New set of 9 Microsoft Updates Crash Windows 7 64 Bit Desktop

[sparkyuiop]

Hi All.

My computer had all of the MS updates avaliable last week and then today alerted me to a new set of 9 to install. If I click OK and install them my computer will not boot and the recovery console will not fix it.
The only way I am able to get my computer to work again is to restore it prior to updating these files.
I have took a screenshot of the update alert and wondered if anyone can suggest which of these might be causing the problem or if their are any known problems with them or in fact weather I need them at all.

Thanks in advance.

updates

 

[seavixen32]

Your best bet is to deselect them all first.

When you've done that highlight them one at a time and check the description on the right-hand side of the screen.

If you feel you don't want any of them just right-click the appropriate one then choose Hide. You won't get offered it again.

If there are any you feel you do need install them one at a time rather than all at once. Doing this should highlight which one is causing you problems.

If you can pin it down it's best to let Microsoft know as well so that they can do something about it too.

You might also want to download and run the System Updates Readiness Tool (SURT): http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=3132

You haven't said whether you're using 32-bit Windows or 64-bit, so you'll need to download either the 32-bit version of SURT or the 64-bit version depending which is applicable to your system.

 

[sparkyuiop]

Well I could select them one at a time if I wanted to spend hours trying to find out which one it is but frankly I don't which is why I asked if anyone has had an issue with any before.

I have already hidden them untill I find an answer.

I'm not going to ask Microsoft; the company that keeps trying to update my Nvidia video card with their naff modified version of the latest Nvidia one just so their operating system is less likely to be put under as much stress and BSOD. No matter that my games run like crap though!

I say in the title that I'm running Windows 7 64 bit.

Thanks for your input though.

 

[writhziden]

Yes, we have experienced these before, but with different updates. It usually occurs because the user's system is not configured properly, and the only way to determine which update causes it is to install one by one. If you would rather hide them, that is your choice. However, hiding the update causing you problems is just going to prolong the problem with high likelihood of it occurring again in the future with a different set of updates. I would recommend heeding seavixen32's excellent advice.

As I said, it is your choice; the above is just my strong recommendation.

 

[seavixen32]

It seems a bit pointless to ask for advice, and then not heed it.

I can understand your frustration, but if you don't want to spend any more time researching the problem, don't want Microsoft to help you and are content to keep the updates hidden I fail to see what else we can do to help you.

As for not seeing the information in the thread title I hold my hand up there, but at my age, the sight ain't what it used to be, so I'll apologise on that one.

Have a nice day.

 

[karlsnooks]

Sparky,

Now I'm not going to make you happy, but here is how we get at the root of this problem.

First, have you installed all Critical updates.

Always install ALL critical updates first.

After, and only after, all critical updates are installed, then start on that list of important updates.


Uncheck ALL of them EXCEPT for the very bottom one.

Install that one.

Repeat this procedure going up the list, one update at a time.

Never Hide a critical update. Never Hide an important update. That word important is an understatement.

If you find that an update appears to be hung, do not panic.

Use the CTRL+SHIFT+ESC key combo | Application tab | Windows Update will show as running--meaning all is ok.

Some .NET updates, some Windows Defender updates, some Malicious software updates can take an eternity.

 

[seavixen32]

Great advice as usual Karl.

How's the best way to deal with optional updates, some of which such as graphics updates can make things worse rather than better?

 

[writhziden]

Great advice as usual Karl.

How's the best way to deal with optional updates, some of which such as graphics updates can make things worse rather than better?

I usually avoid any optional driver "updates" through Windows updates(note the quotes: I have a graphics card that Microsoft thinks the driver from a year ago is better than the most recent). I only install optional updates if it has the words "improves security" or "improves stability" or something of that nature. I do not know why security or stability updates are optional sometimes, but it seems to happen at least once every couple months.

To answer your question, the best method for installing optional updates is to do some research and find out what the update is supposed to fix. I throw the update title in Google and find any Microsoft support sites related to it. Sometimes the update titles and descriptions even show up on these forums.

 

[seavixen32]

What you say makes sense, particularly with reference to graphics drivers. I recently updated my NVIDIA driver to version 296.10, and yet Microsoft was offering an earlier version than my original one.

As ever, Google is nearly the best place to go sometimes. I say nearly because we all know the best place, don't we?

 

[CO Senior]

Sparky,

Now I'm not going to make you happy, but here is how we get at the root of this problem.

First, have you installed all Critical updates.

Always install ALL critical updates first.

After, and only after, all critical updates are installed, then start on that list of important updates.


Uncheck ALL of them EXCEPT for the very bottom one.

