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Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it. |
ISSUE 21.19.1 • 2024-05-09 By Susan Bradley Patch Tuesday is only a few days away. As usual, caution is in order. I’ve therefore raised the MS-DEFCON
[See the full post at: MS-DEFCON 2: May updates are right around the corner]
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
Hi Susan:
MS-DEFCON 2 means “Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don’t do it.”
Does MS-DEFCON 2 mean apply your April 2024 Patch Tuesday updates and then disable Windows Update prior to the next Patch Tuesday update on 14-May-2024? I’ve always this a bit confusing.
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I believe that once patches have received the DEFCON approval, it is not rescinded for those patches by the DEFCON restrictions for the next/following month’s updates.
In other words, raising the DEFCON level for the coming month’s updates doesn’t preclude/prevent going ahead and installing earlier patches that have previously been approved.
Doesn’t Microsoft publish that it will ‘forcibly’ upgrade PCs to new versions ?
Here’s what Steve Gibson, the developer of InControl, says about that question: Note that InControl will hold your Windows right where it is, even after the current version and feature release has gone out of support. You will see a complaint about the current version of Windows requiring an update. But your system will not be updated while you are InControl. [emphasis in original]
Given what you quoted Susan as saying, and what I quoted from a post of @Cybertooth ‘s (who quoted the well-respected Steve Gibson about one of his tools’ behavior), I believe that the best overall answer to your question is: MS’s documented push of forcibly upgrading a system from one version of Windows to the next version of Windows only occurs on systems that don’t have a blocking mechanism in place in one way or another.
The most often recommended backup software on AskWoody are Macrium Reflect and Terabyte Image for Windows. But there are others. There is a Forum on Backup.
I personally use Macrium. I schedule a Full Disk Image once a month and a Differential each week in between. The nice thing about Macrium is that I can mount an image and recover any data (files or folders) I need to restore without having to restore the whole disk.
Check out the different s/w mentioned in the Backup Forum. Then search the site for User comment on that s/w.
I also use Macrium Reflect but find the instructions to create a companion USB confusing.
Hi ECWS:
Just a hint. I use Macrium Reflect Free v8.0 and I must plug the USB stick into a USB port on my computer before I go to Other Tasks | Create Rescue Media or I will not see the option to create my rescue media on a “Removable USB Flash Drive”.
I’ve created my Macrium Reflect rescue media in both my Windows boot menu as well as on a removable USB stick. It’s good to have that “backup” bootable USB rescue media on hand just in case your system files are so badly damaged that you can’t boot up from the Windows boot menu .
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.4291 * Firefox v126.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24030.9-1.1.24040.1 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.1.4.112-1.0.1233 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783
What do you mean by “mount an image”?
If you double click on an image in Windows Explorer (File Manager), Macrium Reflect will create a new temporary drive letter for each drive in the backup. Then when you accept, it will “mount” the virtual drive so that you can open the drive to view and copy the contents.
Here is an example of Macrium Reflect after double clicking on one of my images:
PL1 – Thank you very much for explaining how to “mount an image” that was previously created with Macrium Reflect and how to copy individual files from that mounted image. The free version of Macrium Reflect that I use does not have the file and folder backup feature of the paid versions. Consequently, I did not realize that individual files and folders could be accessed from an image and copied. To make sure I understood how to use this feature I deleted a picture from my C: drive, selected a Macrium disk image from the D: drive (an external portable drive) with File Explorer, copied from the Macrium created E: drive the picture that I had deleted from the C: drive, and pasted the picture back to the C: drive. When I was done I “unmounted” the E: drive.
Thanks again for explaining this very useful feature of Macrium Reflect.
By using the enablement package, the USER is initiating the upgrade from one version to another version, NOT Microsoft, therefore perhaps the settings are “ignored” in that instance.
I.E.:
Microsoft initiating the upgrade from one version to the next=Forced upgrade, settings are respected and machine is NOT upgraded, despite MS’s efforts.
User initiating the upgrade via Windows Update (if it’s offered there) or the enablement package=Voluntary (my word) upgrade, so settings preventing upgrade are “ignored” and machine is upgraded to next version, as Susan has said.
Can you use Macrium Reflect image without a USB?
Yes, you should create backups using the program in Windows. You should restore backups while booting off of the Macrium recovery USB drive.
What is the USB for?
You want to boot up off of the Macrium USB recovery drive if you want to recover a backup, or, if your system won’t boot up on its own, you have a way to boot your system, and make a recovery.
How necessary is it to make one?
I’d say that it is just as important as making the backups. If you make backups, and your system fails, without the USB recovery drive, you have no way to restore the backups.
How often should you update the USB?
It’s probably best to update it when Macrium updates the program. If you are using the free version, there will be no new updates, so there is no reason to update the USB recovery drive.
I also use Macrium Reflect but find the instructions to create a companion USB confusing.
It is really pretty easy in my opinion. You put in a USB drive, and when you run the process, it installs everything you need for that computer. Where I can see some complication, is how do you access the USB recovery drive. That is different for every computer. In my case, if I hit the F12 key while booting up the computer, I am given an option of possible drives to boot from. And the list shows which ones are USB drives. Once it is selected, it boots into the rescue drive instead of Windows.
Should it be a blank USB – 8Gb or 16GB?
It only needs 1GB, so 8GB will work. I think it should be blank, or have a blank partition at least 1GB available.
https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW80/Creating+rescue+media
Creates the rescue environment on an external USB flash drive. At least one partition is required on the drive with enough space for the rescue media files or the disk should be empty of partitions but be large enough for a new partition to accommodate the rescue media files.
Note: In the case of external USB Flash/HDD the creation process is non destructive. No existing partition will be removed from the disk, only files added to an existing partition or a new partition created.
If I have multiple computers with Windows 10 (Dell Latitude E6540) can I use the same USB (if needed) to mount the image or do I need to have a separate Macrium USB for each one?
You can use one for both computers in most cases.
After 5/9 DEFCON change, I deferred updates to the max (June13, 2024) from Settings>Update & Security>Pause Updates (repeatedly pressing for 7 days each) for both of my W10 22H2 systems. Today when I wake one system from sleep I find the Restart message (now or later)….
Hi pnshldn:
Some of your past replies in this forum suggest you have a Win 10 Professional OS. If that’s correct then go to your advanced Windows Update settings (Settings | Update & Security | Windows Update | Advanced Options) and choose a date from the Pause Updates dropdown as shown below. You can pause updates for up to 35 days (i.e., there is no need to click the “Pause updates for 7 more days” button at Settings | Update & Security | Windows Update), and while your updates are paused this way you should not receive any updates other than Microsoft Defender virus definitions.
Once you are ready to restart Windows Update just go back to that Pause Updates dropdown in your Advanced Options and choose the earliest possible date (i.e., the current date + one day).
See Option 2 of Brink’s TenForums tutorial How to Pause Updates or Resume Updates for Windows Update in Windows 10 for more information.
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.4291 * Firefox v126.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24040.4 -1.1.24040.1 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.1.4.112-1.0.1244 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783
I will use the “by date” method only in future months and hope that leads to a better result. Thanks for reminding me of this option.
With Pro you don’t need to pause at all. Just set ‘Notify..=2’then you can see the list of updates, decide what to hide, decide when to download and update.
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