Reinstall Win7 what updates to avoid for telemetry & winX preparation?

[Paul Black]

Paul,

I don't know how Simplix does it. The usual way is to use wufuc, sure I saw it mentioned somewhere - MDL possibly. In any case it is irrelevant for the OP who is using i7 4790K

Thanks for the reply SIW2, it is apprecited.
So wufuc basically disables any unsupported hardware [processors] which in turn allows WU to continue installing!

 

[Paul Black]

Hi Sevenfox,

I think your friend could have added to your problems!

[1] I assume that you don't have a System Image that was created before the problems started that you could restore the OS back to?
[2] Did you try running a Startup Repair from the DVD?
[3] Did you try a Repair Install?

Repair Install - Overview

A repair install differs from a clean install in the fact that it ONLY replaces the corrupted OS with a new fresh copy. This means that ALL your User Accounts, Folders, Files, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, Data Files, Icons, and any installed programs are left intact. It does however, delete ALL the Window updates, and can affect, sounds, services, visual effect settings and device drivers by re-setting them to default. You cannot do a repair install at boot, in Safe Mode, using a system repair disk, or using an integrated Windows update disk. Basically, this process can ONLY be performed from within the LIVE OS.

 

[Sevenfox]

Hi Sevenfox,

I think your friend could have added to your problems!

[1] I assume that you don't have a System Image that was created before the problems started that you could restore the OS back to?

I hadn't considered making a system image, and I had system restore disabled, I've usually been able to correct any of my own faux pas and never found SR particularly reliable, plus I don't like the amount it writes to my SSD, but in retrospect I should have at least enabled it before someone else touched my system...

[2] Did you try running a Startup Repair from the DVD?
[3] Did you try a Repair Install?

In this instance no, but you remind me that I DID try to do a repair once in the past via my windows disc and was met with an error along the lines of "this version is not compatible with the version of Windows you’re running". Which I'm assuming confirms that I have a pre-SP1 disc.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi Sevenfox,

[3] Did you try a Repair Install?

In this instance no, but you remind me that I DID try to do a repair once in the past via my windows disc and was met with an error along the lines of "this version is not compatible with the version of Windows you’re running". Which I'm assuming confirms that I have a pre-SP1 disc.

If you look on your original Win 7 DVD it will tell you what version and bit-type the disk is for.

Depending on what state your computer is in when you get it back tomorrow you can always download a Win 7 SP1 ISO, burn it to a DVD or USB, and then perform a Repair Install!

You should also if possible, backup ALL your files.

If you cannot boot into Windows there is an option available where you can create a Linux Live DVD or USB [this means that the Linux OS runs directly from the DVD or USB and not the HDD because it doesn't need installation]. This will read the HDD information which is inaccessible through Windows directly from the controller and is often a better solution in these types of situations. Another advantage of this is that you will have less activity on your HDD while you are trying to access it to retrieve [look at] the files.

I hope this helps!

 

[Sevenfox]

Hi Sevenfox,

If you look on your original Win 7 DVD it will tell you what version and bit-type the disk is for.

Depending on what state your computer is in when you get it back tomorrow you can always download a Win 7 SP1 ISO, burn it to a DVD or USB, and then perform a Repair Install!

Yeah I think the first thing I will do is acquire an SP1 disc and attempt the repair install.

Would not be surprised if the repair place I took it to has already tried this though, I get the sinking feeling I'm gonna need a full format. All my personal data should be safe as I never store on my SSD and i've redirected most of windows temp/document folders to a secondary HDD, but it's gonna take me ages to reconfigure everything.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi Sevenfox,

[1] Yeah I think the first thing I will do is acquire an SP1 disc and attempt the repair install.

[2] Would not be surprised if the repair place I took it to has already tried this though, I get the sinking feeling I'm gonna need a full format. All my personal data should be safe as I never store on my SSD and i've redirected most of windows temp/document folders to a secondary HDD, but it's gonna take me ages to reconfigure everything.

Did you look on your original Win 7 DVD to see what version and bit-type the disk is for?

[1] Depending on the state of the computer tomorrow I think that creating a new installation DVD or USB is the first step. Then perform a Repair Install.

