Windows Update - How will it change your system?

Anonymous

You need to make a decision about where you want to be with your system.

My advice is to change the Windows Update (WU) setting to never.

It really depends on where you want to be with your Windows 7 system.

Woody Leonhard has described the situation something like this. Note, I am using my own words here and describing it from my own perspective:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/3128983/microsoft-windows/how-to-prepare-for-the-windows-781-patchocalypse.html

Group A: Roll over and just let MS install what ever they wish on your computer and just don't worry about privacy and the spyware they will install. With this option you leave WU as Delayed start, and set the WU setting at Recommended. This is the easy way and requires no effort or concentration. You just let happen what will. This is essentially what you have with a Windows 10 system.

Group B: Refuse to accept any updates except Security ones. In that case you follow my initial recommendation and leave WU set at Never. You get the Security only updates from the "catalog". There is risk here in B. You are trusting that MS will not put anything in that group that does things you do not want done. A sort of level of trust in MS that I am not sure they deserve. Keep in mind that they have done the same thing with this set of updates they did in the main one. It is all one agglomeration of whatever number of security updates they decide to put in it.

Group C (AKA W): Shut down WU permanently and never again accept a Windows Update. This group feels that the risk of MS changing their machine in unacceptable ways or even bricking it is greater than the risk of a hacker breaking in because some security patch was not installed. I suspect that most people who even think about this topic will opt for this. However since most people think of their computer like a potato peeler, they will not even think about this and things will just happen without them even knowing. They will be Group A and won't even know it.

I am in Group W and would like to be in Group B. It depends on whether I can find a satisfactory way for my 150 or so client machines to be updated. They are average Joes and Janes.

Note that this may not apply to NON-Windows updates such as Office. I am not sure how you can be in group B or W and do this, but I am working on it.

UPDATE November 19, 2016:

It now appears that B is an impractical strategy for 99% of users. And, here is the reason why: When an error is made in a security-only update, if the error turns out not to have a security affect, it may be corrected in a non-security update. In that case if you were following B strategy, you would be left with an un-corrected defective update installed on your computer. If you were extremely diligent and knew about it, you may be able to get the correction in specific cases. This would entail an extreme amount of diligence that few would be willing or able to provide.

The new rollup style of updates that Microsoft is now providing to what we would call Group A, which include all kinds of updates (security and non-security), are cumulative. That means if you miss a month or even more, it will not matter because by installing the latest month's rollup, you would be up to date.

NOTE well, that Security-only updates are NOT cumulative. Which means if you miss a month, you may never get the missed updates.

So one strategy that you may wish to consider is following Group C, but still updating .net and Microsoft Office through Windows Update, but installing no Windows updates at all. It would be advisable in this case that you stop using Internet Explorer because you would not be getting those updates, but instead use an alternative browser.

Then, after following this strategy for some time, if things take a turn for the worse, and you decide you made the wrong choice (Group C with .net an Office updates), you can easily shift to A by simply using the latest offered Rollup offered in Windows Update.

So, as things have evolved, it looks like the vast majority have really only two choices: A as described above or C (modified as described above). The good news is that if you follow the modified C strategy, you have a way back to the Microsoft way, that is easy to implement.

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247 answers

Anonymous

2016-11-13T18:33:01+00:00
Update November 13, 2016:

I have advised my clients (about 150 computers) explaining the group A B C situation. I advised them that I would support any choice they made, but I would be following B for now, but with a wary eye out to see if Microsoft was continuing to be trustworthy in not including telemetry in SECURITY-ONLY update roll ups. If I see signs of this trust being broken, I will switch to C.

I have no intention of accepting a replacement for Windows 7 that is not as good as or better than 7. Windows 10 is not anything like what I bought when I bought 7 and would never have chosen it. Windows 10 is not an acceptable substitute for Windows 7 for me, and evidently most of my clients.

77 have chosen B. 1 C who is now transitioning to Apple, and the rest no response yet. None have chosen A

The ones who do not respond will likely be taking C by default because Windows Update is set to Never and unless they take action, they will get no updates.

