Botched Microsoft Windows 7 Security Update Kills Computers

[IDemo]

Source: Tech Week Europe

Microsoft has called on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 users to uninstall a security patch, after it emerged certain PCs were failing to restart following updates.

Some found their applications were not loading or working properly following an update for the Windows file system kernel-mode driver, which was included in this week’s Patch Tuesday.

One effect could be that Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows 7 would display a message claiming its license was invalid, Microsoft said. That would kill protection offered by Kaspersky, making the situation more serious than just a comical screw-up.

And Microsoft will now have to work on a fresh patch for the relevant flaw, which could still be exploited by hackers.

Read more: http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/microsoft-security-update-windows-7-fails-113041

[hobbit709]

1. One of many reasons I set Automatic Update to "Notify me but don't download"

[RiverNoord]

10. I go further and choose my time. I disable

Automatic Updates, then manually check on Patch Tuesday and around two weeks later, unless I've heard of an emergency update. Then I wait a couple of days for any bad news and finally do the updates.

The only works if you're tech-savvy and able to keep on top of it, but I recommend it to lots of novice MS operating system users who have good organizational skills, and most have kept up just fine.

The further advantage of the approach is no surprise 'please do not off your computer' update waits when you're just trying to turn the damn thing off and it's picked up a bunch of updates...

[joshcryer]

29. I don't even use automatic update.

My computer is behind a router firewall, I use Chrome, Firefox or Opera for browsing, and only had one virus in the past decade (the virus I did get was via Flash so it wasn't catchable by anti-virus programs, very new trojan thing).

[hlthe2b]

2. Well how helpful is this? I'm sure mine has already autoupdated...

and I have kaspersky on that particulary laptop.

Damn, microsoft...

[IDemo]

3. Not sure, but

If you haven't rebooted since the update, you may be able to do a Windows restore to your last restore point.

[dotymed]

16. I installed the update.

I have a few optimization and anti-virus programs running (no free ones), it took me quite a few hours to get my computer to properly reboot and then I had to search closely for ie as my browser. I did not know what the cause was. I did a restore 4 times...

I despise the apple business model, but their computers (my daughter has one) seem to be the best.

[hlthe2b]

12. well, I see that update occurred 4/09 and it still seems to be working (KNOCK ON WOOD)

But, I will set my preferences to download and notify rather than auto-update. sigh....

My great sympathies to those who get nailed by this. If a user had to pay for someone to fix it, they would be out several $$$, or if they tried to do it themselves, probably a ton of hours lost.

[polly7]

4. I thought I'd installed all the updates, I've been having trouble with

restarting since doing so but I just checked, and didn't even get that specific update. I wonder if there are more problems. Grrrrr ...

Edit: Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2823324) I guess I did get it, but it 'failed' and doesn't show in the 'pending' list anymore, or anywhere but the failed list. My computer keeps telling me it needs to restart, no matter how many times I do it.

Installation date: ?4/?11/?2013 9:35 PM

Installation status: Failed

Error details: Code 800F0826

And before, it was running perfectly .... for a change.

[Liberal Veteran]

5. Someone didn't do their regression testing.

For shame.

[Tender to the Bone]

6. Which KB is that?

So I can make sure it's off my 'puter.

[polly7]

7. I think it's this one:

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2823324)

[DJ13]

8. For 10 years I used W2000 without a single problem

Late last week I installed Win 7 on a new PC, lucky me!

[RiverNoord]

11. Overall, Win 7 is probably the best OS

Microsoft ever released (although XP was pretty solid). Still, nobody's perfect...

Their biggest blunder, after Windows ME and Vista, is 8. It's a PC operating system made to work as though it's on a tablet. The guts are fine, but the interface is horrible...

[hlthe2b]

13. It's ok... but I still go to my XP back up laptop--almost daily.

I've gotten about 100 notices "begging" me to update my win 7 laptop with 8... No thanks.

