Best practices for trouble-free Windows patching

[Magna]

In the last round of 23 updates I let them all go. After the reboot my desktop was a mess with my background changed to stock, all icons set for alpha order, gridded, and 'automatic'. It takes me 10 minutes or more to allow ungridded placement, re-sort the icons, and get icons placed where I can find them when I need them. It's a crowded desktop but I can't be efficient without it.

Why can't the updates leave my desktop alone? What can I do, short of recovering to pre-update status, to hold the desktop in place in the face of MS-evil-big-brother updates?

[BruceR]

Is there, or would it be possible to have, a list of the patches in KB# order?...it would be more convenient for me a lot of the time.

We do on the bottom of each Patch Watch. Keep in mind that Microsoft does not list all of the patches so I am going by what I see on my systems. I may miss some as a result. There is no definitive listing of all updates.

The patch watch chart does NOT list patches in KB# order.

Why are some "Skip" patches retained on the chart beyond six months while others drop off into oblivion?

Bruce

[SDdave]

Susan,

I'm also curious how you have MSE check the Windows Genuine Advantage status. Could not find the answer.

Thanks.

[timsart]

Is Microsoft trying to retire XP by messing up updates. I already had one machine crash from updates in April. Now today, that machine (reinstalled) and my main workstation both were offered 3 updates for .NET framework that were already previously, successfully installed.

Updates were: KB2518864, KB2633880, KB2572073.

I held my breath and installed them on my main workstation. Then after, I checked on the MS update site and they were already updated successfully at the earlier times of release.

Here are page capture PDF's of the update history. www.ink-images.com/other

I passed on updating on the the computer. Actually I ran "windows update" which did not find the updates as needed, even though auto update had them sitting in my system tray waiting to install. After dismissing them from auto update they have not yet reappeared.

This is rather suspect behavior. I guess we will see how often auto updates break XP installs before its 2014 end date. I am guessing it could be frequent.

[csmart4125]

My computer crashed after I downloaded a bunch of updates and a SP late in 2011. Afterwards, one of the gurus whom I know suggested I turn off my antivirus temporarily when downloading a SP or a bunch of updates.

So far this suggestion has worked for me. I'm also going to follow a suggestion in this thread about downloading updates one at a time.
Good luck to everyone!

[Juanita]

Since mid May, hundreds, probably thousands of Windows XP users have been frustrated by failure to install an allegedly critical KB 2686509 Security update with the accompanying Error Code: 0x8007FDF4 suggesting a failure due to the possible remapping of an H-Ref key or perhaps some other inscrutable problem. I could probably successfully tinker with the Regedit (I've already made a hard disk backup just in case I screw it up.) even though I can't find the H-Ref Keyboard key that may or may not be the culprit. Instead of HOW I should solve this, perhaps the better question seems to be, WHY should I have to struggle through this patch on my own? Why doesn't MICROSOFT solve this for all of us, instead, with its own timely correction, say next Tuesday?

[IreneLinda]

I know it's February 2013 and your advice came out in May of last year, but I saved the whole newsletter because of this column, and finally got back to the bottom of my inbox to read it. Great hints - easy and practical to apply. I try to schedule patches, but do get behind. Will now add them to the weekend after the second Tuesday in each month since Saturdays are when I've scheduled computer maintenance weekly. Also had never thought of rebooting before patching, but will do so from now on.

Thanks for the helpful - and easy to do! - suggestions.

Linda