Microsoft upgrades the Windows 10 beta to build 14393.3

It’s the same pattern we saw with the last major update, to version 1511.

InfoWorld Woody on Windows

Connection problem with the Win10 upgrade

Here’s an interesting question from SA:

I know most Win10 upgrade posts are concerned with preventing Win10 from installing but suppose you want to install Win10 – at least to try it out – before the free offer ends? Are any of the “bad” updates actually helpful in getting Win10 to download and install?

I ask because I tried to upgrade my Win7 Pro machine. It has only security updates installed per Belarc Advisor. Nothing Win10 related, good or bad. Everything seemed to go OK. I was told my computer was compatible with Win10 and the download started. It took about 4-1/2 hours to reach the 100% indication and then the download indicator went back to zero and apparently started all over again.

Due to a data cap and time limit I could only go up to 3.5GB or 5 hours, whichever came first. Obviously the “second attempt” couldn’t continue and my connection terminated at the 5 hour point and the upgrade window displayed a 0x80072ee7 error.

Among the files that were placed on my computer was an “upgrader_defaultlog” with a line that said “Can’t find usable ESD from the $Windows.~BT folder” and shortly after that the retry started.

It seems that something was either missing or corrupted. Since my Internet connectivity isn’t particularly fast or cheap I may get only one more try and I can’t just let the upgrader keep endlessly downloading. I’m surprised that MS doesn’t have a more reliable upgrade method than revert to zero and do the whole thing again and then check for missing bits.

Anyway, I just thought I’d ask if you or your readers had any advice or suggestions.

It does sound like a corrupt file, and I would guess that everything would go well on a second try.

You might try going to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and downloading the installation file onto a USB drive. Not sure if that’ll improve your chances of a good download.

Any other suggestions?

Should we take the free Win10 Home upgrade or pay for Pro?

Excellent question from BA:

I am on Windows 8.1 & the main (really only) reason I want to upgrade to Windows 10 is for Cortana.

However, since Automatic Updates can bite (& thanks to you I don’t let Windows do them), I’m concerned about the free upgrade.

Since this is Win 8.1 Home, the free upgrade would have to be to Win 10 Home & the only way to control automatic updates is through the metered connection workaround. I know that if I upgrade to WIndows 10 Professional for $99 I have more control back. What do you suggest?

1) Take the free upgrade & use the workaround to (hopefully) escape getting bitten in the butt?

2) Pay the ‘update tax’ of $99 for Win 10 Pro?

3) Let the free upgrade expire, stay on Win 8.1 & pay to upgrade at a later date?

I hoped you would give more definitive advice sooner as we got closer & Microsoft wouldn’t relax the deadline for free upgrades. Hope I hear something before Friday.

I have an InfoWorld post coming on Monday morning, going over the upgrade options and sane alternatives, but you raise some interesting questions that I don’t cover in the main article.

First, if you’re looking at upgrading to Win10 for Cortana, make sure you try Cortana before you make the commitment. I found Cortana to be distinctly underpowered, especially compared to Google Now (which I use frequently), but also compared to Apple’s Siri and even Amazon’s Echo. You can compare them for yourself. Try using Google by going into the Chrome browser’s address bar and clicking the mike. Test Echo at the echosim.io site. I don’t know of an easy way to test Siri without finding somebody with an iOS machine, but they aren’t hard to find.

I wouldn’t pay extra for Pro just for the convenience of blocking updates. There are other methods, besides metered connections. At this point – call me astonished – the Win10 cumulative updates have been relatively benign. If Microsoft proves that it can’t update Win10 any better than it’s been updating Win7 and 8.1, you’ll always be able to pay for the upgrade to Pro.

I talk about the pro’s and con’s of running a free upgrade now and rolling back, in the article on Monday morning. Basically, for most people, it just isn’t worth the effort. But if there’s a Win10 feature that you really, really like – yeah, you should probably grab your free digital license. If you do, though, be smart about it and don’t just blindly run the upgrade.

