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Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2019 09:15:00 -0800<\/strong><\/p>\n Compared to some months last year, January has been a Microsoft patching cakewalk. We had several rounds of close calls and missed calls, as I posted <\/span>earlier this week<\/span><\/a>, but almost everything is cleared up.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen a few more problems raise their ugly heads in the past few days:<\/span><\/p>\n Those are typical Microsoft edge-use bugs: They don\u2019t affect many people, but if you\u2019re one of the stuckees, you\u2019re up the ol\u2019 creek.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s an additional, ongoing problem that deserves repeating for you Windows 7 customers who are sharing files on home networks. Both KB 4480970, the January Monthly Rollup, and KB 4480960, the Security-only patch, have a bug that can break your network. The only solution is to manually install a Silver Bullet patch, KB 4487345 \u2014 and that doesn\u2019t always work. Details in my <\/span>Patch Alert article<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n If you have any version of Win10, you\u2019re in the crosshairs for Microsoft\u2019s latest version pushed with the help of a new, improved, extraterrestrial superintelligent <\/span>next-generation machine-learning model<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n People ask me why I\u2019m so cynical about 1809. I\u2019m not really all that cynical \u2014 in fact, it looks like Microsoft\u2019s <\/span>trying very hard<\/span><\/a> to make this one better than all that came before. My skepticism stems from the fact that 1809 <\/span>doesn\u2019t bring\u00a0to the table anything I want<\/span><\/a>: A new clipboard that\u2019s almost as good as decade-old free plugins; better screenshots with markup; Storage Sense improvements that are disabled by default for good reason; and a handful of ho-hum features. Should you upgrade your machine for that? <\/span><\/p>\n Bottom line remains the same: Unless you want Win10 version 1809 on your machine, you need to <\/span>proactively block it<\/span><\/a> until you\u2019re comfortable with moving on to the next, arguably better version of the last version of Windows.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to get your system updated the (relatively) safe way.<\/span><\/p>\n Step 1.<\/strong> Make a full system image backup before you install the January patches.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a non-zero chance that the patches \u2014 even the latest, greatest patches of patches of patches \u2014 will hose your machine. Best to have a backup that you can reinstall even if your machine refuses to boot. This, in addition to the usual need for System Restore points.<\/span><\/p>\n There are plenty of full-image backup products, including at least two good free ones:<\/span> Macrium Reflect Free<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> EaseUS Todo Backup<\/span><\/a>. For Win 7 users, If you aren\u2019t making backups regularly, take a look at this <\/span>thread started by Cybertooth<\/span><\/a> for details. You have good options, both free and not-so-free.<\/span><\/p>\n Step 2.<\/strong> For Win7 and 8.1<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft is 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 18 months old or newer, follow the instructions in<\/span> AKB 2000006<\/span><\/a> or<\/span> @MrBrian\u2019s summary of @radosuaf\u2019s method<\/span><\/a> to make sure you can use Windows Update to get updates applied.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re very concerned about Microsoft\u2019s 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. If you insist on manually installing security patches only, follow the instructions in @PKCano\u2019s<\/span> AKB 2000003<\/span><\/a> and be aware of<\/span> @MrBrian\u2019s recommendations<\/span><\/a> for hiding any unwanted patches. <\/span><\/p>\n For most Windows 7 and 8.1 users, I recommend following<\/span> AKB 2000004: How to apply the Win7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollups<\/span><\/a>. Realize that some or all of the expected patches for December may not show up or, if they do show up, may not be checked. DON’T CHECK any unchecked patches. Unless you’re very sure of yourself, DON’T GO LOOKING for additional patches. In particular, if you install the January Monthly Rollups or Cumulative Updates, you won\u2019t need (and probably won\u2019t see) the concomitant patches for December. Don’t mess with Mother Microsoft.<\/span><\/p>\n Watch out for driver updates \u2014 you\u2019re far better off getting them from a manufacturer\u2019s website. <\/span><\/p>\n After you\u2019ve installed the latest Monthly Rollup, if you\u2019re intent on minimizing Microsoft\u2019s snooping, run through the steps in<\/span> AKB 2000007: Turning off the worst Win7 and 8.1 snooping<\/span><\/a>. If you want to thoroughly cut out the telemetry, see @abbodi86\u2019s detailed instructions in <\/span>AKB 2000012: How To Neutralize Telemetry and Sustain Windows 7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollup Model<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Realize that <\/span>we don\u2019t know <\/i><\/strong>what information Microsoft collects on Window 7 and 8.1 machines. But I\u2019m starting to believe that information pushed to Microsoft\u2019s servers for Win7 owners is nearing equality to that pushed in Win10.<\/span><\/p>\n Step 3.<\/strong> For Windows 10<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re running Win10 <\/span>version 1709<\/strong>, or <\/span>version 1803 <\/strong>(my current preference), you definitely want to block the forced upgrade to Win10 1809. Don\u2019t get caught flat-footed: Microsoft is pushing 1809 slowly, but you don\u2019t have to go when that superintelligent deployment program says you\u2019re ready. Follow the advice in <\/span>How to block the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, version 1809, from installing<\/span><\/a>. Of course, all bets are off if Microsoft, uh, <\/span>forgets to honor<\/span><\/a> its own settings. <\/span><\/p>\n Those of you who run Win10 Pro\/Education and followed my <\/span>advice in November<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 to set \u201cquality update\u201d (cumulative update) deferrals to 15 days, per the screenshot \u2014 don\u2019t need to do anything. Your machine already updated itself on the 23rd. Don\u2019t touch a thing and in particular don\u2019t click “<\/span>Check for Updates<\/span>.”<\/span><\/p>\n For the rest of you, including those of you stuck with Win10 Home, go through the steps in “<\/span>8 steps to install Windows 10 patches like a pro<\/span><\/a>.” Make sure that you run Step 3, to hide any updates you don\u2019t want (such the Win10 1809 upgrade or any driver updates for non-Microsoft hardware) before proceeding. <\/span><\/p>\n If you really want to hide everything, including the gonzo KB 4023057 patch I mentioned <\/span>earlier this week<\/span><\/a>, you need to go through <\/span>@PKCano\u2019s steps<\/span><\/a> to wring every last update out of your update queue. Microsoft hides some of them.<\/span><\/p>\n This month make sure you\u2019re the windshield, not the bug.<\/span><\/p>\n Thanks to the dozens of volunteers on AskWoody who contribute mightily, especially @sb, @PKCano, @abbodi86, and many others.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n We\u2019ve moved to MS-DEFCON 4 on the<\/span><\/i> AskWoody Lounge<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/category\/security\/index.rss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2019 09:15:00 -0800<\/strong><\/p>\n Compared to some months last year, January has been a Microsoft patching cakewalk. We had several rounds of close calls and missed calls, as I posted <\/span>earlier this week<\/span><\/a>, but almost everything is cleared up.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen a few more problems raise their ugly heads in the past few days:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n