Old Posted News

[ChrisJ]

<Snip>... KB3103709 is one of the updates released by Microsoft as part of this month’s Patch Tuesday rollout, but as compared to the typical Windows patch, this one comes with zero information about its content or purpose. So while users are being offered this update, nobody can tell for sure what it does.

So, the smart... wise response is to not install this update until (unless) Microsoft is forthright with the details.

[Whatacrock]

Microsoft Updates Infamous “Get Windows 10” Patch KB3035583

Microsoft has just delivered a new update for KB3035583, the Windows patch that brings the infamous Get Windows 10 app on computers running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

Currently at version 11, KB3035583 is responsible for the overly-criticized Get Windows 10 app that nags users and displays upgrade prompts on older versions of the operating system.

Microsoft launched the Get Windows 10 app in June 2015 as a way to ensure a smooth transition to the new operating system from Windows 7 or 8.1, but it’s no secret that this piece of software quickly became annoying for those who refused the upgrade.

The main reason for this was that Microsoft refused to provide an easy-to-use option to disable the app, so consumers had to turn to registry tricks or third-party apps to do it.

With every update, KB3035583 re-enables the Get Windows 10 app on older computers, so re-applying the tweaks to block it might be necessary.
"No details on the included changes"

Microsoft isn’t announcing updates for this patch, but everyone should be able to see if KB3035583 is included in the rollout when new updates are delivered via Windows Update. At the same time, Microsoft also isn’t offering release notes when updating the patch, and the information included in the KB page is quite limited.

“This update installs the Get Windows 10 app that helps users understand their Windows 10 upgrade options and device readiness. For more information about Windows 10, see Windows 10. This update applies to Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1),” this description reads.

The free Windows 10 upgrade promo ends in July this year, so with Microsoft running out of time to upgrade Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs to the new OS, it’s very clear that such updates are necessary. If only the company isn’t becoming more aggressive with its Windows 10 push…

http://news.softpedia.com/news/microsof ... 2117.shtml

[Whatacrock]

Microsoft Changes Schedule for Non-Security Office Updates

Microsoft has recently announced that, starting April, non-security updates for the Office productivity suite will be released on the first Tuesday of each month, thus separating them from the standard rollout that includes security fixes.

Until now, Office has received updates on the second Tuesday of each month as part of the cycle that is generally referred to as Patch Tuesday. This has included both security and non-security fixes not only for Office but also for Windows and other Microsoft products.
"All Office versions included"

The company hasn’t provided a reason for this change, but it says that administrators should have this in mind when planning updates for their PCs because, from now on, non-security updates will no longer be provided at the same time as security patches. The first rollout for the non-security batch will take place on April 5.

“We want to let you know about an important change coming to the release schedule for Office updates so that you can plan accordingly. Until now, both security and non-security updates have been released on the second Tuesday of each month,” Microsoft has announced in a statement.

“Starting in April, the non-security updates will be released in Microsoft Update and the Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) on the first Tuesday of the month, which is April 5 in this case. This will include all updates that have the Critical or Definition classification. Updates with the Security classification will continue to release on second Tuesday as usual.”

All Office versions will be included in this updated schedule, Microsoft says. Without a doubt, since there’s just one week between the security and the standard releases, some IT admins might prefer to wait and install all updates at once, but this is obviously not recommended. These updates bring bug fixes and feature improvements that are usually very important for Office customers, so delaying deployment isn’t always the best option.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/microsof ... 2358.shtml

[Whatacrock]

Clock Is Ticking for Windows Vista As It Enters Last Year of Support

Another Windows version will be retired in 12 months, but this time, Microsoft is expected to manage the whole thing a lot more easily than it did with Windows XP (which continues to be the third most popular desktop OS in the world 2 years after end of support).

Windows Vista will go dark on April 11, 2017 (via heise), so users still running this particular OS version have exactly 12 months to upgrade their computers to Windows 7, 8.1, or Windows 10.