Anyway, more details in the article, but for now, you should really think about whether Cortana is worth the upgrade angst.

If Excel refuses to open files the way it used to, look at KB 3115322, 3115262

It’s a developer’s nightmare – MS pulls the rug out from under custom Excel solutions.

InfoWorld Woody on Windows

Best way to get Windows 7 updated

A couple of friends were batting around the idea of using the KB 3125574 update – the one I call “Windows 7 Service Pack 2” – to get Win7 brought up to date.

Here’s what I told them:

There are severe problems with KB 3125574

https://www.askwoody.com/2016/windows-7-sp2-convenience-update-rollup-under-examination/

I suggest you install the latest Win7 Update speedup patch

http://wu.krelay.de/en/2016-07.htm

And update Win7 the usual way.

Upgrade to Win10 checked?

I have a report on Twitter from @Maybeee2011 that his system, with “‘Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates'” unchecked, now has the upgrade to Win10 entry under Important updates checked.

Anybody else seeing that?

Problems with MS16-088 / KB 3115262

I’m seeing lots of reports from enterprise sites, where this patch breaks custom solutions.

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/d2d84793-9920-45e3-baef-5027a4ac1ae0/kb3170008-for-office-2016-breaks-functionality-ms16088?forum=officeitpro

Salesforce isn’t opening exported XLS reports

http://salesforce.stackexchange.com/questions/131404/end-user-cannot-open-a-xls-report-exported-from-salesforce

Let me know if you’re encountering the same problem – and any solutions. I’ll write this up for InfoWorld over the weekend.

MS pulls buggy KB 3161608 Windows Update speed-up patch

Replaces it with KB 3172605, KB 3172614… and sticks it to Intel.

If you’re struggling with slow Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 Update speeds, take a look at this article. I end up recommending that you ditch Microsoft’s “solution” entirely and use the approach listed on wu.krelay.de to fix the slowdowns.

The German solution works for Win 7 and Vista. I have no idea how to fix the problem in Win 8.1 — or if Win 8.1 people are experiencing significant slowdowns.

But it’ll be fun to watch Microsoft and Intel getting into a real expectorating match.

InfoWorld Woody on Windows

Are Slow Windows 7 Updates Adversely Affecting MSE?

From Marty:

The two principal Windows 7 machines in my household stopped doing regular automatic MSE virus definition updates the day after July’s Patch Tuesday.  I’m betting that this issue is connected to the problematic WU scans, since available MSE definition updates have tended to appear on the list of available Windows updates, and I haven’t seen any listed there lately.

Or maybe there’s some other explanation of MSE’s new behavior, which in any case isn’t good.  Yes, the “Update definitions” button still works, but a selling point of MSE is that it’s supposed to operate with little or no user intervention.  So, there could be a developing security risk here.

Have you heard about this issue from anyone else?

Looking for a killer app in Windows 10

Can you find one? I sure can’t.

InfoWorld Woody on Windows

How to update Vista quickly?

Another Vista call-out, this time from reader AK:

I’m an avid follower of ‘AskWoody’; so, here goes.

The monthly MS Updates for 12th July 2016, has still not appeared on my machine.

All I get is the ‘svchost.exe’ is running at 50%, forever. No amount of resetting WU, reboots, etc, seems tp prompt MS to ping me the updates.
I’ve tried the ‘standalone installer’; but, that pings out forever.

I have another Vista machine, that updated, albeit very late, 18th July. This machine mirrors the problematic machine.

How long, is a reasonable amount of time to wait for updates ? Where do I go from here ?

Cynically, should I just wait until April 2017; when, there’ll be no updates at all ?

Best regards. AK

The last gasp: KB 3035583 re-re-re…re-relea… er, re-updated

Thanks for the reports, folks. Special call-out to PKCano, who sent along screenshots.

InfoWorld Woody on Windows