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06/13/08--23:59: Reminder - Windows Vista SP1 RC Builds Expire soon! (chan 2091273)

Hi there -

 

Quick reminder for all of you out there who helped test Windows Vista SP1 and may still be running  Release Candidate builds (any build less than 6.0.6001.18000).  The RC builds will expire on June 30th - so if you happen to running one, be sure to uninstall it before the end of the month.   More info is available in the  SP1 Forum.

 

Thanks,

 

-MU Team




07/03/08--11:02: Upcoming Update to Windows Update (chan 2091273)

Hi everyone,

 

I'd like to let you know that, beginning at the end of this month and continuing over the next few months, we’ll be rolling out an infrastructure update to the Windows Update agent (client).  I wanted to take this opportunity to provide some background on the update and discuss the value these updates bring to you. 

 

How Windows Update Keeps Itself Up-to-Date

Occasionally, we must update the infrastructure of Windows Update in order to ensure a high level of service quality, reliability, and operation.  As part of this process, we update both the back-end infrastructure that supports the service as well as the client side code (i.e. the Windows Update agent, or client).

 

So what are we doing this time? Well, this particular update won’t really change the way the client looks or feels to you, but you may notice some improvements in the length of time it takes Windows Update to scan for updates and how quickly you’ll receive signature updates.  For example, in this update, we’ve invested heavily in reducing the amount of time it takes the Windows Update agent to scan to see if new updates are available.  In this case, we’ve seen some instances of the scan times on some machines decreasing almost 20 percent.

 

Settings 101

Before we dive into how Windows Update issues the infrastructure updates, let’s review some information about different changes you can make to your personal Windows Update settings.  We recommend that you install Important + Recommended updates (in Windows Vista) or High Priority updates (in Windows XP) automatically; these options are presented when you set up Windows.  After initial setup, if you would like to change your settings, go to the Windows Update application in Windows Vista or the Automatic Updates Control Panel in Windows XP.  There you can select from 4 settings:  (1) Automatically Download and Install; (2) Download Only (updates are downloaded but the user chooses whether and when to install them); (3) Check for Updates (no updates are downloaded and you’re notified that updates are available for download and install); and (4) Off.  See Figures 1 and 2 below.

 

 

     

    Figure 1: Windows Vista Windows Update Control Panel                  

 

 

 Figure2: Windows XP Automatic Updates Control Panel

 

What does this mean for you?

 

Anytime the Windows Update agent is turned on, Windows Update will take care of updating itself.  Windows Update is considered “on” when anything other than “Never check for updates” or “Turn off Automatic Updates” is selected.  What this means is that if you’ve selected “install updates automatically,” the update to the Windows Update client will install automatically.  You may also notice that Windows Update will also automatically download and install updates necessary for the Windows Update client to function properly if you’ve chosen a different setting, like setting 2 (“Automatically Download Updates”) or setting 3 (“Automatically Check for Updates”).  This is done in order to ensure that a system will continue to notify the user about available updates. 

 

The Windows Update client does not download or install infrastructure updates if the user has selected setting 4 (“Off”).  In other words, if a Windows Vista user selects “Never check for updates,”( or if a Windows XP user selects “Turn off Automatic Updates”), the user will not receive Windows Update client infrastructure updates unless they choose to manually install it from Windows Update.

 

Windows Update has been keeping itself up-to-date this way for many years, and while these infrastructure updates are important to maintain the quality of the Windows Update service, they aren’t that frequent (they usually occur about once a year).

 

Why does Windows Update need to self update?

You may be wondering why this process is different from other updates you’ve come to expect from Windows Update.  The reason Windows Update issues infrastructure updates in this way is to ensure that users are able to successfully check for updates and/or receive expected notifications.  If Windows Update wasn’t able to do this, it may cause some users to believe that they have all of the latest security updates even though there was no installation and/or notifications of updates. To avoid a false sense of security, the Windows Update client automatically checks for and installs any available infrastructure updates anytime a system uses the Windows Update service, independent of the settings for how it handles updates.

 

I hope this information was useful in helping you understand infrastructure updates, and that you have the time you need to prepare for the update. 

 

We continue to be confident in the value Windows Update offers.  For more information about infrastructure updates, please refer to KB946928.  If you’d like more information about Windows Update, and how the service works, please review the newly launched Windows Update information on windows.com.