[2a] If they did try a Repair Install then they would have backed up all your data, so make sure that you either get the Disk/USB that they used or you physically see them delete your data!

[2b] If you do need to perform a Clean Install, and using SIW2's SIMPLIX suggestion [or DISM++], it will not take you as long as you might think to get the OS upto date, but yes, the personal configurations will obviosly take some time!

I hope this helps!

 

[Sevenfox]

I can't check the disc as it's in the shop alongside my PC, but I do know it's Ultimate and my system is running 64-bit, and if the disc isn't 64-bit... well then the guys who built the system have ripped me off.

I told them that my personal files were on my secondary/tertiary drives and it was ok to attempt repairs, there was no way I was leaving my personal stuff in a location where someone else could break it. The hassle for me will come from the ton of software customization i'll have to do again.

 

[SIW2]

paul,

GitHub - zeffy/wufuc: Disables the "Unsupported Hardware" message in Windows Update, and allows you to continue installing updates on Windows 7 and 8.1 systems with Intel Kaby Lake, AMD Ryzen, or other unsupported processors.


There are two functions responsible for the CPU check: IsDeviceServiceable and IsCPUSupported.
Wufuc patches the saved result so that it is always TRUE.

 

[Paul Black]

Paul,

GitHub - zeffy/wufuc: Disables the "Unsupported Hardware" message in Windows Update, and allows you to continue installing updates on Windows 7 and 8.1 systems with Intel Kaby Lake, AMD Ryzen, or other unsupported processors.

There are two functions responsible for the CPU check: IsDeviceServiceable and IsCPUSupported.
Wufuc patches the saved result so that it is always TRUE.

Thanks SIW2 for the explanation and link. The link is very interesting!

 

[Sevenfox]

Well it turns out my Win 7 disc IS SP1 and I simply cannot get repair functions to do anything of use. Looks like a full format is unavoidable.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi Sevenfox,

Well it turns out my Win 7 disc IS SP1 and I simply cannot get repair functions to do anything of use. Looks like a full format is unavoidable.

[1] Does you computer boot into Windows?
[2] Are you saying that you tried to run a Repair Install from the disk and it didn't work?
[3] Is the Win SP1 disk the correct bit-type?

 

[SIW2]

If it is a software issue, you can probably restore the entire operating system from a shadow copy. I have done it several times.

You can use my boot media.
17514x86.iso
17514x64-v11.iso

Boot it up. It has a desktop.

1. Run ShadowCopyView (shortcut is on the desktop). That is to check if you have shadows on your windows partition.

2. Make a folder on your windows partition call it e.g. Windows.old

3. MOVE the following from your windows partition into the Windows.old folder:

Program Files
Program Files (x86)
ProgramData
Users
Windows


4. COPY the following from your shadow copy to your windows partition -one at a time because they are large

Program Files
Program Files (x86)
ProgramData
Users
Windows


They are big so it might take a while.


With luck you will be able to boot straight into your reconstituted windows partition.

Well it turns out my Win 7 disc IS SP1 and I simply cannot get repair functions to do anything of use. Looks like a full format is unavoidable.

 

[Sevenfox]

Hi Sevenfox,

[1] Does you computer boot into Windows?
[2] Are you saying that you tried to run a Repair Install from the disk and it didn't work?
[3] Is the Win SP1 disk the correct bit-type?

I can boot into windows fine, everything in and of itself works, but I cannot read any USB device, or even any NEW devices period, and no driver replacement/repair/anything will work. I had a new hard drive installed and even it shows up unrecognised in device manager.T


I appear to have two options with the windows disc, upgrade or custom, I ran the upgrade option and it didn't fix any of my issues, and the custom option will remove all my settings anyway so in this case, it feels like it'd be better to just do a full drive wipe to be sure iIm getting rid of any software gremlins.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi Sevenfox,

If it is a software issue, you can probably restore the entire operating system from a shadow copy. I have done it several times.

You can use my boot media.
17514x86.iso
17514x64-v11.iso

Boot it up. It has a desktop.

