Windows XP forum: Poll: Has installing a Windows critical update ever caused problems for you

Because my machines (6) are squeaky clean, I know what I'm doing, I don't "screw around", ahem. . .

Never had a problem, really, for the above reasons.

I thought I knew what I was doing.

I repeat. I've never had a problem with updates. All my drives, optical, hard, and thumb have never failed.

Master and slave in the same machine, and external USB have never failed to operate.

Windows has never interfered with any other program. At least on my machines.

Sorry Jackson you do Reformat the drive. What most install programs dont do is repartitioning the drive. If your smart and you do reinstall the OS, before you do that you will use the program that came with the HDD and zero fill it out to get rid of any malware that insists on staying there when a normal REformat is done.

People have brought me such. What did I find? Spyware or malware or damage from same. In short, it wasn't the update...

Bob

and never regretted it. They fill up your machine, slow things down, and if you read any of them carefully, you will find that most of them are for things you dont have now, never had, or never will have.

The updates are often just patches for windows NT or ME (honest to pete) or something else--and since you do not GET updates when you have ME, it makes no sense to install them on your later XP, does it.

With a new Laptop only days old.

There were Hardware Updates offered by Microsoft U/D.

I asked a Moderator I know on a similar forum to this one who checked thoroughly for me advising me to go ahead and download and install.

WRONG!


"MACHINE locking up due to incorrect Drivers from Windows UPdate. Installed correct Drivers, stress tested for 12 hours - No errors."

(Those three updates are now hidden and I will never update hardware again suggested by WU) Always get your Driver Updates from the Manufacturers website.

The Laptop incidently is made up of the following built from the following website and to date I am very pleased with it.

http://www.pioneercomputers.com.au/products/products.asp?c1=3&c2=13

Configuration summary.

Processor> Intel core DUo 2 GHz Processor T2450
Display> 15.4" Widescreen WXGA (1280X800) TFT Screen
Graphics> Up to 128 MB VIA Graphics
NB Memory> 2GB (2 X 1GB) 6677 MHz DDR2 RAM
2" Hard Drive> 100GB 7,200RPM Serial-ATA Hard Drive
HD Partition> One partition, started with two, but reverted to one.

Hope this post may help others

Now this is a real education problem. Did Microsoft supply your PC?

Since Microsoft does not make your PC, drivers from Microsoft are always something that you can't accept without research.

Bob

When I had my Laptop built I opted for Windows XP SP/2. I was advised that Laptops and Vista do not sit at the same table!

Sorry you are having problems 'Sandeep1105' Can you roll back to XP?

Also, I wait a week or two to find out if the update did anything that seems particularly bad. For example, the iTunes (version 2? somewhere around there) update about 5 years ago that could wipe a hard drive clean because they didn't escape spaces in the drive name properly.

It's the "critical" part that makes me say "huh?" There has been no update for Mac OS X for which you were in serious danger if you delayed to install. Vulnerabilities, yes. Dangerous exploits, no. And, as far as the harder-to-exploit versus low-market-share debate, I think to be honest it is a combination. It IS harder to write an exploit for Mac OS X AND you would get less potential revenue from hacking them just because your yield would be lower. Nevertheless, the hackers still motivated by reputation would be pleased to make the first serious Mac OS X worm/virus. Don't talk to me about Trojan horses - those are fairly trivial for any operating system that has a non-high-security user as its target market. Preventing Trojan horses is next to impossible, and writing them for any consumer operating system is trivial. Here's one: "Hey, foolish friend: toss your Documents folder into the Trash/Recycling Bin and then empty it." Side issue: Why call it the recycling bin? Who collects the files you put in there and reuses them? Was Microsoft trying to encourage environmentally responsible thinking?

If you know what you are doing, and pay slight bit of attention to security, you won't have any problems.

I didn't like the way WMP11 looked nor how it had listed at the top so it was rolled back to 10. Have older Gateway, Select 750 and it worked okay with Internet ISP's but not with this Local Intranet. Had to back it up to IE6 SP2. Saw some else had a similar problem and saw some who had Vista use IE7 but I have Windows XP Home Edition.
IE7 showed errors on the lower left corner but there are no errors with IE6 SP2.

i haven't had any problems with mine because i turned off auto updates... on my old computer it did nothing really usefull.

to make up for not getting the secrurity updates i also use AVG... which works better than the basic windows stuff anyway

while installing some SP2 "critical" updates ...the computer froze and when i rebooted the thing it was really slow,IE stopped working and i had to system restore. Since then ive never tried installing windows updates.

when something isnt broken why fix it?

I believe it was this last patch-Tuesday, where I get the email about A LOT of very critical patches - several remote execution flaws etc, really bad stuff they needed to patch.

So, as I always do, I get online to get them installed, only to find that what Microsoft thinks is EVEN MORE critical than their patches, is to first force me to install a new WGA!! I was in a hurry at the time, and I could find no way around this mess. Yes, I run a genuine Windows, it has validated correctly for YEARS, why would it suddenly morph into a pirated copy?

I really hate that WGA thing - I see NO advantage on my end of the transaction. I may understand their desire to validate my copy, but once they have done that - why the h*** do they need to check it AGAIN, even on a system that has not been changed hardware wise?

It just annoys me to no end... BAH! (Posting this from my Mac btw

I'm not questioning the need for applying patches - they ARE important, and without them, worms like "Code Red / NIMDA" may return to shut down service for basically every Internet user.

My main gripe is that MS sets their own need to control and monitor my legally bought copy of their software ABOVE my needs to secure my system and keep my data safe. This is just unacceptable behavior. Vista is even worse, I have been told, so I won't go there any time soon. I get that they need to sell licenses, that is their whole business. What I don't get is that every time I connect to them, they STILL don't trust me. "We just need to make sure for the 54th time that your copy is legal - we are sorry for the inconvenience. Please hold..."


peace,
Tormod