Blocked Patch Updates in XP

[Humpty]

Updates quietly deployed by Microsoft in July and August could prevent Windows XP users from installing up to 80 recent patches.

 

Microsoft officials say they are investigating reports that files the company deployed this summer prevent Windows XP users who run a built-in "repair" function from installing as many as 80 of the company's latest security patches.

 

"We are aware of reports about customers not being able to download some updates from Windows Update when using the latest version of the Windows Update client and after reinstalling Windows XP system files from CD," a Microsoft spokesperson said Sept. 27. "We take this issue very seriously and are investigating the root cause of this behavior and what options are available to address it."

Article

 

Article 2

[Andavari]

That's interesting and I was wonder why for September I only had three updates which were the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, Outlook 2003 Spam Email Filter, and Office 2003 Service Pack 3. I was shocked there wasn't an update for IE.

[hazelnut]

Solution here

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144

[Anthony A]

That's interesting and I was wonder why for September I only had three updates which were the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, Outlook 2003 Spam Email Filter, and Office 2003 Service Pack 3. I was shocked there wasn't an update for IE.

 

Unless you have done a repair of XP it won't mess up updates .

[Humpty]

Well I have certainly found a solution in those articles for myself.

 

As I prefer my own security rather than any useless bloat (imho) that ms can supply I have been able to stop any windows apps connecting out when deployed without using an outbound firewall.

 

Even WMP doesn't connect out when starting up and which had been bugging me for yonks.

[hazelnut]

There is a problem with the solution Microsoft posted here

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144

 

If anyone tries to copy and paste the instruction under "resolution" item 2, it will fail as they have put .dl instead of .dll

 

So even the fix is broke!

[DJpailo]

There is a problem with the solution Microsoft posted here

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144

 

If anyone tries to copy and paste the instruction under "resolution" item 2, it will fail as they have put .dl instead of .dll

 

So even the fix is broke!

 

Aw man, I added the .dll one! How do I fix this? Do I need to delete the folder?? Argh

[Andavari]

Unless you have done a repair of XP it won't mess up updates .

Then there really must have not been any other updates available because I haven't did any repair install. Thanks for clarifying that!

 

Even WMP doesn't connect out when starting up and which had been bugging me for yonks.

I've been blocking every media site it auto-connects to via the HOSTS file since last year, all from finding the cookies of those sites on my system. CCleaner is really the one that found the cookies when I used the Cleaner portion, so kudos to CCleaner.

[Humpty]

I've been blocking every media site it auto-connects to via the HOSTS file since last year, all from finding the cookies of those sites on my system. CCleaner is really the one that found the cookies when I used the Cleaner portion, so kudos to CCleaner.

DNS lookups and blocking ain't really understood too well here.

 

I didn't think a hosts file blocked ms sites after reading the article below which was a fair while ago.

 

What do you make of it Andavari?

 

Article

Hey, guess what I just found out: Microsoft have deliberately sabotaged

their DNS client's hosts table lookup functionality.

 

Normally you can override DNS lookup by specifying a hostname and IP

directly in the hosts file, which is searched before any query is issued to

your dns server; this technique is often used to block ads, spyware and

phone-homes by aliasing the host to be blocked to 127.0.0.1 in your hosts

file.

 

Since recent versions of media player only offer you the choice to check

for updates once per day/week/month, but not "Don't check at all", I thought

I'd try to block it in my hosts file. This used to be easy, you just needed

to block windowsmedia.com and www.windowsmedia.com in your hosts file and

then media player couldn't phone home to check.

[Andavari]

DNS lookups and blocking ain't really understood too well here.

 

I didn't think a hosts file blocked ms sites after reading the article below which was a fair while ago.

 

What do you make of it Andavari?

 

Article

Those sites that I'm blocking in WMP aren't Microsoft websites, they're other third-party media related websites that WMP is auto loading content from in some form or another.

 

I personally don't block any Microsoft websites via the HOSTS file myself, I don't know if the MVPS.org HOSTS file blocks any or not since I haven't churned through exactly what it's blocking.

 

I haven't tried blocking any Microsoft websites for years because from prior years experience when I used to use Hotmail (now too infested with spam to consider using) I noticed ad's weren't blocked via the HOSTS file, so I ended up just blocking them back in the day with proxy ad filtering software which was hit and miss and didn't always work.

[hazelnut]

There is a problem with the solution Microsoft posted here

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144

 

If anyone tries to copy and paste the instruction under "resolution" item 2, it will fail as they have put .dl instead of .dll

 

So even the fix is broke!

 

Just as an update Microsoft have quickly fixed their spelling error on the fix above, for once they have acted very quick.

 

Although I think the fact that loads of people spotted it helped

[DJpailo]

Just as an update Microsoft have quickly fixed their spelling error on the fix above, for once they have acted very quick.

 

Although I think the fact that loads of people spotted it helped

 

Im confused. What file extension do you need?

[hazelnut]

The first one that had the missing letter was for windows xp, the one underneath it is for windows pro x64 bit edition.

 

Anyone using the xp with the spelling mistake yesterday, well it wouldn't have worked.

 

Have you used the windows pro one in error?

[DJpailo]

The first one that had the missing letter was for windows xp, the one underneath it is for windows pro x64 bit edition.

 

Anyone using the xp with the spelling mistake yesterday, well it wouldn't have worked.

 

Have you used the windows pro one in error?

 

I have Windows XP home edition and used the first one which had .dll

[Anthony A]

Is it being recommended that everybody do this repair?

[hazelnut]

Only apparently if you have repaired the Windows XP installation by using the Windows XP CD.

 

Best to read the info in the link for a better idea.

[Anthony A]

Only apparently if you have repaired the Windows XP installation by using the Windows XP CD.

 

Best to read the info in the link for a better idea.

 

I did read that and that's why I am asking? From the info it appears the problem is only for people that did a repair install but it looks like a couple people in this thread are doing the fix and there was no mention of them having did a repair install.

[login123]

There is a problem with the solution Microsoft posted here

. . .

If anyone tries to copy and paste the instruction under "resolution" item 2, it will fail as they have put .dl instead of .dll. . .

 

Good grief! If WXP broke (imagine that) and you fixed it, then you have to refix the fix for the original fix you did. (Did I get that right?)