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

• Two more casualties in the ‘Unsupported hardware’ Kaby Lake/Ryzen Windows Update lockout

  Posted on April 27, 2017 at 13:29 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  There’s a report of a mis-identification for an older E3500 processor, and one blocked Windows Update for a guy who upgraded his video card.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  UPDATE: I just got an email from DP who pointed me to this excellent discussion on the Intel forum, from a guy named Igor Levicki:

  Either Microsoft is lying, and Intel is effectively enabling that by staying silent, or Microsoft is telling the truth, and Intel is falsely advertising their new CPUs as 100% backward compatible. In both cases Intel’s behavior looks dishonest toward consumers and developers alike.

  Intel’s perspective is different from Microsoft’s. If you’re concerned about this situation, you should read that whole thread.

  ANOTHER UPDATE: Martin Brinkmann at gHacks has a great essay on the topic:

  Microsoft’s decision to block its customers from receiving updates on supported machines is as customer unfriendly as it gets especially since the block includes security updates and patches as well.

  Windows Patches/Security Kaby Lake, Ryzen, Windows 7 update

• A solution to the blocked Kaby Lake/Ryzen updates?

  Posted on April 18, 2017 at 18:14 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Any comments on this?

  https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/user-made-patch-lets-owners-of-next-gen-cpus-install-updates-on-windows-7-andamp-8-1/

  Working from my phone, so apologies for any Royal screw ups.

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

• Microsoft’s plan to force newer Kaby Lake/Ryzen processor owners to Win10 backfires

  Posted on April 13, 2017 at 06:32 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Draconian update shutoff, aimed at newer 7th generation processors, also snagged some 6th gen AMD Carrizo machines — and at least one Intel Celeron processor that I wasn’t expecting.

  If you install yesterday’s Monthly Rollup or Security-only patch on newer Win7 or 8.1 machines, you may get locked out of all future Windows Updates.

  It’s going to be interesting watching how Microsoft extricates itself from this one. Perhaps we’ll get a magic program that’ll turn Windows Update on again. Perhaps Microsoft will call off the 7th generation dogs, and just support Win7 and 8.1 for newer hardware, as long as the hardware supports Win7/8.1.

  Story in InfoWorld Woody on Windows.

  Windows Patches/Security Kaby Lake, Rizen

• For you testers: Here’s how to spoof a Kaby Lake processor inside a VirtualBox Win7 VM

  Posted on April 12, 2017 at 12:37 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  From MrBrian….

  Here is how to spoof a Kaby Lake processor in VirtualBox:

  1. In VirtualBox, clone an existing virtual machine. Either a linked clone or full clone is ok.

  2. Exit all virtual machines and VirtualBox also.

  3. At a command prompt, issue these commands on pastebin.

  4. Use the cloned virtual machine.

  5. When done with cloned virtual machine, delete it.

  In the comments, I will post test results involving Windows Update and the spoofed Kaby Lake processor.

  Windows Patches/Security Kaby Lake, Virtual Box

• 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

• A crisis looms for Win7 and 8.1 customers with recently-built computers

  Posted on March 23, 2017 at 11:09 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  When the April Monthly Rollup for Win7 and 8.1 appears, a whole lot of people are going to wonder what hit them.

  Article in InfoWorld Woody on Windows.

  Windows Patches/Security April 2017 Black Tuesday, Bristol Ridge, Kaby Lake, Skylake, update-kneecap

• First sightings of the Win7 update block for Kaby Lake and Ryzen processors

  Posted on March 22, 2017 at 07:30 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  We have first sightings, and some idea of how the block will be implemented. But how to break the block?

  See InfoWorld Woody on Windows.

  Windows Patches/Security Kaby Lake, Ryzen, Windows Update
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