It's springtime for Microsoft service packs

[Kathleen Atkins]

PATCH WATCH It's springtime for Microsoft service packs By Susan Bradley In the Northern Hemisphere, it's springtime — time to revisit Windows 7 and Office service packs. Our lack of major updates at the end of the month means we can devote time to getting needed service packs installed. The full text of this column is posted at windowssecrets.com/patch-watch/it-s-springtime-for-microsoft-service-packs/ (opens in a new window/tab). Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.

[jgstanley]

Regarding "Adobe Flash adds automatic updates "

This setting has been available since Flash Player 10, via the system Control Panel; Adobe just decided to add it to the installer for people that have no idea how their system works...

(Just an FYI for people that don't want to update to Flash Player 11, for some reason...)

[nlinecomputers]

Susan,

I've not seen you comment on this before. What issues have you seen with Patching Root Certificates on Xp? That is something I have always done and never seen an issue. In fact considering the nature of the patch I don't understand why Microsoft doesn't consider it to be a critical update.

[bobprimak]

Susan,

I've not seen you comment on this before. What issues have you seen with Patching Root Certificates on Xp? That is something I have always done and never seen an issue. In fact considering the nature of the patch I don't understand why Microsoft doesn't consider it to be a critical update.

If you are a regular reader of Susan's paid Windows Secrets content column, you know that she has posted about the Root Certificates issue before .

But if you are not a paid WS subscriber, here is a brief summary of the issues encountered last summer with Root Certificates. The problem is that the authorities who issue the Root Certificates have not always been trustworthy themselves, and fraudulent or even malicious misuse of Root Certificates has sometimes resulted. Microsoft tries to keep its own lists of revoked Certificates up to date, but they are not perfect. Far from it, according to Susan.

So what does all of this mean to us as ordinary Windows users and Web Browser users? Root Certificates are used in SSL (secure web page) authentication, among other things. (One example is online banking sites.) If we have fraudulent Certificates on our PCs, we are vulnerable to a range of malicious exploits when we most need to be secure. The Microsoft patches, while well intended, have not been able to keep the revocations lists up to date. In some cases the Windows XP revocations have caused legitimate web pages to throw up security warnings.

All in all, waiting until we encounter a web page which needs to have its Certificate updated seems to be the best approach for Windows XP users at this time. Susan and other tech writers have offered instructions about updating those Certificates which must be updated. In my experience, this situation doesn't happen very often.

As Susan says, Vista and Windows 7 get their Root Certificates automatically updated, so we who use those Windows versions just have to take our chances. (Yes, these updates can be ignored, but that may be more trouble for Vista and Windows 7 users than it's worth.) Personally, I've seen few if any problems related to Windows 7 automatically updating its Root Certificates, but your mileage may vary.

[bobprimak]

Regarding "Adobe Flash adds automatic updates "

Attachment 30879

This setting has been available since Flash Player 10, via the system Control Panel; Adobe just decided to add it to the installer for people that have no idea how their system works...

(Just an FYI for people that don't want to update to Flash Player 11, for some reason...)

Flash Player 11 is no longer beta, so I don't think many people would encounter issues with this update. What is being referred to in the article is that the new Flash Player Installer (the .EXE version) resets user preferences to automatic updates by default. At the end of the installation process, users have the option of setting Flash Player Updates back to Notify. That's what I've been doing since the FP 11 beta versions. The Installer overrides the FP Control Panel settings.

[jgstanley]

The only difference is that FP11 now includes the option with the installer, instead of with compete installation. With earlier versions (FP10 and earlier FP11 versions that did not include the option with the installer), this option was also available via the system control panel. Also, this option does not present itself with the MSI installer withFP10/FP11, but only with the EXE installer (as I have tried both on different systems).

You said that it is now available. All I am saying is that it was also previously available and that this setting can actually be changed easily.

[jgstanley]

1. No matter how you choose when you install, the FlashPlayerUpdateService.exe service is installed with this update (although you can stop/disable/delete this service); even choosing not to allow for automatic updates, the service is still installed.

2. The option only presents itself with the EXE installers (including the redistributable installers) but not with the MSI redistributable installers.

[bbrener]

I installed the latest patches as shown below. I thought they were all security patches and an older .NET update, but they caused a problem with Turbotax 2011 no longer printing to any printer. I did not see any listed as contraindicated. Just started and stopped .. no message. The PDF Preview worked. I confirmed this by doing a system restore and the function was back. My guess is one of the .NET patches and Turbotax uses .NET4.
.NET strikes again.

Capture.JPG

[hxl7]

Has anyone noticed any problems with Windows Search following recent Windows Updates ?
Thanks.
Bill

[jgstanley]

Has anyone noticed any problems with Windows Search following recent Windows Updates ?
Thanks.
Bill

Windows Search works exactly the same for me after the latest updates...

[elikam]

My computer is an HP Pavillion with Windows 7 and 6 GB of memory. Windows Upgrade has not offered to install SP1. When I asked why, it turned out that Windows does not like the Intel HD integrated graphics driver on the computer. Curiously enough, Device Manager says there is no driver for HD Graphics and that it does not need one. Of course that is Windows way of being funny. Actually there is a driver(as revealed by DXDiag) which Windows says needs to be upgraded in order to install SP1. So I went to Intel which of course has updated drivers but absolutely refuses to install them on my computer. Intel says that the driver on the HP machine has been modified so a generic driver will not work. Logically enough, Intel said I should go to the computer manufacturer. Well, HP proudly announces that it can supply the ORIGINAL driver, but nothing else.

When surfing the Internet, I found that Dell computers also had drives incompatible with Windows 7 SP1, but the difference is that an Intel driver can be installed in them, and Dell actually gave detailed guidance on how to deal with the situation. HP provides no help at all. Here I now have two HP computers(the other one uses Vista) but I doubt that I will ever buy another one unless something is done about this. From what I have read on the Internet, SP1 itself is not indispensable, but eventually there will probably be an SP2 without which the computer may run in to difficulties.

So here is a problem that one could hardly have anticipated when purchasing a computer. As they say, "Who knew?".

[bobprimak]

1. No matter how you choose when you install, the FlashPlayerUpdateService.exe service is installed with this update (although you can stop/disable/delete this service); even choosing not to allow for automatic updates, the service is still installed.

2. The option only presents itself with the EXE installers (including the redistributable installers) but not with the MSI redistributable installers.

The bit about the different types of installers behaving differently is news to me. Thank you for letting us know about this difference.

Obviously, I always use .exe installers, so this is my only experience with the Flash Player updates installers.

[Bracketman]

Yes, Bill Windows Search results began listing the search results in file size descending order. I tried everywhere I could to resort the search results by the file location or file name, but search kept grouping results by size. Eventually I learned that right clicking an open space on the display and deselecting Group (by size) fixed the problem. Otherwise Windows Search runs well but slowly through all the drives.