Newsletter Archives

• MS-DEFCON 4: Apply Microsoft patches, but watch out for a couple of problems

  Posted on April 10, 2015 at 10:48 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Looks like Microsoft has ironed out the problems in the March Black Tuesday crop, but if you’re smart you’ll watch out for two problem areas.

  First, if you use Internet Explorer (how old school!), you should avoid the patch rollup KB 3032359. Microsoft acknowledges that “applications may crash when they render table-based content in Internet Explorer 11, 10, 9 and 8.” Of course, if you don’t use IE, feel free to blast away.

  Second, if you have Windows 7 SP 2 SP 1  or Windows 8.1 Update 1, and you know that you’ll never want to upgrade directly to Windows 10, avoid KB 3035583. It installs an ad-delivery machine for Win10 that you don’t need.

  Other than that, the patches, re-released patches, and patches of patches of patches (even KB 300850 and KB 2919355 from November!) now appear to be working. Go ahead and install them. It looks like Microsoft has fixed KB 3023607 (breaks AnyConnect and other VPN clients) and 3013455 (Vista fuzzy fonts), both of which dogged us last month. The old December 2014 Office patches, KB 2726958 for Office 2013, KB 2553154 for Office 2010, and KB 2596927 for Office 2007, are now fixed: They no longer break Excel macros, as best I can tell. So other than the two items mentioned above, we’re good to go.

  I’m moving us to MS-DEFCON 4: There are isolated problems with current patches, but they are well-known and documented here. Check this site to see if you’re affected and if things look OK, go ahead and patch. 

  The usual admonition applies: Use Windows Update, DON’T CHECK ANY BOXES THAT AREN’T CHECKED, reboot after you patch, and then run Windows Update one more time to see if there’s anything lurking. When you’re done, make sure you have Automatic Update turned off.

  Sorry it’s so late this month, but problematic March and April patches have been bouncing around the halls for the past few days.

  Windows Patches/Security KB 2553154, KB 2596927, KB 2726958, KB 2919355, KB 300850, KB 3013455, KB 3023607, March 2015 Black Tuesday

• Microsoft reissues botched KB 2952664 Win7 upgrade pack, KB 2919355 Win 8.1 Update

  Posted on April 7, 2015 at 17:46 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  And five more patches.

  Oh boy.

  InfoWorld Tech Watch

  Windows Patches/Security KB 2919355, KB 2952664, KB 2976978, KB 3000850, KB 3042085, KB 3044374

• Mysterious KB 2969339 patches some — not all — Windows 8.1 Update 1 installer 80073712 errors

  Posted on June 12, 2014 at 19:44 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Wonder what that KB 2969339 patch waiting for your Windows 8.1 machine is all about?

  I do, too.

  InfoWorld Tech Watch

  Windows Patches/Security Error 80073712, KB 2919355, KB 2969339, Windows 8.1 Update 1

• Microsoft acknowledges two more errors when installing KB 2919355/Windows 8.1 Update, 80070371 and 80071A91, and a Stop 0x7B

  Posted on May 16, 2014 at 13:31 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  And the fun continues….

  I count eleven acknowledge error codes, or crashes, with the Windows 8.1 installer. Those errors are, admittedly, quite unusual, but there are very few fixes.

  Microsoft re-issued KB 2919355, but didn’t change any programs. If you got it installed, you’re fine – don’t need to do anything.

  InfoWorld Tech Watch.

  Windows Patches/Security KB 2919355, Windows 8.1 update

• Microsoft posts tips for overcoming Windows 8.1 Update KB 2919355 errors 800F0922, 800F0923, 80070003, 80070005, 80070490, 80073712

  Posted on May 15, 2014 at 17:37 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  The fixes don’t always work, but at least it’s progress.

  If you’re having any problem with installing the Windows 8.1 Update, check out the article, drop by the Microsoft Answers forum, and complain!

  InfoWorld Tech Watch

  Windows Patches/Security KB 2919355, Windows 8.1 update

• Microsoft calls off the dogs, extends Windows 8.1 Update/KB 2919355 deadline

  Posted on May 12, 2014 at 12:26 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  With one day to go before Black Tuesday patches, Microsoft didn’t so much blink as bow to the reality that users have been unable to install Windows 8.1 Update.

  Whew.

  InfoWorld Tech Watch.

  Windows Patches/Security KB 2919355, Windows 8.1 update

• Microsoft reissues botched Windows 8.1 Update KB 2919355, fixes installer error 80073712

  Posted on May 5, 2014 at 13:56 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  It was just released, may or may not appear in Windows Update right now. If you need it and don’t see it, try again in an hour.

  InfoWorld Tech Watch.

  Windows Patches/Security 80073712, KB 2919355, Windows 8.1 update