OT: Windows Update

[WarHorse47]

Not sure if this is related, but I need to see if anyone else has encountered this issue with Windows Update.

I'm running Windows 8.1 and until recently I had no problems with the update. It was set to notify me of updates, so I could manually install them.

I'm also running an app called GWX Control Panel which blocks any system changes related to Windows 10. The app also lets me know if any updates are related to Windows 10 so I can avoid installing them.

Anyways, every other day or so during boot-up I get a notification that updates are available. When I 'Check for Updates' there are none, so its a false read.

I also subscribe to an e-mail notification whenever MS releases security related updates and yes, I have received those and installed them. But again, during normal operations I'm getting a false read on the update notification.

I've now turned off the notifications entirely since I do a manually check anyways. But still its irritating that this is going on without any indications on what needs to be fixed, or what prior update altered the Windows Update process.

Anybody have any suggestions?? I'm stumped at the moment (and yes I've researched the MS knowledgebase, but have yet to find any comparable problem).

Thanks in advance.

 

[RobM]

I don't know if this was mentioned previously, but per MS, since October they are only doing updates for Win 7/8/8.1
once a month. I guess that's the second Tuesday of each month when they also send out their generic malware scanner.

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com...ervicing-model-for-windows-7-and-windows-8-1/

However, if you have MSE or Windows Defender, those do get optional definition updates about every other day.

Just thought I would mention.

Thanks - Rob

PS: although a coupls of weeks ago, I did have Windows update telling me there was an optional Intel update from last March available (!!).
I zapped that, I don't want Windows Update flashing my mobo...

 

[Lane Street]

WarHorse,

What you are seeing is probably virus definition updates for Windows Defender, which come out daily.

Unless things have changed, if you set up Windows Updates for manual install these definitions will not update automatically and your anti-virus definitions will be out of date.

If you are using a third party AV program this will not be a problem, if you are using Window Defender then there is a way to force it to update virus definitions without changing your Windows Update settings.

I can help you with that though I need to be at my Win 8.1 machine to do so, which I am not at right now.

cheers,
Lane

added- Sorry, Rob. I didn't see your post before posting my reply.

 

[WarHorse47]

Thanks for the feedback.

I have a third party AV program, so I'm not running Windows Defender. And I have an event calendar I manage which notes the 2nd Tuesday for MS Updates.

I just spent part of my morning on chat with an MS Technician who checked my install. Not sure if that solved the problem or not. No mention of possible Windows Defender update releases triggering the notification. I ended up spending another hour or so getting my firewall and AV program back on line, as well as restoring a bunch of services she disabled while she worked. I'll have to wait and see if that solved the problem or not.

Curious about the Windows Defender updates, however. You would think that updater would check to see if they are needed or not just like it checks to see what prior updates were installed.

 

[ceo1944]

Thank you for this. My windows 7 update has been broken since July. I applied these two fixes (actually only one, the other was already there) and now it works again, and I am up-to-date.

I went through the SLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW Win7 update hell a couple of months ago on my 2nd machine and after a lot of digging and trying various suggestions I finally found the answer.

Manually download and install the following two updates first, after that windows update should work fine.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=46817
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53332