Newsletter Archives

• What happened to the Kaby Lake/Ryzen/Carrizo Windows Update lockout?

  Posted on May 11, 2017 at 14:47 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  No doubt y’all recall the headaches with the April security patches, where Kaby Lake and Ryzen processor-based systems got locked out of Windows Update. You probably also recall that Microsoft’s buggy installer also blew away Carrizo DDR4 based systems, and at least one machine with a recent video card.

  So… what happened this month?

  The warning that appeared in last month’s Monthly Rollup has been duplicated in the announcement for this month’s Monthly Rollup:

  If the PC uses an AMD Carrizo DDR4 processor, installing this update will block downloading and installing future Windows updates. Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

  As I see it, there are at least three different questions.

  1. For those who installed the patch in April and got their systems blocked, will ANY patches install through Windows Update, this month?
  2. For those who were blocked last month, can you download and manually install either this month’s Security-only update and/or Monthly Rollup?
  3. For those who were blocked in April and got May patches installed, can you then run Windows Update to pick up the other patches — Office, .NET, etc.?

  Poster ViperJohn says

  Just installed the Windows 7-x64 Security Only Quality Update KB4019263.  Note the update DID NOT re-install the Kaby / Ryzen unfiendly Windows Update blocking DLL’s.  All 8 WU related DLL’s are still the Kaby / Ryzen good version 7.6.7601.23453 after installing KB4019263.

  MrBrian notes that there is NO wuaueng.dll in this month’s Security-only updates. Presumably, that means whatever your Windows Update blocked status was before this month’s patches, will continue to be the case after this month’s patches.

  I need to emphasize again that I do NOT recommend you install this month’s patches.

  But any of you out on the bleeding edge… can you give me definitive answers to any of those three questions? Do you have any other questions?

  Windows Patches/Security Carrizo, Kaby Lake, Ryzen, Windows Update block

• Conflict between Win7/8.1 patches and Carrizo DDR4 machines

  Posted on April 11, 2017 at 14:57 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  In today’s Security TechCenter release notes, there’s a sobering entry that looks like this:

  Symptom

  If the PC uses an AMD Carrizo DDR4 processor, installing this update (KB 4015549 (the Win7 Monthly Rollup), KB 4015546 (the Win7 Security-Only patch), KB 4015550 (the Win8.1 Monthly Rollup), KB 4015547 (the Win8.1 Security-Only patch) will block downloading and installing future Windows updates.

  Workaround / Resolution

  Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

  Sound familiar? On March 22 I wrote about Microsoft’s reprehensible approach to forcing Win7 and 8.1 off the newer 7th generation Kaby Lake/Ryzen processors.

  Two days later I pointed folks to companies that are maintaining lists of supported PCs — ones that wouldn’t run afoul of the blocked updating. At the time I said:

  I don’t know what Microsoft intends to do with AMD chips. The way the announcements stand, AMD Bristol Ridge PCs won’t have Win7 or 8.1 support, and there’s no magic list of manufacturers or machines that are exempt from the ruling.

  Now it appears we have a real-world example of a supposedly-protected 6th generation chip, AMD’s Carrizo, which got zapped by the 7th generation police.

  Microsoft’s own Lifecycle Policy FAQ says:

  What is the support policy for prior generations of processors and chipsets on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1?

  Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will continue to be supported for security, reliability, and compatibility on prior generations of processors and chipsets under the standard lifecycle for Windows. This includes most devices available for purchase today by consumers or enterprises and includes generations of silicon such as AMD’s Carrizo [emphasis added] and Intel’s Broadwell and Haswell silicon generations.

  (Thx @radosuaf)

  Even more distressing: It looks like this obnoxious behavior extends to both the Monthly Rollup patches (which I expected) and to the Security-only patches (which I did not).

  What a massive screw-up.

  (Can anybody point me to a commercial machine that uses Carrizo with DDR4?)

  Windows Patches/Security Carrizo, Kaby Lake, Ryzen, Windows Update