Windows updates.

[Aggers]

These Windows Updates seem to come along regularly. They are a damn nuisance if they come when I'm about to turn in for the night, as I'm told not to power off or unplug, and the downloads sometimes last for a long time. I've just had 17 updates, then when I switch on next time I have to wait ages while they are 'configured'.

I think it's a damn cheek for Windows to keep interfering with my property. I know that perhaps some of the Updates are connected with security issues, but surely I pay Norton to look after that aspect? I also suspect that Windows are sometimes messing about with things that are not really their concern.

Do I have to put up with this annoying practice, or can stop it? What do you think?

[TheOstrich]

I think (from a layman's point of view) that it's important to keep Windows updated, Aggers, in the same way that you would always allow Norton to update itself, or I would allow my antivirus software AVG to update itself. Many of these updates are security patches, as you say, but some are probably to do with performance; I'm sure Suff / WM will confirm.

I've just had 23 updates (WIndows 7) this afternoon. There's always 1 or possibly 2 of them that seem to take ages to download, and the process on my PC can take 5 - 10 minutes, I guess. I just let it do its thing, but keep an eye on it so I can see they've all been updated and the PC has shut down properly. I read a couple of good articles in the latest edition of "Steam World" whilst I was waiting ....

I think the frequency for the main batch of updates is usually monthly.

[Workingman]

Aggers, there are ways for you to organise updates on you computer.

Go to Control Panel>>>Al Control Panel Items>>>Window Update then from the left hand menu pick Change Settings.

From the Choose how Windows installs updates page go to the drop down arrow and select "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them" then click OK.

You will still get a notification when updates are ready, but from the list you can pick the ones you need. Security one should always be chosen and many of those listed as Important, depending on the way your computer is set up. I have no Microsoft software installed and I do not use any of the Windows Live suite so I discard them.

Hope this helps.

[lissie]

I got so fed up with them that i did as WM says and turned them off
So far it does`nt seem to have done any harm

lissie

[Diflower]

Mine's set to do important updates only, at 10.00 am on Wednesday mornings
I can still choose to do any others.

[Suff]

As with WM I don't allow Windows to control my updates, I install them myself. When it insists on installing them on shutdown, I simply reboot the machine and then press the power button as it's booting through the BIOS cycle. Or I hibernate the machine.

I notice that Microsoft has been becoming much more difficult about letting you hibernate. Probably because it has caused so many problems in the past. You can't hibernate forever as it will eventually crash on restart, potentially losing some work.

Windows Updates are important but not absolutely vital. As you have guessed Aggers, Norton will protect you from attacks which Microsoft fixes with Windows updates. However it is usually a good policy to install them from time to time. If you do not have a comprehensive suite which clearly states that it protects you from Microsoft vulnerabilities (Norton does and states this in Windows vulnerability alerts), then you are playing with fire not installing Windows updates immediately. Simply put, if someone is exploiting a Windows 0day flaw, you won't even know, but it could be telling someone every single thing you do or it could be leveraging your machine for illegal activities.

There is another part to Windows updates which is rarely talked about. It is not just Microsoft who push out updates by Windows Updates. Manufacturers who have drivers for your hardware (I'm not just talking about peripherals but also hardware inside the box), are pushing their updates more and more via Windows Update. It may come from Microsoft but it is given to them by the vendor of the product which needs to be updated.

Windows Updates come in several categories.

Security
Performance
Bug fixes
Enhancements

As with all systems, programs written to keep you online have issues. This is not just about the person who writes the code and forgets to put a dot or comma in the right place or forgets to release memory allocated which, over time, crashes the program. There is also the problem with the tools used to compile the programs. Nobody writes in Binary any more, all programs are written in a human readable language (c, c++, vb, Java etc) and is then compiled into machine readable code to run. The biggest problem is when the compiler has an issue in it which can only be fixed by upgrading the compiler and re-compiling the code. Needless to say every single program which has been created with that compiler will then have to be re-compiled and sent out as a security fix.

No matter how good a programmer you are and how good your testing is, if the tools you use are vulnerable then so is the program you produce.

Windows7 has 40 million lines of code. Nobody is talking about how many lines the .net libraries which are heavily used in Windows come to but I would put it at another 20 - 30 million. Facebook has 60 million lines of code which is more than the CERN LHC. But you don't see their fixes unless you have a local FB app. How many times does that ask to update? My Samsung Galaxy phone seems to be forever updating the Samsung Crapware I can't get off the phone and I can't stop it downloading them. I find this a much more irritating situation that the Windows Update one, at least I can control that.

When MSDos came on 3 1.44mb floppy disks, you could expect software updates every few years. When graphics drivers came in 1.5mbyte packages which you could download on a 9.5kbyte modem (remember them?) from a bbs system, long before drivers were put on the Internet, you could expect them to be patched every year or so.

Today, with software (like Windows), changing almost annually, we have to expect updates every week and we get them every week. Google has pioneered this and Apple is competing. Soon Windows10 will refresh every year instead of the 5-7 years it took for a full OS release. The proof of how good the system is comes down to how well you can manage the updates. ARE YOU LISTENING SAMSUNG???? No of course not!

Anyway, hope I explained that well enough. It uses some technical jargon but you can't avoid that. I still recall the first time I installed a Lotus Notes server from floppy disk. I had two stacks of them 18 inches high.......

The industry seems to like to forget just how far we have come in such a short time....

[Aggers]

Phew !!!

Thanks to you all for your comments. I'll have to read them again when I'm in the mood, but
for the time being I guess I'll leave things as they are. I do find delving into unknown parts of
my computer somewhat stressful. Also Mrs A has occasional problems with her tablet and that
is enough.