Untrustworthy OEM updaters cause trouble

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LANGALIST By Fred Langa Keeping a PC up to date gets harder as the system ages, especially when OEM and vendor update tools start missing things entir
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lmacri, windbg

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I guess I chose more wisely than I thought when I assembled an Intel NUC-PC (Skylake generation) about five years ago. My only update assistant is the Intel Drivers and Support app. The only non-Intel component is a Realtek sound driver. Microsoft Update actually does a pretty good job of supplying correct and up to date Intel drivers, but the Intel Assistant does the rest. The Intel Assistant covers BIOS updates.

For software, a product discussed before in AskWoody Plus, SUMo updater, keeps me informed of what’s available to update. Between the Intel Assistant and SUMo, I am able to keep my Intel NUC-PC up to date. I don’t do every update SUMo suggests, but it’s nice to know what is available, should I choose to update.

Which still will not make my PC good to go on a Windows 11 upgrade. Sadly, that will require updated hardware; i.e., a new machine.

-- rc primak

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rc primak wrote:

SUMo updater, keeps me informed of what’s available to update.

I too use SUMo (portable) and check manually once a week for new updates.
None of my software (90+% portable) except A/V and Chrome has auto update on.
All updates, including Windows Updates, are done manually.

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Cybertooth, rc primak

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I had an issue with two Lenovo laptops, one of which updated finally when I read about audio drivers that work fine, but prevent updating to Win 10 V20H2. After deleting the Conexant Driver on both systems, one updated fine while the other did not. I pulled out a lot of hair trying to find the difference between these two Consecutive Serial Number devices and could not see why the second one would not update.

Then I saw it. Tucked in behind the printer next to the recalcitrant Laptop was a Lenovo Laptop DOCK, and it has audio jacks! The other laptop tied directly into the network without a dock. It turns out that this design ties to the Laptop via a USB port and so the DOCK has its own set of audio circuitry and drivers! I simply disconnected the dock, tied the laptop directly to the network and was able to update the system. Perhaps the solution would have been more obvious IF I could have SEEN there was a dock hiding back there. Since neither laptop uses external speakers, trying to trace cables back offered no clues in this case. Both laptops were essentially desk-bound and the remaining dock was in place simply because it hid out of the way and no one bothered to put it in the parts cabinet.

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rc primak

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The devil is in the details!

-- rc primak

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Alex5723 wrote:

I too use SUMo (portable) and check manually once a week for new updates.
None of my software (90+% portable) except A/V and Chrome has auto update on.
All updates, including Windows Updates, are done manually.

Just out of curiosity how does that work for portable programs which many of us prefer?

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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My experience is that SUMo works fine on portables. Default scans check not only Program Files and Program Files (x86), but also the contents of %APPDATA% for stuff that installs in user space, as well as your desktop.

Two configs in the Settings dialog that are useful:

– Go to the Additional Folders button and add any folders that are in unexpected locations.
– Enable “show file path”. That one allows for easy identification of binaries, including if I have both installed and portable versions. A right-click on a particular title allows for opening a containing folder in the Explorer.

I will note that I use the unpaid version, which shows me available updates, but won’t actually install. That works for what I need, but I haven’t seen updates in action. There is also the capacity of downloading from SUMo’s server, or from the developer’s site.

I’ve found that SUMo is quite thorough, where it will show available updates for an impressive volume of software, including some amounts of commercial software, and it’s good at getting a handful of updates that are nearly impossible to find separately. It does have occasional problems with showing pre-release versions that aren’t yet available from a developer’s public-facing web pages, and once in a while, they will show a beta. In the latter case, there is a place for “report beta”, and I’ve found the developer to be pretty responsive.

SUMo is also remarkably good at finding updates for techie tools and utilities that aren’t widely known, and the depth is far greater than the application-centric approach of tools such as PatchMyPC or Ninite.

Whether you decide to get a paid copy or not, it’s definitely worth taking a look at the free version.

Besides my own machines, I keep a portable copy in my collection of tools that I keep on USB device, and if I’m working on somebody else’s computer, a SUMo scan is a great way of seeing the status of what needs updating.

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SueW

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wavy wrote:

Alex5723 wrote:

I too use SUMo (portable) and check manually once a week for new updates.
None of my software (90+% portable) except A/V and Chrome has auto update on.
All updates, including Windows Updates, are done manually.

Just out of curiosity how does that work for portable programs which many of us prefer?

SUMo scans and recognizes the portable apps on my drive D:

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rc primak, wavy

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