[DJ13]

15. I like W7 so far

Its taking a little getting use to (it has a different layout than 2000, but I'm getting there), but it runs fine.

I originally wanted W8, as I figured any new OS was going to require adapting to it, but Win 7 was less expensive (by about $50) because my old W2000 didnt qualify to buy the W8 update version, so I had to buy an OEM full version.

I'm glad I ended up on W7.

[David Zephyr]

20. Windows 7 is amazing. And Windows 8 is better.

I have an iMac at home (have been with Apple since the 1980's at my home) and PC's at work.

I have NEVER had a problem with Windows 7 and, like you, RiverNood, it was the best OS ever.

Windows 8 is a dream. There's the annoyance of the start button not as easily accessible to oldsters like me as I'd like it, but Microsoft is resolving that little issue and in the meantime, if you haven't tried Windows 8, do. At least at a store. It's the dream for desktops.

[d_r]

9. I guess they

need to ship some copies of windows 8

[ConcernedCanuk]

14. My brother, who built this laptop I'm typing on, advised "do not install updates"

.
.
.

Old saying,

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

So if your computer is operating OK,

I suggest that you do NOT install updates.

Running XP Pofessional SP3 right now with no problems,

woulda never got out of win95, Win98 or Win98SE except for the fact that the net wouldn't/couldn't handle them.

My first OS for the web was Win95,

my FIRST OS was Win3.1.

Old PS2 - an IBM that had the hardware right in the base of the monitor.

256k ram - UPGRADED it to 512k

HD was only 20 meg . .

yeah, I'm that old . .

CC

[Xithras]

19. Bad, bad advice

The majority of updates address potential security flaws and newly found vulnerabilities. By failing to install the patches, you're making yourself far more vulnerable to viruses, spyware, and other exploits. While buggy patches do occasionally occur, most people would spend more time removing viruses caused by NOT patching, than they would removing the occasional bad patch.

The simple solutiion is this: For regular patches, just wait a week. If there's a bug, let someone else find it first.

[Egnever]

22. Horrible advice

Most of the patches offered close security holes. The biggest effect this has other than closing those holes is it announces to the world those holes are there. Now every hacker/virusmaker/spyware creator in the world now knows a wide open flaw in the OS and can design malicious code specificaly to attack that vulnerability and all the people just like you just got much bigger targets on their backs.

It is certainly your prerogative to do what you chose with your machine but not patching is leaving yourself open to ever increasing threats.

[El Supremo]

17. Well, that's the last time I update without waiting a week!

I had a strange message from Security Essentials, but otherwise everything is working.

Is this only a problem on 64 bit Windows 7?

[Amonester]

26. I've had problems rebooting my older 7/32-bit laptop since last month

so, apparently, no.

I have to switch it off by pressing and holding the ON/OFF button down for 8 seconds, and then pressing it again to turn it on for a clean reboot.

It's annoying.

[frylock]

18. ran my updates on Tuesday night, rebooted, no issues..

currently running Kaspersky as well.

on edit: I pushed updates to our test group last night, including my 64bit Win7 system. No issues thus far. running Trend Micro on our enterprise.

[David Zephyr]

21. I had no problems whatsoever either, frylock. None.

Go figure.

[Wolf Frankula]

23. I have that update

Ran and installed, no problems.

Wolf

[moondust]

24. Me too, no problems. n/t

[MurrayDelph]

25. THANKS for posting this!

I am travelling through Utah. Tonight I got to a motel where the Internet wasn't working for my Windows 7 laptop, but still worked on my WebOS tablet (which is where I read this post originally).

I uninstalled the update, rebooted, and can now use the laptop.

Yay!

[dogknob]

27. Nothing wrong here... yet.

Switched to "download an notify," however. I avoided Win8 when I got this computer; I should have guessed that M$ would start "oops-ing" on Win7 updates.

[area51]

28. You can always switch to FreeBSD or Linux.

[IDemo]

30. Dual booting Win 7 and Mint 14 here

http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php