1. Run ShadowCopyView (shortcut is on the desktop). That is to check if you have shadows on your windows partition.

2. Make a folder on your windows partition call it e.g. Windows.old

3. MOVE the following from your windows partition into the Windows.old folder:

Program Files
Program Files (x86)
ProgramData
Users
Windows

4. COPY the following from your shadow copy to your windows partition -one at a time because they are large

Program Files
Program Files (x86)
ProgramData
Users
Windows

They are big so it might take a while.

With luck you will be able to boot straight into your reconstituted windows partition.

How did you get on with SIW2's suggestion above?

 

[Sevenfox]

I am so sorry it took me so long to reply, life has been getting in the way.

Right after I last commented I realised that the upgrade install from within windows itself was working, so I gave it a shot and it did infact fix my broken USBs... however it completely and utterly broke everything else, to the point I wasn't even able to uninstall/reinstall much of the corrupted software (including antivirus and video driver).

So I bit the bullet and formatted, reinstalling Windows from scratch. In the end I decided to go with the the Simplix updater and it all seems to have worked out rather smoothly. It has been a real pain re-configuring everything, and then redoing the configs that I forgot to backup or take notes on, but everything seems to be going well right now. All up to date, no performance issues.

I think I'll give Dism a try on my laptop though.

Paul Black, SIW2, Thank you both so much, your help has been invaluable, you guys really took the stress out of a situation for me at a time when I really needed to avoid it.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi Sevenfox,

Paul Black, SIW2, Thank you both so much, your help has been invaluable, you guys really took the stress out of a situation for me at a time when I really needed to avoid it.

You're welcome!

NOTE: The light blue text below are links to the relevant websites and programs, just click them!

SUGGESTION: Now that you have your OS updated and running the way you like it, create a system image. This way, if things go wrong in the future, you will be able to restore your OS back to the exact same state that it was when the system image was made in a very short time. There are two imaging programs which are very popular among members here, the first is AOMEI Backupper Standard [FREE], and the second is Macrium Reflect [FREE].

I hope this helps!

 

[Sevenfox]

Hi Sevenfox,



You're welcome!

SUGGESTION: Now you have your OS updated and running the way you like it, create a system image. This way, if things go wrong in the future, you will be able to restore your OS back to the exact same state that it was when the system image was made in a very short time. There are two imaging programs which are very popular among members here, the first is AOMEI Backupper Standard [FREE], and the second is Macrium Reflect [FREE].

I hope this helps!

Good call, I'll get right on that. Thanks again.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi Sevenfox,

Good call, I'll get right on that. Thanks again.

Were you successful in creating a System Image?

 

[Marie SWE]

Hi to you all again

I'm reviving my thread with some new security only update questions.
This question applies to both win7 and win8. I started a thread in win8 forum but it's not the same activity over there.

Win7 EOL is here and i'm forced to use win8.1 on two of my computers, to by myself three more years, when I boycott win10spyware.

My win7 computers aren't updated since december 2017 and i need to install some of the updates but to avoid spectre/meltdown updates...... Or have they resolved the cpu performance loss? and all other trouble it caused older computers?
The same goes for my win8.1 computers, same hardware with triple boot.

.
so i wonder if this is right, or have I missed something?
.

--------------------------Windows 7 --------------------------

Jan 2018 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4056897/windows-7-update-kb4056897 spectre and/or meltdown?
Feb 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4074587/windows-7-update-kb4074587 Safe?
Mar 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4088878/windows-7-update-kb4088878 spectre and/or meltdown?
Apr 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4093108/windows-7-update-kb4093108 Safe?
May 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4103712/windows-7-update-kb4103712 Safe?
Jun 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4284867/windows-7-update-kb4284867 spectre and/or meltdown?
Jul 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4338823/windows-7-update-kb4338823 Safe or it is contains spectre code?
Aug 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4343899/windows-7-update-kb4343899 spectre and/or meltdown?
Sep 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4457145/windows-7-update-kb4457145 Safe?
Oct 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4462915/windows-7-update-kb4462915 Safe?
Nov 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4467106/windows-7-update-kb4467106 Safe?
Dec 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4471328/windows-7-update-kb4471328 Safe?