Install that one.

Repeat this procedure going up the list, one update at a time.

Never Hide a critical update. Never Hide an important update. That word important is an understatement.

If you find that an update appears to be hung, do not panic.

Use the CTRL+SHIFT+ESC key combo | Application tab | Windows Update will show as running--meaning all is ok.

Some .NET updates, some Windows Defender updates, some Malicious software updates can take an eternity.

[FONT=&quot]So, basically, we can't update Win 7 64 in the manner normally presented by Windows Update (letting Windows Update run and just hitting the install button to install Critical and Important Updates), but must override the automatic selection and choose to install Updates one at a time? That's fine, but Microsoft should (a) design the Windows Updates application to work that way, and (b) if Microsoft can't manage to do that, at least warn users to ignore the default and install updates one at a time. I've just wasted over 6 hours trying to get to the bottom of "failed" updates. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Additionally, applications keep closing with pop-ups to the effect that "Microsoft needs more information to try to solve X problems", followed by assorted variations on "Microsoft can not solve X because of Y". [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
I've used XP Pro, which was stable and allowed me to customize much of it to fit the way in which I use my computers, since it first came out. XP Pro was a stable and fairly easily customizable OS. Win 7 pro seems to be unduly rigid and not at all flexible to meet individual users needs/preferences. This does not make sense to me. It feels like 20 steps backwards to ME land (which appeared to have grown out of the incompetent 95 & 98 chain of OS’, rather than out of the NT chain).

Sorry to go on, but I'm very disappointed with Win 7. After Win 7 turned out to be such a mess, I bought XP Pro 64 bit to install on my new x64 build in lieu of Win 7, but am reticent to install it because I understand support for XP Pro is being phased out in less than 2 years.

Is there realistic hope that Win 7 will be brought up to the stability, functionality and customizability levels of XP Pro? Or, should I just install the 64 bit XP Pro for now and hope whatever Microsoft comes out with next (after Win 8, which I understand is an even greater disaster than Win 7) will actually be a workable OS? Or, should I just give up on Microsoft and learn all about Linux and/or Ubuntu?[/FONT]

 

[F5ing]

So, basically, we can't update Win 7 64 in the manner normally presented by Windows Update (letting Windows Update run and just hitting the install button to install Critical and Important Updates), but must override the automatic selection and choose to install Updates one at a time? That's fine, but Microsoft should (a) design the Windows Updates application to work that way, and (b) if Microsoft can't manage to do that, at least warn users to ignore the default and install updates one at a time. I've just wasted over 6 hours trying to get to the bottom of "failed" updates.

It is designed to work that way, although not the default. I always set it for manual installs on my main machines. Even during all of the XP years. If you keep up with what's going on with security issues I think it's perfectly fine to do the updates yourself. Every once in a while there will be an update that causes some sort of problem. But update problems go back to early XP days, too. An update might break some feature that you use with a particular app, or it might have caused a problem with the OS itself that wasn't forseen, etc. There've even been updates that MS has pulled from distribution right after pushing them out. I think the problem is much more rare than it used to be (even throughout the years of XP). I have never used auto updates because of the potential, but rare, problems. I just keep up as best I can with the security world and update when I'm good and ready (when I know there are no mass reported issues). I'm not the typical update guinea pig. There's really no real reason for me to be that way anymore though. Since around 2005, I've been making images at least once a month, and always between the first of the month and patch Tuesday, so it really would be easy enough just to roll it back.

That said, when I repair other folks' machines I usually set it to full auto. That's because it's much easier to correct any rare issue resulting from updates rather than fixing a machine that's been totally crippled because it hasn't been updated in the last year.

Additionally, applications keep closing with pop-ups to the effect that "Microsoft needs more information to try to solve X problems", followed by assorted variations on "Microsoft can not solve X because of Y".

If you get that a lot you've got some kind of conflict occuring, an install problem, something's going on. But, I think you're right, it's not yet a very well refined all-around "troubleshooter". When it does have a legitimate answer it always seems to be something that would've been easy to find anyway just by doing a little poking around the system yourself.

I've used XP Pro, which was stable and allowed me to customize much of it to fit the way in which I use my computers, since it first came out. XP Pro was a stable and fairly easily customizable OS. Win 7 pro seems to be unduly rigid and not at all flexible to meet individual users needs/preferences. This does not make sense to me. It feels like 20 steps backwards to ME land (which appeared to have grown out of the incompetent 95 & 98 chain of OS’, rather than out of the NT chain).

Stick with w7 for a while. I think after a while you may find that it's much more stable, secure and customizable than XP. I think I can agree on WinME being considered a disaster, but I've always thought the 95/98 versions were revolutionary, considering how bad I thought 3.1 was. I think developers had a rough time developing to the new standards imposed by 95. But it seemed to me to be just as revolutionary as the ME to XP leap. I had such a good time with 95/98, that if XP hadn't been built on the NT model, I probably would've held on to the 95/98 machines much longer than I did. I used NT4 client and server at home on a few machines for a number of years, and used them at work. And while I loved it, I think MS had a lot of work to do before introducing NT into the consumer world.

Sorry to go on, but I'm very disappointed with Win 7. After Win 7 turned out to be such a mess, I bought XP Pro 64 bit to install on my new x64 build in lieu of Win 7, but am reticent to install it because I understand support for XP Pro is being phased out in less than 2 years.
Is there realistic hope that Win 7 will be brought up to the stability, functionality and customizability levels of XP Pro? Or, should I just install the 64 bit XP Pro for now and hope whatever Microsoft comes out with next (after Win 8, which I understand is an even greater disaster than Win 7) will actually be a workable OS? Or, should I just give up on Microsoft and learn all about Linux and/or Ubuntu?

Well, most of the Linux flavors are free to try (I think most are). But I don't consider w7 a disaster at all, quite the opposite actually. I'd stick with it for awhile (of course I've no idea how long you've already stuck with it). And even though XP will be updated until April 2014, you've got to think about how patched up it is. It'll never be as secure as w7.

Also realize that because of security issues that MS, as well as many other software firms, are trying to push more and more towards auto updates. If I remember correctly w8 was originally going to be designed as auto only. Don't know if it made that way by the time of the preview; I haven't tried it yet but I think it's now an option.

 

[NoelDP]

I'm not going to ask Microsoft; the company that keeps trying to update my Nvidia video card with their naff modified version of the latest Nvidia........

MS do not write drivers. Drivers on WU are upplied by the manifacturer concerned, and may be cut-down versions.

If you are getting a driver from WU, then it must be because there's an element of the installed drivers that's older than the one available at WU (which is usually at least one version behind that available at the manufacturer's site).
I'd check out your nVidia suite and see what's there that's causing it.

 

[CO Senior]

Win 7 "Troubleshooter"

Quote: Originally Posted by sibble

If you get that a lot you've got some kind of conflict occuring, an install problem, something's going on. But, I think you're right, it's not yet a very well refined all-around "troubleshooter". When it does have a legitimate answer it always seems to be something that would've been easy to find anyway just by doing a little poking around the system yourself.

{sorry for the incorrect quotation style - for some reason I can't get it to work this morning....}

​

Is there a way to turn the troubleshooter off? I'm used to doing my own trouble shooting and the info provided in the application is not useful, so the troubleshooter's more of a distraction than anything else.

I'm with you on NT 4.0 - used NT 4.0 Server for quite a while, with both NT based 2000 Pro and NT based XP Pro, as those OS came on line. I've always had more faith in an OS which comes out of the NT line.

Thank you for all of your time, thought and expertise in responding to my many questions and issues. I'll take your advice and persevere with win 7 Pro a bit longer.

 

[F5ing]

Is there a way to turn the troubleshooter off? I'm used to doing my own trouble shooting and the info provided in the application is not useful, so the troubleshooter's more of a distraction than anything else.

I really don't know. I so rarely see it that I've not been bothered by it. It's probably been two or three months since it last popped up. On top of that, I never thought to disable it as I'd like to see if its performance improves over time to determine if I can ever truly recommend it as a worthwhile tool for the typical user.

There was a two week or so period of time where I was getting it quite often. It was always with the 32bit version of either IE8 or IE9 (can't remember which), but oddly enough, only when I was viewing a list of search results from MS's own Bing. And almost never occuring on the first search, it was typically when I would navigate forward or back to the webpage that contained an existing Bing search listing, or after attempting a new Bing search on top of the last search. Never happened with other search engines.

So obviously I was getting it often enough to be able to recognize exactly how it was occuring, but it was really the problem itself that was bothering me, rather than the troubleshooter never knowing how to fix it. But in the end I never figured out what the true cause was either; the issue had just gone away. I know there were IE updates applied, but I really couldn't say for sure that updates solved the problem. For all I know it could've been that IE was simply having problems rendering faulty Bing pages that were subsequently fixed.

I'll look around to see if there's a way to turn off the troubleshooter and post here if I find it. In the meantime I'm sure others will see this thread too, and if there is a way to do it, I'm pretty sure you'll see a post soon with the answer.