Official Word Starter update?

Anonymous
2014-08-16T15:23:38+00:00

When I opened up my laptop this morning (8/16/14) there was a pop-up on the screen telling me  there was an update available for Microsoft Word Starter 2010 and asking me if I wanted to download it.  It did not look like the typical Windows or Office update notification.  I closed the pop-up and opened Windows update and ran it.  There were some updates available, but none that said they were for Word Starter.  IS there a new Update for Word Starter or is this someone trying to get me to download a virus?

***Office Product moved to Office 2010 by the Moderator.***

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments No comments
Answer accepted by question author
Suzanne S Barnhill 279.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2014-11-20T16:27:28+00:00

Microsoft has posted a Knowledge Base article describing and explaining this popup and providing a solution. Find it at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3016799.

Was this answer helpful?

10+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2014-08-20T14:23:14+00:00

Hi everyone,

We heard back from the product group. The dialog is expected for a legitimate Office 2010 starter update. It appears for click to run scenarios where the path is missing a piece of information between the build that the user is running on and the latest available build.

The august update that was pulled is a Windows update, not an Office update.

Thanks!

DK - MSFT support

Was this answer helpful?

10+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments

206 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
  1. Anonymous
    2014-10-30T23:32:22+00:00

    Maybe the scammers haven't found your 2nd PC yet--goes to show it is fake.  If it was real, all PCs running Office Starter would receive it.  On the other hand, people who do not have Office Starter 2010 installed are receiving the message also.

    When have you ever seen a Microsoft update without a KB number and a link to the website which explains what the update contains and requirements.

    When have you ever seen a Microsoft update that appears in the middle of the screen with only one radio button (no maximize or minimize).  Update notifications appear in the right lower corner of the taskbar.

    Why when Windows update tool is run (for ALL Microsoft products) no Word 2010 updates are available.  Computer is up-to-date.

    Even when you disable Office updates, the pop-up still appears.

    You are right.  The security bulletin clearly states that most updates are installed silently, without any user input.

    This update pop-up has been around since at least August 2010, the earliest community post I could find--a mighty long time to offer the same update.

    I have no clue where this fake update comes from--maybe those bogus "Microsoft Technical Service" scammers.

    I had to reset my computer back to factory settings after falling for this scam.  It took 3 days to update it, remove the useless bloatware etc. 

    Use this update at your own risk.  But be prepared.

    The update never ends...it just keeps going and going and going.  Even when you check the update installer for a progress report it reveals no files are being uploaded and none pending.  Even after re-booting, the update keeps going and going.  In my case, the software was removed completely and only restored by the full restore mechanism.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2014-10-30T21:37:31+00:00

    I got the pop-up window as mentioned in this thread reminding the MS Word Starter 2010 update in the mid-October on my HP Windows 7 notebook.

    Questions:

    1. According to the article "Click-to-Run: Introduction" at https://support.office.com/en-US/Article/ClicktoRun-Introduction-c6205d37-b00d-4f99-91bb-c37a1d78b21b, "Click-to-Run also gets updated automatically over time, with no need to download or install updates. Click-to-Run seamlessly updates itself in the background."

    As I didn't set the "Update Options" to "Disable Updates" in my Word Starter 2010, why I got this pop-up window?

    1. I have an HP Windows 7 PC at home as well, on which the Word Starter 2010 was also pre-installed . Why the pop-up window doesn't appear on this PC?

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  3. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2014-10-27T03:19:21+00:00

    I imagine that if the people who were having problems are still having those problems, they would have subscribed to this thread and can speak for themselves. 

    It turned out that the one person (Barbara Meek) that had received the update, when she thought that she should not have because she was using Office 2010 Professional, actually also had Office 2010 Starter installed and it was for that reason that she received the update notice.

    If you yourself have a problem, other than with the way in which the Update Notice was delivered, then, if you provide full details, you may receive assistance.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments