Office Home and Student 2010: how to deal with unwanted WU updates

[CBA]

I have Word, PowerPoint and Excel installed (the rest has been deselected and is marked as not available). I get my updates via Windows Update (WU), however, not just for the modules I use but also for all the other components of the Office 2010 Package. Including the ones I haven't installed and/or paid for.

Someone in the know (?) told me to install all WU updates regardless, however, I'm starting to question this idea, as they pile up over time!

Question: what's the proper policy to follow: a) install everything; or, b) install just the updates relevant to the modules I have installed and use?

If b), 2nd question: should I uninstall the non-relevant updates or am I asking for trouble doing so?

Thanks.

 

[MoxieMomma]

Hi:

There are many "schools of thought" on this.

Generally speaking, Windows Update for Win7 is pretty reliable about knowing which updates ("patches") are needed for Windows and MS applications, such as MS Office.
Moreover, the many applications within MS Office often share files.
Other times, installing a given patch requires another, earlier patch as a prerequisite.

So, especially for security updates and other "important" patches, I would tend to let Windows Update decide what needs to be installed, even for Office modules you do not actively use.
(For "optional" and "recommended" updates, one might take a more conservative approach, evaluating each patch individually, to determine if it's really needed or helpful.)

Unless you are running short on disk space, there's likely no harm in doing so, while hiding/refusing certain updates could lead to stability or security issues.

If you *are* running short on disk space, then there are many strategies for freeing up space, including an optional "update cleanup" "patch" for Win7 that was released a year or so ago.

Cheers,
MM

 

[torchwood]

Hi CBA,

Each update has a relevancy type
Important >> recommended
and within these there are other catagories
critical >> security >> optional.

The only real way to check (partially as MS sometimes are pretty vague) is to click on the more detail option for each KB.
THE ABOVE is the same for Office and your OS.

Allways install critical and security updates,
recommended usually correct minor bug issues, not really performance related.

If you want to uninstall "non-relevant" updates CREATE a restore point first.


Roy

 

[CBA]

Hi: There are many "schools of thought" on this....

Thanks. I have no problems installing the WU suggested updates for the modules I have, including the ones listed as Office w/o module name. I would have thought that updates related to more than one module should be marked a 'general' Office update .. but of course I don't know. Who knows...

The upshot of your message seem to be that it's safer to install whatever WU suggests regardless of what I use and/or have paid for (Word, Excel and PowerPoint - I don't use OneNote). Possible exceptions being the optional updates.

It frankly beats me why WU even suggests updates to stuff I neither use nor have paid for. That said, having dealt with MS' crazy/insane W10 update drive .. nothing surprise me anymore. :shock:

As for HD space limitations, yes, I do have that .. as this is a legacy IBM TP with PATA drives. Not easy to find larger HDs with PATA these days. I use the cleanup patch 'feature' you refer to .. I think it was part of W7 SP1. At any rate, I always had it. Going to run it again...

Thanks.

 

[CBA]

Hi CBA, Each update has a relevancy type Important >> recommended and within these there are other categories critical >> security >> optional....

Thanks. I know this, however, it doesn't really address my query. I'm employing this update approach for the WU updates pushed out for W7 combined with visits to Ask-Woody's blogs from time to time. But that's a different story.

Still feel a bit about this (and I have for some time), so, I suppose I just go on installing Office 2010 updates to modules I don't use (and don't need) .. and haven't paid for. Crazy world. MS rules this world...it seems.

 

[MoxieMomma]

The upshot of your message seem to be that it's safer to install whatever WU suggests regardless of what I use and/or have paid for (Word, Excel and PowerPoint - I don't use OneNote). Possible exceptions being the optional updates.

Not quite.

As @Torchwood reiterated, "critical" and "security" patches should be installed.
"Important" patches should probably be installed, as well.
If you have Windows Update configured to provide "Recommended" updates, as well, you might want to evaluate those and "Optional" patches on a case-by-case, as we both suggested.

I use neither Outlook nor OneNote, but I always take the relevant critical/important/security patches for those applications. (Hard drive space is not an issue for me.)

That works for me, but YMMV.

Ultimately it's up to the user - as I mentioned, different folks will offer different advice on this....

Cheers,
MM

 

[MoxieMomma]

OOPS!
My bad.
Posted a reply intended for tenforums.com.

Please disregard.

MM

 

[Ranger4]

Hi CBA, Each update has a relevancy type Important >> recommended and within these there are other categories critical >> security >> optional....

Thanks. I know this, however, it doesn't really address my query. I'm employing this update approach for the WU updates pushed out for W7 combined with visits to Ask-Woody's blogs from time to time. But that's a different story.

Still feel a bit about this (and I have for some time), so, I suppose I just go on installing Office 2010 updates to modules I don't use (and don't need) .. and haven't paid for. Crazy world. MS rules this world...it seems.

It would be best to go on installing updates for Office 2010. As you can probably appreciate Microsoft would have a mammoth update problem if they had individual Office program updates, for those that did not have the complete Office installation, like you do.

To make updating easier they have a blanket update to cover all Office 2010 programs, as some of those updates that you might think are not applicable to yours, are in fact fixing problems that could affect your programs. So it is best to install all the Office 2010 updates that you receive.

 

[CBA]

It would be best to go on installing updates for Office 2010 ... they [MS] have a blanket update to cover all Office 2010 programs, as some of those updates that you might think are not applicable to yours, are in fact fixing problems that could affect your programs. So it is best to install all the Office 2010 updates that you receive.

Thanks. Summing it all up it seems that installing all the Office 2010 updates pushed out via WU may be the safest (most prudent) way to go. I rarely get optional Office updates, but, if I do I (would) scrutinize same before install.

Sort of ironic, in a way, as I picked Home & Student on my legacy laptop to avoid the large footprint of the Full or Pro version (which I have on my business computer). Seems I still get the full load of MS fury, regardless.

Off topic: last time in Queensland I made it up to Cape Tribulation. Great fun/experience...

 

[Ranger4]

Thanks for getting back. It's best to keep Office updated with the latest updates, as you seem to be doing.

I am in the SE of Queensland, which is a long way from Cape Tribulation.