 

We look forward to hearing your feedback.

 

Thanks,

 

Michelle Haven

Product Mgr., WIndows Update




07/17/08--19:14: Reminder - Windows Search 4 coming to WU soon... (chan 2091273)

Hi everyone –

 

Thought I’d drop a line and remind you that we’re planning to release Windows Search 4.0 (KB940157) via Windows Update sometime in late July.  Windows Search 4.0 updates previous versions of Search in Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP2 and Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Home Server.   

                                                  

Windows XP users will see Windows Search 4.0 available as an Optional update, which means you must visit the Windows Update Web site to install it.  Windows Vista users with SP1 installed will see the update as a Recommended update.  This means that, if a Windows Vista user has set their machine to automatically install updates, Windows Search 4.0 will automatically install on PCs running Windows Vista SP1.  The release of Windows Search 4.0 to Windows Update will be gradual for these users.  If you’re running Windows Vista SP1, and you would like to install it right away, you can go to the Windows Update control panel and install it manually once it is made available.

 

One thing you should note: In order to make search functionality more efficient and reliable, the Windows Search team updated the structure of the search index in this release.  This requires re-indexing users’ data. The re-indexing occurs in the background after the installation is completed and a reboot has been performed.  The cool part? Windows Search will release most of the requested resources and slow down the indexing process as soon as it detects mouse or keyboard activity, or when another application requires computer resources.

 

 If your organization is running Windows Vista Service Pack 1, has no update management solution, and would like to postpone the installation of Windows Search 4.0, the Windows Search team has provided guidance on how to do so here.

 

And, if you’d like to find out more about Windows Search 4.0, check out the Windows Experience Blog.




08/15/08--14:02: Things to Know about Windows Search 4.0 installation... (chan 2091273)

Hey everyone,

 

Windows Search 4.0 has been available on WU for a few weeks now, and we've been getting some questions about installation failures and error code 0x643.  We've done some investigation and found out that the installation failure in this case may actually be caused by the computer configuration, which in most cases can be easily changed to allow for successful installation and functionality of Windows Search 4.0.  

 

In this case, when WS4.0 runs under Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP, it requires Terminal Services to be running. By default, Terminal Services are set to start automatically in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003; however, system administrator or third-party software may have chosen to disable them. In order to enable installation and subsequent functionality of Windows Search 4.0 on your machine, you need to have Terminal Services running first.

 

You can check the status of Terminal Services on your system and start the service, if needed, from the Start menu by clicking Run and entering “services.msc”.   Locate Terminal Services – if the status of the service isn’t “Started”, right-click the service, click Properties, set startup type to Automatic, click Apply and then click Start. Now you can restart the installation of Windows Search 4.0 if it was failing before due to Terminal Services not running on the PC.

 

More information on how to manage services running on your PC is available here and KB940157 provides more information about Windows Search 4.0 and its prerequisites.

 

 - Hope this is helpful-

 




08/21/08--12:25: New Product Families - Windows 7 (chan 2091273)

Yesterday a new product category for Windows 7 Client was published to Windows Update and was made available to WSUS (another one for Windows 7 Server should be appearing soon as well). As with all of our other new product categories, this is for Microsoft teams who are publishing Windows 7 beta drivers/updates in the near future. In the future, we’ll try to let you know about new categories ahead of time.

 Thanks!

 - The MU Team




08/28/08--17:26: IE 8.0 Beta 2 on WU (chan 2091273)

For all you WU users who happen to be running Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 on a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 system, we wanted to let you know that today we’re releasing IE8 Beta 2 to Windows Update so that getting the latest Beta is super easy and convenient for you (note IE8 Beta 2 will be made available to WU users running Windows Vista at a later date).  If you have Automatic Updates turned on, Windows Update will automatically download IE8 Beta 2 and notify you when it is ready for install.  You’ll then have the option to proceed with or postpone installation. 

You can read more about the IE8 Beta and upgrade options here. 

Thanks!

