{"id":10663,"date":"2017-11-30T04:30:01","date_gmt":"2017-11-30T12:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/11\/30\/news-4435\/"},"modified":"2017-11-30T04:30:01","modified_gmt":"2017-11-30T12:30:01","slug":"news-4435","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/11\/30\/news-4435\/","title":{"rendered":"Get November Windows and Office updates installed \u2014 carefully"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2017 04:23:00 -0800<\/strong><\/p>\n

The list of complaints about this month\u2019s patches goes on forever. I covered the high points<\/a> a couple of days ago. We\u2019ve seen people who are running Win10 Creators Update and who specifically said they didn\u2019t want to upgrade to Fall Creators Update get pushed into an upgrade anyway. Those using Epson dot matrix or POS printers lost them for a couple of weeks. Add to that a heaping handful of hooey and there were enough problems to keep most Windows customers shaking their heads. Or quaking in their boots.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been waiting to see what Microsoft would do with Win10 version 1709. There was an entry in the Win10 Update History listing<\/a> for a cumulative update called KB 4051963, which would bring 1709 up to build 16299.96, but that entry mysteriously disappeared yesterday.<\/p>\n

While waiting, Microsoft released an updated version of the Equation Editor patch. Per @abbodi86, the old versions (KB 4011276 and KB 2553204) only worked with English and Chinese versions of Office. The new patches, KB 4011604 (for Office 2007) and KB 4011618 (for Office 2010), now work with all languages.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re starting to see some consumer-grade malware<\/a> that exploits the Equation Editor security hole, CVE-2017-11882, and that\u2019s the primary reason for getting patches applied now.<\/p>\n

The latest versions of the .Net patches (released two days ago) appear to be working.<\/p>\n

Microsoft has a catch-all web page<\/a> for known (which is to say, acknowledged) bugs in Office patches. In it you\u2019ll find entries for known Outlook problems (\u201cOutlook was unable to recover some or all of the items in this folder\u201d and \u201cView Settings button is missing\u201d), Excel problems (\u201cErrors loading Excel Solver add-in,\u201d \u201cExcel may crash when you try to embed an object into a worksheet\u201d), Word (\u201cExport failed due to an unexpected error\u201d), and OneNote (\u201cThis notebook may not sync correctly because another program is syncing these files\u201d).<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, there\u2019s no mention on the bug page of a conflict with Dynamics 365 and Outlook, officially called “Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Outlook is unable to render webpages after installing the October 2017 Microsoft Outlook security update<\/a>.” Avoid this month\u2019s security patch for Outlook 2017 if you\u2019re one of the unfortunate ones who need to use Dynamics 365 for Outlook 2017.<\/p>\n

Microsoft has fixed the bug that clobbered Epson dot matrix printers in Win7 and 8.1. If you install patches this month using Windows Update, the installer will find the right fix, if you need it, and apply it for you. If you manually download and install the Security-Only patch (which I no longer recommend!), and you have an Epson dot matrix printer, you also need to install the fix, called KB 4055038<\/a>, manually.<\/p>\n

Microsoft is still blocking updates to Windows 7 and 8.1 on recent computers. If you are running Windows 7 or 8.1 on a PC that\u2019s no more than a year old, follow the instructions in AKB 2000006<\/a> or @MrBrian\u2019s summary of @radosuaf\u2019s method<\/a> to make sure you can use Windows Update to get updates applied.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re very concerned about Microsoft snooping on you and want to install just security patches, realize that the privacy path\u2019s getting more difficult. The old \u201cGroup B\u201d \u2014 security patches only \u2014 isn\u2019t dead, but it\u2019s no longer within the grasp of typical Windows customers. We\u2019re actively discussing<\/a> whether it\u2019s worthwhile continuing to post information about the security-only patching path. Microsoft has made that option considerably more obtuse than it was a year ago. If you insist on manually installing security patches only, follow the instructions in @PKCano\u2019s AKB 2000003<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For most Windows 7 and 8.1 users, I recommend following AKB 2000004: How to apply the Win7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollups<\/a>. If you want to minimize Microsoft\u2019s snooping but still install all of the offered patches, turn off the Customer Experience Improvement Program (Step 1 of AKB 2000007: Turning off the worst Windows 7 and 8.1 snooping<\/a>) before you install any patches. (Thx, @MrBrian).<\/p>\n