Jan 2019 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4480960/windows-server-2008-kb4480960 spectre and/or meltdown?
Feb 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4486564/windows-7-update-kb4486564 Safe?
Mar 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4489885/windows-7-update-kb4489885 Safe?
Apr 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4493448/windows-7-update-kb4493448 spectre and/or meltdown?
May 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4499175/windows-7-update-kb4499175 Safe or it is contains spectre code?
Jun 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4503269/windows-7-update-kb4503269 Safe?
Jul 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4507456/windows-7-update-kb4507456 spectre and/or meltdown?
Aug 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4512486/windows-7-update-kb4512486 Safe?
Sep 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4516033/windows-7-update-kb4516033 Safe or it is contains spectre code?
Oct 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4520003/windows-7-update-kb4520003 Safe?
Nov 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4525233/windows-7-update-kb4525233 Safe or not?
Dec 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4530692/windows-7-update-kb4530692 Safe?

Jan 2020 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4534314/windows-7-update-kb4534314 Safe?



------------------------- Windows 8.1 ------------------------

Jan 2018 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4056898/windows-81-update-kb4056898 spectre and/or meltdown?
Feb 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4074597/windows-81-update-kb-4074597 Safe?
Mar 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4088879/windows-81-update-kb4088879 spectre and/or meltdown?
Apr 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4093115/windows-81-update-kb4093115 Safe?
May 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4103715/windows-81-update-kb4103715 Safe?
Jun 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4284878/windows-81-update-kb4284878 Safe?
Jul 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4338824/windows-81-update-kb4338824 spectre and/or meltdown?
Aug 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4343888/windows-81-update-kb4343888 spectre and/or meltdown?
Sep 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4457143/windows-81-update-kb4457143 Safe?
Oct 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4462941/windows-8-update-kb4462941 Safe?
Nov 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4467697/windows-8-1-update-kb4467697 Safe or it is contains spectre code?
Dec 18 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4471322/windows-8-1-update-kb4471322 Safe?

Jan 2019 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4480964/windows-8-1-update-kb4480964 spectre and/or meltdown?
Feb 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4487028/windows-8-1-update-kb4487028 Safe?
Mar 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4489883/windows-8-1-update-kb4489883 Safe?
Apr 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4493467/windows-8-1-update-kb4493467 spectre and/or meltdown?
May 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4499165/windows-8-1-update-kb4499165 Safe or it is contains spectre code?
Jun 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4503290/windows-8-1-update-kb4503290 Safe?
Jul 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4507457/windows-8-1-update-kb4507457 spectre and/or meltdown?
Aug 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4512489/windows-8-1-update-kb4512489 Safe or not do to: When attempting to print from a 32-bit app on a 64-bit operating system (OS), you may receive an error, or the application may stop responding or close.........This issue is resolved in KB4525250. However, the issue occurs when you install only KB4512489 (released on August 13, 2019) without installing KB4507457, the previous Security Only update (released July 9, 2019). KB4507457 is a spectre and/or meltdown update i want to avoid :huh:
Sep 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4516064/windows-8-1-kb4516064 Safe or it is contains spectre code?
Oct 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4519990/windows-8-1-kb4519990 Safe?
Nov 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4525250/windows-8-1-kb4525250 Safe or not?
Dec 19 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4530730/windows-8-1-kb4530730 Safe?
Jan 2020 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4534309/windows-8-1-kb4534309 Safe?
Feb 20 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4537803/windows-8-1-kb4537803 Safe?


It seems that each and every one contains Spectre or meltdown code.

Is there any other things about this updates above that you have had trouble with?

 

[Megahertz07]

Hi Marie,
Attached is a cmd file to uninstall the telemetry KB.

If you want to update your Win 7 computer, use Simplix
My suggestion is to set Services - Windows Update - Manual and on WU page set it to Never check.
Then run UpdatePack7R2
Simplix is a single file (850MB) that contain all updates since Win 7 released up to date. It has all security and non security updates without the trash (telemetry and tracking). Very good.
Then run WU manually to find updates for Office etc and decide witch one to install.