 

-MU Team

 




09/30/08--19:19: A New Resource about Windows Update is Available (chan 2091273)

 

Hi Everyone -

 

Want  to better understand updating behavior and what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows Update? We've created a whitepaper called Windows Update Explained, which provides information about how Windows Update works, including how to check for, download, and install updates.  It also talks about reboots, the information Windows Update collects in order to operate, and security protections in Windows Update.  And there's a little bit about WSUS, and pointers to how you can customize it, for all your IT Professionals out there.

 

Here's a snippet to get you started:

 

"In spite of their high cost and the headaches they cause, many security breaches are easily avoidable. The security fixes are available, but users don’t get them installed quickly enough (or at all).

Have you ever wondered what Microsoft is doing to help? Or did you know that Microsoft® Windows® Update is an important part of the solution, but weren’t sure exactly what it does or how it works. If so, this paper is for you…"

 

Interest piqued? Go check out Windows Update Explained over on the TechNet Update Management Center today and let us know your feedback. 

 

-MU Team




10/02/08--18:18: Windows Update and Automatic Reboots (chan 2091273)

Windows Update plays an essential role in keeping your computer safe, and in order to do that, it sometimes has to reboot your computer.  In this blog post, we want to help clarify how WU reboots your machine (including key differences between XP and Vista behavior), why it does it, and how you can change your WU settings to better fit your needs.

Automatic Rebooting

The goal of Windows Update is to always keep your computer as safe and secure as possible.  Therefore, if you decided that Windows Update should Install updates automatically, an automatic system reboot may be a part of the process.  Choosing any other option will disable automatic reboots, but we do recommend that you keep automatic updates enabled!



Why does Windows Update sometime require a reboot?  Well, some updates require access to files currently in use by your system.  Windows Update does not know if or when those files will be available to use, so your system requires a reboot to avoid any conflicts. For security-related updates, your computer is unsafe before that reboot occurs: it is vulnerable to attacks which exploit the issue(s) fixed by the update requiring a reboot.  

For that reason, when Windows Update automatically installs an update that needs a reboot, it proceeds with an automatic reboot.  In order to make the updating process more convenient for you by preventing disruptions to your work, WU defaults to installing updates (and subsequently rebooting your computer) at 3:00AM.  Additionally, if updates are installed while you happen to be using the computer, and a reboot is required, Windows Update notifies you with this dialog:

 

The center countdown timer  starts at 5 minutes.  You can Restart now, or Postpone the reminder by 10 minutes, 1 hour, or 4 hours (In Windows XP, you can postpone for 10 minutes).  

There is one exception – a system administrator can deny your rebooting privileges.  For user accounts without rebooting privileges, Windows Update disables the Restart now button.  You can still Postpone, or your system will automatically reboot after 5 minutes.

Update Deadlines

A system administrator can configure some computers behind a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server with update deadlines.  When reaching a deadline, Windows Update begins an automatic install of those updates based on settings determined by the system administrator.

This deadline-based automatic install behaves identically to a Windows Update automatic install.  Therefore, if one or more of the deadline updates requires a reboot, Windows Update presents the same dialog box to you with the same options and conditions.  However, if a deadline update requires a reboot, then the reboot cannot be postponed – the Postpone button in the dialog will be disabled.

Policies to Change Automatic Rebooting Behavior

Two group policies allow you to configure how Windows Update handles automatic reboots.  In order to edit these policies, you must own Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Ultimate.  The Group Policy Editor is not available in Home Windows versions.

To use the Group Policy Editor, follow these directions for both Windows XP and Windows Vista: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307882

In Windows Vista, there is another way to access the Group Policy Editor:

·         Click Start

·         Select Control Panel

·         Type Group Policy into the search box

·         Click Edit Group Policy, the only result that appears

 

Once inside the Group Policy Editor:

·         Expand Local Computer Policy

·         Expand Computer Configuration

·         Expand Administrative Templates

·         Expand Windows Components

·         Finally, select Windows Update.

The Group Policy Editor with related Windows Update policies looks like this:

 

 

With Automatic Updates enabled, the two following policies help you configure automatic reboot behavior.

No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations

If you set this policy to Enabled, then your system will never automatically reboot when a user is logged on to it.  After Windows Update automatically installs updates that require a reboot, it presents all logged-on users with the following dialog box:

 

With this policy Enabled, Windows Update never automatically reboots your system, so there is no 5 minute timer.  You can Restart now, or Postpone the reminder by 10 minutes, 1 hour, or 4 hours (In Windows XP, you can postpone for 10 minutes).