CAUTION: If you choose B, the monthly security only updates are NOT cumulative. That means that you cannot ever miss one of the monthly updates.

So, here is the process we are now using:

Windows Updates set to Never and it stays that way forever

Once a month accept .net framework rollup as part of the Windows Update program

Once a month accept Microsoft Office updates as part of the Windows Update program

All other Windows Update updates rejected (either unchecked or hidden)

Once a month as part of the reminder email there will be a link for a direct download for the SECURITY - ONLY rollup for that month. For example November 64 bit http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2016/11/windows6.1-kb3197867-x64_6f8f45a5706eeee8ac05aa16fa91c984a9edb929.msu

November 32 bit http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2016/11/windows6.1-kb3197867-x86_2313232edda5cca08115455d91120ab3790896ba.msu

Security-only update rollups are NOT available as part of Windows Update. These updates must be downloaded from the Microsoft Catalog http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Home.aspx

We will be following Woody Leonhard's advice on when to update. Typically there will be some delay period after issuance to allow MS to correct errors before we download. Woody's recommendations can be found at www.askwoody.com Woody makes an easy to spot and easy to understand recommendation at the top of the page. For example today: "Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it."
Those monthly links will be most appreciated, especially.
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Anonymous

2016-11-13T17:47:08+00:00
Update November 13, 2016:

I have advised my clients (about 150 computers) explaining the group A B C situation. I advised them that I would support any choice they made, but I would be following B for now, but with a wary eye out to see if Microsoft was continuing to be trustworthy in not including telemetry in SECURITY-ONLY update roll ups. If I see signs of this trust being broken, I will switch to C.

I have no intention of accepting a replacement for Windows 7 that is not as good as or better than 7. Windows 10 is not anything like what I bought when I bought 7 and would never have chosen it. Windows 10 is not an acceptable substitute for Windows 7 for me, and evidently most of my clients.

77 have chosen B. 1 C who is now transitioning to Apple, and the rest no response yet. None have chosen A

The ones who do not respond will likely be taking C by default because Windows Update is set to Never and unless they take action, they will get no updates.

CAUTION: If you choose B, the monthly security only updates are NOT cumulative. That means that you cannot ever miss one of the monthly updates.

So, here is the process we are now using:
- Windows Updates set to Never and it stays that way forever
- Once a month accept .net framework rollup as part of the Windows Update program
- Once a month accept Microsoft Office updates as part of the Windows Update program
- All other Windows Update updates rejected (either unchecked or hidden)
- Once a month as part of the reminder email there will be a link for a direct download for the SECURITY - ONLY rollup for that month. For example November 64 bit http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2016/11/windows6.1-kb3197867-x64_6f8f45a5706eeee8ac05aa16fa91c984a9edb929.msu
- November 32 bit http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2016/11/windows6.1-kb3197867-x86_2313232edda5cca08115455d91120ab3790896ba.msu
- Security-only update rollups are NOT available as part of Windows Update. These updates must be downloaded from the Microsoft Catalog http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Home.aspx
- We will be following Woody Leonhard's advice on when to update. Typically there will be some delay period after issuance to allow MS to correct errors before we download. Woody's recommendations can be found at www.askwoody.com Woody makes an easy to spot and easy to understand recommendation at the top of the page. For example today: "Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it."
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Anonymous

2016-11-13T17:09:45+00:00

Thanks for the good solid advice which was very much appreciated.
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Anonymous

2016-11-11T17:34:41+00:00

I just checked this AM. There is a Win7 machine or two at Dell on the business site. There are likely some machines in the market still.

If you own a retail Win7 licence (one that came in a box from a retail store or online source), it does not expire and can be installed on any machine as long as it is only in ONE machine at a time.

If you buy a new machine with Win10, although you may be validating the warranty, you probably can install Win7 in it. Your problem will be drivers. Most if not all will be installed by the Win7 installer, but some may not. Some of those may only have Win10 drivers published. There is a solution to that that worked for me:

If you open device manager and find the device with the missing driver, Right-click the item and choose properties. Now click the Details tab. Choose hardware IDs in the drop down list. Use those IDs to Google for a driver.
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