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MS-DEFCON 3: Should you patch? It depends.

Posted on October 24, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

ISSUE 20.43.1 • 2023-10-24

By Susan Bradley

The October updates have been either mildly annoying or downright hostile.

Stop the presses: I’m urging caution by lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 3.

A big reason for this is that many folks are experiencing multiple reboots after patches are applied. We normally expect one reboot — one reboot only — when we patch. In theory, all updates should download the parts they need, install the updates, and then reboot. Only when all are installed and the system is ready should it reboot.

But not this month. Some of us received three updates, each of which triggered a reboot.

Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.43.1, 2023-10-24).

AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, KB5001716, KB5031356, KB5031364, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 3, Patch Lady Posts

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