Updates downloaded & installed without permission

Callender · 24 Mar 2016

It's Windows 7 - it just looks like XP (a bit) because that's how I like it!

Create a key here by right clicking "Windows" then select create new key. Name it "Windows Update"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

Then click on "Windows Update"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

and create a new subkey with the name "AU"

In the left pane click on:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU

In the right pane create a new REG_DWORD 32bit Value

Give it a value of 2

Updates downloaded & installed without permission-edit-dword-32-bit-value.jpg

Name it AU Options

Do the same for the other location posted.

Benteke · 24 Mar 2016

Okay, thanks for your help Callender. Before I start messing around w/my registry, I have a few questions though.

1. Any idea why these folders are missing?
2. My registry hasn't been changed (by me anyway) since a clean reinstall 3 months ago, so why would this "problem" decide to manifest now? It never happened prior to today!
3. Only 2 updates (out of 10 total) updated automatically, so why not all 10?

Thanks!

legacy7955 · 24 Mar 2016

Benteke said:

Okay, thanks for your help Callender. Before I start messing around w/my registry, I have a few questions though.

1. Any idea why these folders are missing?
2. My registry hasn't been changed (by me anyway) since a clean reinstall 3 months ago, so why would this "problem" decide to manifest now? It never happened prior to today!
3. Only 2 updates (out of 10 total) updated automatically, so why not all 10?

Thanks!

Interesting that we have very similar scenarios I did a clean install about three months ago and I'm certain that there is and never was any malware or registry cleaners on this PC...very odd, my thought was that this is connected to the required Windows update client that you needed to install with SP1...right after I installed that Windows Update Client WU was acting very strange and would be slow to find updates when you searched for them...

Callender · 24 Mar 2016

Benteke said:

Okay, thanks for your help Callender. Before I start messing around w/my registry, I have a few questions though.

Export those reg keys first so you have a backup. Right click in the left pane and choose "Export"

Benteke said:

1. Any idea why these folders are missing?
2. My registry hasn't been changed (by me anyway) since a clean reinstall 3 months ago, so why would this "problem" decide to manifest now? It never happened prior to today!
3. Only 2 updates (out of 10 total) updated automatically, so why not all 10?

No idea why they would be missing. You have unchecked "Give me recommended updates" correct?

Did you run any other third party windows update check utilities?

Benteke · 24 Mar 2016

legacy7955 said:

Interesting that we have very similar scenarios I did a clean install about three months ago and I'm certain that there is and never was any malware or registry cleaners on this PC...very odd, my thought was that this is connected to the required Windows update client that you needed to install with SP1...right after I installed that Windows Update Client WU was acting very strange and would be slow to find updates when you searched for them...

Yeah that is interesting.... WU has been acting weird on my system as well. Every now and then I experience cpu & mem spikes which in turn slows my entire system. When I disable the WU plugin, cpu & mem fall to normal. It only happens occasionally but I'm still not sure what causes it (or fixes it), tbh. Win Updates

Callender said:

No idea why they would be missing. You have unchecked "Give me recommended updates" correct?

Did you run any other third party windows update check utilities?

Yeah, 'give me recommended updates' is unchecked. My recommended updates are lumped in with optional updates.

I have NOT run any 3rd party WU check utilities!

I have a reg backup from a week ago (CC Cleaner) would that suffice? (CC listed one registry error from an app I previously removed)

legacy7955 · 24 Mar 2016

Benteke said:

Yeah that is interesting.... WU has been acting weird on my system as well. Every now and then I experience cpu & mem spikes which in turn slows my entire system. When I disable the WU plugin, cpu & mem fall to normal. It only happens occasionally but I'm still not sure what causes it (or fixes it), tbh. Win Updates

Wow, exactly the same problems ON TWO Systems now and yours as well...this other one is an OEM and also is well maintained and never had malware on it, nor registry cleaners, or other windows update check tools.

I'm still thinking that this is somehow connected to Windows 10 nonsense, and that
Windows update client that was when I noticed the issues starting.

Callender · 24 Mar 2016

Benteke said:

I have a reg backup from a week ago (CC Cleaner) would that suffice? (CC listed one registry error from an app I previously removed)

My mistake - there's no need to backup as those keys don't even exist. If they cause problems they can simply be deleted.

RE: Ccleaner. It only backs up what it has removed so unlit removed those keys it won't help.

Find the Ccleaner backup reg file anyway and right click then open with your text editor to check.

Benteke · 24 Mar 2016

Callender said:

RE: Ccleaner. It only backs up what it has removed so unlit removed those keys it won't help.

Find the Ccleaner backup reg file anyway and right click then open with your text editor to check.

Good to know, thanks! ... doesn't windows automatically backup the entire registry before app installs/updates?

Callender · 25 Mar 2016

Benteke said:

Good to know, thanks! ... doesn't windows automatically backup the entire registry before app installs/updates?

I have to confess that I don't know what is backed up before updates are installed.

Barman58 · 25 Mar 2016

Windows 7 used to create a restore point for the complete system prior to any "potentially" dangerous update set, one before the update complete download started, not one before each KB, manually selecting and deselecting KB's may change the default actions if they haven't been changed when Win7 went into Extended Support