Mainstream support for Windows Vista ended on April 10, 2012, so next year, Microsoft will terminate extended support too, so the operating system will no longer receive security updates and patches. Computers still running it will become vulnerable to attacks should any flaws be found beyond this date.
"Only few PCs still running Vista"

Fortunately for Microsoft, only a few PCs are still running Windows Vista, and it’s no wonder why. Vista is often referred to as Microsoft’s “biggest flop,” although opinions are still divided on whether Vista was worse than Windows 8 or the other way around.

According to third-party data, Windows Vista is only powering 1.41 percent of the desktop computers around the world, and most of the users still running it are expected to upgrade by the time end of support is reached.

Not the same thing can be said about Windows XP, which was launched in 2001 but is still amazingly popular, with 10.90 percent of the desktop computers out there still using it.
"Options for Windows Vista users"

Unfortunately for those who are on Vista and are willing to upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft isn’t offering its latest operating system free of charge to them, but only to those running Windows 7 or 8.1.

This means that they need to purchase a Windows 10 license if this is their next destination, or simply stick with Windows 7 or 8.1 for a few more years and then perform the upgrade to 10. What’s worth knowing is that should Vista users move to Windows 7 or 8.1 by July 29 this year, they can then upgrade to Windows 10 completely free of charge, as part of the free upgrade promo launched in 2015.


http://news.softpedia.com/news/clock-is ... 2795.shtml

[Whatacrock]

Windows Update Hanging When Downloading April 12 Patches

Microsoft rolled out this month’s Patch Tuesday updates a few hours ago, and everything seems to be running smoothly in the majority of cases, at least as far as installation of new bulletins is concerned.

It appears, however, that some users are experiencing a different type of problem that’s less common for a typical Patch Tuesday cycle.

Reports coming from users running Windows 7 reveal that Windows Update hangs when checking for updates or when downloading them, and the svchost.exe process CPU usage skyrockets to 100 percent.
"Avoid checking for updates manually"

At this point, it’s not yet clear why this is happening, but after trying the common workarounds, some users have decided to disable Windows Update and wait for a fix to be provided. Most likely, this is a server-side issue that’s going to be addressed soon, but for the moment, it blocks users from installing updates that would patch critical vulnerabilities in their software.

“Having same exact issue. Last month it took the most 10 minutes to show my updates. It has been 4 hours now and it is still ‘checking for updates.’ The service is running my CPU 50 %,” one user explained.

“The update check completed but now the downloading of the updates seems to be hanging. Green bar just keeps rolling along same as it did when checking for updates,” another one added.

We’ve also come across some similar reports of Windows Update hanging on Windows 10, but for the moment, this seems to be a rather isolated issue, so it remains more widespread on Windows 7.

The only solution in this case is to wait and avoid checking for updates manually, as Microsoft is expected to come up with a fix anytime soon. It remains to be seen if similar issues will be experienced today, but given the fact that many PCs have already received Patch Tuesday updates, the service should return to normal in the coming hours.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/windows- ... 2886.shtml

[TheAPGuy]

I checked and I have this issue. Cant even download one update if manually selected.

[ChrisJ]

I have no idea if it's only for me or only at my end -- for better than the last 24 hours I haven't been able to load the forum

The old forum, the releases lists (bookmarked), every link in my bookmarks have been accessable, only http://www.autopatcher.net/forum/ was giving me problems

Here's the error after waiting for the forum to load -- notice that WSCC's site is loaded fine in the other tab...

► Show Spoiler

sql.error.png

This is the first time I could access the forum since my last post (Fri, 9:42 PM)

[Whatacrock]

The same issue has been happening at my end also, so you are not alone.

It does appear to be sporadic though, as at times are able to access, but then try at a later time and BANG --- no dice.

It may be an issue with the host servers but am sure that TheAPGuy will fill in the spaces when times permit.

[ChrisJ]

The same issue has been happening at my end also, so you are not alone.

It does appear to be sporadic though, as at times are able to access, but then try at a later time and BANG --- no dice.

It may be an issue with the host servers but am sure that TheAPGuy will fill in the spaces when times permit.

OK, so it's not just me -- good to know

[DesertJerry]

I had no problems yesterday or today logging in to this site - what about issues with user location and/or country?