• MS-DEFCON 2: As we approach the known unknown, turn off Auto Updates

    Posted on August 10, 2015 at 06:32 CDT by • Comment in the Forums

    Will we get a Patch Tuesday this month? Who knows?

    My bet is that the answer is “yes,” and it’ll be a big one. But it’s only a guess. If we’re lucky, it’ll be as innocuous as the past four months. If we aren’t lucky…

    As usual, if you’re using Vista, Win7, Win8, or Win8.1, now is the time to turn Automatic Udpate off (see the tab above if you’ve never done it before).

    If you’re using Win10, care to participate in a little experiment? If you have Win10 and are using a mobile connection (WiFi or 3/4G), could you set it to Metered Connection? (Start, Settings, Network & internet, Wi-Fi, Advanced Options then slide the Metered Connection slider to On.) In theory, that should have these side-effects:

    • Windows Update will only download priority updates.
    • Apps downloading from the Windows Store might be paused.
    • Start screen tiles might stop updating.
    • Offline files might not sync automatically.

    (In fact, that’s the description for Win 8.1, but I don’t see anything for Win10 on Microsoft’s site.) When I switched on the Metered Connection setting on one of my mobile machines, Win10 refused to download today’s Windows Defender update, KB 2267602. That’s progress, I think.

    (Update: To be clear, I don’t expect a Win10 patch today or tomorrow. I’d just like to get a bunch of people watching, poised for when the next update comes out.)

    The big question, for me, is whether any new updates that may come down the pike this week are “priority” updates. Microsoft uses the term “priority” in varying ways.

    Anyway, get yourself locked down and let’s see what Tuesday will bring.

    Windows Patches/Security
DON'T MISS OUT!
Subscribe to the Free Newsletter
We promise not to spam you. Unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address

View the Forum

  • Recent Replies
  • My Replies
  • My Active Topics
  • New Posts in the Last day
  • Private Messages
  • Knowledge Base
  • How to use the Forums
  • All Forums

    • Recent Topics

    My Profile

    March 2025
    S M T W T F S
     1
    2345678
    9101112131415
    16171819202122
    23242526272829
    3031  

    Remembering Woody

     

    Want to Advertise in the free newsletter? How about a gift subscription in honor of a birthday? Send an email to sb@askwoody.com to ask how.

    Mastodon profile for DefConPatch
    Mastodon profile for AskWoody

     

    Home • About • FAQ • Posts & Privacy • Forums • My Account
    Register • Free Newsletter • Plus Membership • Gift Certificates • MS-DEFCON Alerts

    Copyright ©2004-2025 by AskWoody Tech LLC. All Rights Reserved.