Are Slow Windows 7 Updates Adversely Affecting MSE?

Topic

New Reply

From Marty: The two principal Windows 7 machines in my household stopped doing regular automatic MSE virus definition updates the day after July’s Pat
[See the full post at: Are Slow Windows 7 Updates Adversely Affecting MSE?]

Reply | Quote

Replies

Had this issue a while agi. It resolved itself after about a week.

Reply | Quote

This started on all my machines July 11 or 12th (depending on machine) and the first update listed for some machines was July 15. It did not install automatically and I had to run it from WU.

So far I’ve had to manually run the updates from WU. I have one listed now on this machine and I’ll see if it takes care of itself.

I’m beginning to think a lot of the problems with WU, MSE updates and the fact you had to scan for new MSE updates in WU is all related to MSFT server issues. We went through this with Media Center TV Listing updates a couple of years ago which was resolved with a different sent of DNS servers. Not this is the same issue, but they have had problems in the past with auto updates and downloads.

Reply | Quote

I prefer the manual update method; lets me keep an eye on things.

Oddly enough I experienced a performance boost during manual MSE updates after I changed Windows Update settings from “Check for updates but let me choose…” to “Never check,” just before June’s patchday. Conversely, WU checks got lengthier.

Vista user here, ymmv.

Reply | Quote

MSE is probably not the best choice for AV. Most reasonably good studies show it to be one of the weaker alternatives. The fact that it is updated using the same Windows Update engine which is obviously fraught with problems of its own, just nails the lid on that coffin even more.

I am using Bitdefender Antivirus on all my client computers. Works very well and comes at a good price.

CT

Reply | Quote

I have had the slow/svchost problem for a long time but my MSE has always updated itself just fine, never being more than a day old, to my knowledge.

Speaking of MSE, make sure the MAPS setting is off.

Win 7 Home Premium SP1
MSE says:
Antimalware Client Version: 4.9.218.0
Engine Version: 1.1.12902.0

Reply | Quote

Win7-64 Pro SP1 machine here. For me, MSE updating has not been effected by the WU slowness issues. It routinely updates once or twice a day. I never install MSE definition updates via WU. In fact if they are listed in WU, I will do the MSE update from MSE, before I do the actual WU.

That said, I went through a couple of periods of MSE update problems. What was happening was MSE would update, but later the Action Center would say the update failed, as would the Windows installed updates list. I started to check the definitions version number before I initiated a manually started update and found it was failing based upon the number. I then reverted to manually downloading the definitions files and installing them as Admin. That worked, but I tired of the extra steps.

I then tried deleting and re-installing MSE, but no change. I searched the MS site and the MS Technet and found a batch file that MS wrote that would COMPLETELY delete the MSE program and ALL its settings. This was for folks that could not delete the program. I was able to delete MSE, but I ran the batch file anyhow to wipe the settings that may have remained and then reinstalled MSE and it was fixed.

Since I have used MSE I have had to do this only twice, and unlike the big AV programs it did not require a special uninstaller, or as happened in one case kill the system requiring a reinstall of Windows.

Reply | Quote

Please check the Windows Update service which should not be disabled. If the service is running and set on Automatic (Delayed Start) and the computer is running relatively well, the issue should resolve itself in few days.

Reply | Quote

Maybe the Update servers are bogged down with people gobbling up Windows 10 before the free offer expires.

Reply | Quote

I have got so fed up slow updates and i have done a clean install and download the latest windows 6.1 everything fine now , always come to this site first.First time posting and thanks woody you have saved me many hours of my life , long live Windows 7.

Reply | Quote

MSE should update itself if it can’t get joy out of Windows Update.

Specifically, a component called the “Microsoft Malware Protection Command Line Utility” (C:program filesmicrosoft security clientmpcmdrun.exe) should swing into action and contact definitionupdates.microsoft.com directly to download the definitions.

For what it’s worth I have a Win 7 system that’s been running on its current bootup for 52 days straight and with the Windows Update service stopped it updated its virus definitions as described above a couple of hours ago…

http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/ForumPosts/Win7/AVUpdatedToday.png

-Noel

Reply | Quote

I wouldn’t trust MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials). Microsoft admitted that they don’t put much effort into it.

http://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/

Reply | Quote

Had problems with MSE every time I delay patching; seems to resolve after he security patches are finally installed.
That said it was never an issue until the GWX campaign began.

Reply | Quote

My parents’ box started exhibiting this behavior. I backed-up their files and installed a fresh copy of Linux Mint 18 MATE over their existing win7 partition. I then proceeded to install Lubuntu on my Asus EeePC netbook.

Never been happier in my entire life.

Reply | Quote

My Win 7 Pro 64bit not only doesn’t automatically update virus definitions since 7/14, but won/t manually update them.

Not happy.

Reply | Quote

Updates set to “check but let me choose whether to download and install them”
MSE, looking back through the logs, had issues updating once a week.
Tried a manual download but it hung up while downloading and errored out.
Set updates to “never check”
Next morning MSE was fine.

Reply | Quote

MSE didn’t update automatically for three days. when I tried to update within MSE it failed, repeatedly, saying I had internet connectivity issues. I manually downloaded the update using the same internet that MSE had connectivity issues with… and it worked. I have Windows 7 set to never check for updates (only running it when Woody says its okay), but MSE has always updated itself. I really appreciate you, Woody… and all those who share their experiences and knowledge here.

Reply | Quote

Reader BC sent along a couple of interesting items that pertain.

Here’s an article for removing MSE completely:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/wiki/mse-protect_start/uninstalling-microsoft-security-essentials/316493c2-8885-46b0-afba-28ebd45c0838

There’s a lengthy batch file included in the article that you can use to automate the process, if you want to remove MSE.

This article describes removing MSE from Windows 10 after an upgrade, if the upgrade fails to remove MSE (replacing it with Windows Defender):

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/wiki/mse-protect_start/uninstalling-microsoft-security-essentials-from/3acd2e01-cd4e-40af-930a-b8794429915f

Reply | Quote

Jim: I don’t have this on my computer, however was interested in what it was, and how it was/or was not affecting OS running Windows 7.

Thank you for your opinion about the MSE.

Reply | Quote

Did anyone else notice that MSE suddenly added a few new lines to its registry entry just two days or so ago?

it added one that makes it search for definition updates 2 hours after the computer has been started no idea what the other new lines do

Reply | Quote

I didn’t notice. Is this on Win7?

Reply | Quote

yes on win7 in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Microsoft Antimalware/Signature Updates there are a couple of new entries

ISUinterval has the value of 0x2 which seems to be the one forcingg the definition check
ISUlenght
ISUreason

and one or two more, im not at home on my win7 box right now so cant get exact names, but i noticed them in one of the eventviewer entries for mse along with one called “mpgradualenginerelease” that i couldnt locate

Reply | Quote