it at a command prompt followed by the name of the file you wish to delete. You can delete a single file or an entire folder of files. Copy SDelete.exe and SDelete64.exe to your C:WindowsSystem32 folder so that the files are in your path statement and can be run from any folder at the command prompt.

In Windows 10 or 8.1, right-click on the Start button. From the menu, click on the command for “Command Prompt (Admin).” At the command prompt, move to the folder that contains the file or files you wish to delete. (You’ll need to use the cd command for that, e.g., cd users[your username]documents.

At the prompt, type sdelete followed by the name of the file, e.g., sdelete “2016 tax information.doc.” You should receive a message that the file was deleted. You can also type sdelete /? to see a list of all options and switches that you can use with the command.