Watch out for driver updates \u2014 you\u2019re far better off getting them from a manufacturer\u2019s website. After you\u2019ve installed the latest Monthly Rollup, if you\u2019re intent on minimizing Microsoft\u2019s snooping, run through the steps in AKB 2000007: Turning off the worst Win7 and 8.1 snooping<\/a>. Realize that we don\u2019t know what information Microsoft collects on Window 7 and 8.1 machines.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re stuck on Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, version 1709<\/strong>, and you want to stay ahead of the malware mavens, you don\u2019t have much choice but to use Windows Update to install KB 4048955<\/a>\u00a0and bring your system up to build 16299.64. Before you do, read the KB article and understand that (1) you won\u2019t be able to print on Epson dot matrix printers, and (2) \u201cInternet Explorer 11 users who use SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) may not be able to scroll through a drop-down menu using the scroll bar.\u201d Of course, if you\u2019re still using IE 11, you have plenty of other things to worry about.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m still seeing lots and lots of reports of weird bugs in 1709. There\u2019s an ongoing list on the AskWoody site here<\/a>. I\u2019ve also seen independent reports<\/a> of problems with 1709 breaking search in Outlook 2007, as well as reports of folder permissions problems<\/a> and autostart after boot<\/a> inanities.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re still in the unpaid beta testing phase of Win10 version 1709. You\u2019d be well advised to stick with your current version of Win10 and wait for the cannon fodder to fulfill their destiny.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re running Win10 Creators Update, version 1703<\/strong>, and you want to stay on 1703 while those on 1709 get to eat Microsoft\u2019s dog food, follow the instructions here<\/a> to ward off the upgrade. As you go through the steps, keep in mind that Microsoft\u00a0forgot to honor<\/a> the \u201cCurrent Branch for Business\u201d setting \u2014 golly!\u00a0\u2014 so you need to run the \u201cfeature update\u201d (read: version change) deferral setting all the way up to 365. And hope that Microsoft doesn\u2019t forget how to count to 365.<\/p>\n

The latest cumulative update for 1703, KB 4055254, build 15063.729<\/a>, released Nov. 22, has one acknowledged bug, which is the IE 11 SSRS bug mentioned for 1709.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re still on Win10 Anniversary Update, version 1607<\/strong>, you need to be aware of yet another bug \u2014 the \u201cCDPUserSvc_XXXX has stopped working\u201d bug which Microsoft finally acknowledged last week. It\u2019s been around for nearly two months. See my discussion here<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n

The latest 1607 cumulative update, KB 4051033, build 14393.1914<\/a>, is just three days old. Aren\u2019t you glad you waited?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re running an earlier version of Win10, you\u2019re basically on your own.<\/p>\n

To get Windows 10 patched, go through the steps in “8 steps to install Windows 10 patches like a pro<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

As is always the case, DON\u2019T CHECK ANYTHING THAT\u2019S UNCHECKED<\/strong>. In particular, don\u2019t be tempted to install anything marked \u201cPreview.\u201d Thar be tygers.<\/p>\n

Time to get patched. Tell your friends, but make sure they understand what\u2019s happening. And for heaven\u2019s sake, as soon as you\u2019re patched, turn off automatic updating! Full instructions are in the referenced guides to patching.<\/p>\n

Persistent patching problem? I sympathize. Join the club on the AskWoody Lounge<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/category\/security\/index.rss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2017 04:23:00 -0800<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
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The list of complaints about this month\u2019s patches goes on forever. I covered the high points<\/a> a couple of days ago. We\u2019ve seen people who are running Win10 Creators Update and who specifically said they didn\u2019t want to upgrade to Fall Creators Update get pushed into an upgrade anyway. Those using Epson dot matrix or POS printers lost them for a couple of weeks. Add to that a heaping handful of hooey and there were enough problems to keep most Windows customers shaking their heads. Or quaking in their boots.<\/p>\n

To read this article in full, please click here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[11062,10643],"tags":[714,10761],"class_list":["post-10663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-computerworld","category-independent","tag-security","tag-windows-10"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10663\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}