Not Configured is the default policy setting and uses the 5 minute timer.  Disabled works identically to the Not Configured setting.

 

 Delay Restart for scheduled installations

This policy allows you to change the initial timer for automatic reboots.  If you set this policy to Disabled or Not Configured, the default setting, then Windows Update uses the default wait time of 5 minutes.  However, if you set the policy to Enabled, it asks you to enter a number which sets the initial wait time. 

For example, if you set the number to 15, Windows Update presents the following dialog after it finishes automatically installing an update that requires a reboot:



Notice how the text following “Restarting in:” began with a 15 minute timer instead of a 5 minute timer.  Other behavior remains the same.

 

There are a lot of tools available to help you set up Windows Update to act how you want it to.  We hope that this blog post will help you to do so!  If you want some more in-depth detail about how Windows Update works, the Microsoft Update team just posted a white paper on TechNet.

We’ll be paying attention to your comments, so please give us your feedback!

Thanks,

-WU Client Team




10/23/08--15:31: Critical Security Update Released Today (chan 2091273)

Hello,  

Microsoft has released a critical security update today, 10/23/2008 and made this update available via all update distribution channels.   For more information see:  Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067.




10/29/08--19:09: Windows Live OneCare category coming soon (chan 2091273)

Updated 10/30/08 :  WSUS admins will be seeing a new product category under the Windows Live product family in the future.  The new product category will be Windows Live OneCare. 

Thank you,

The MU Team




10/30/08--23:05: Windows Update Agent Update rolling out over the next couple of months (chan 2091273)

Hi everyone,

 

Over the next couple of months we’ll be rolling out another infrastructure update to the Windows Update agent (client code). This update makes it possible for users to install more than 80 updates at the same time. For more information about this update, please refer to KB949104 (section referring to the 7.2.6001.788 update).

 

As we blogged about in July, we need to periodically update the client code to provide improvements in reliability and service quality. For more information on infrastructure updates, take a look at our Upcoming Updates to Windows Update July blog post.  If you’d like more information about Windows Update, and how the service works, please review the newly launched Windows Update information on windows.com.

 

Thanks,

- The MU Team




10/31/08--16:54: Rollout start and client availability (chan 2091273)

Hi Folks -  Noticed a little confusion from our blog post yesterday regarding the Windows Update Agent Update availability.  Last night's blog post was to give you some lead time before we started rolling out and making our standalone WUA update available.   We are on schedule to start the rollout Monday, 11/3/08.  Hope this helps and sorry for any confusion.

The MU Team




01/15/09--21:16: Keeping Windows 7 Beta up-to-date with Microsoft Update and Windows Update (chan 2091273)

Hi Everyone!

 

As you may have heard, we recently released Windows 7 Beta. We’re very excited about this release and want to make sure you know how we’re going to support Windows 7 Beta with Windows Update and Microsoft Update. The first thing we want to mention is that it is a Beta release. So, please make sure you take a backup of your data before migrating to safely preview Windows 7 Beta. You should also read the release notes before installing Windows 7 Beta.

 

We will offer updates for Windows 7 Beta and updated drivers through Windows Update and Microsoft Update. We strongly recommend that you keep your Windows 7 Beta computers up-to-date, because this will ensure you have the best experience previewing Windows 7 Beta. Here are some tips for keeping your Windows 7 Beta computers up to date:

1.             Before you logon for the first time, you’ll see the prompt to “Set Up Windows.” Make sure you select the recommended settings for Windows, so Important and Recommended updates are installed automatically.

2.    Go to the following Web site to configure Microsoft Update, http://beta.update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate. When you check for updates using Microsoft Update, you get the same updates available through Windows Update but you also get updates for other Microsoft software.

For the latest information on Windows 7 or to download the Windows 7 Beta, check out the Windows 7 Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/.

 

 

Thanks and happy previewing!!

 

The MU Team

 




02/19/09--17:37: Upcoming updates for Windows 7 testing (chan 2091273)

Hi all,

 

Starting on February 24^th we will be offering some test updates to Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) computers. We do typically verify update scenarios during a Beta, and releasing these test updates will help ensure that when we need to release real updates, the process will run smoothly. There will be at most five updates. These updates test the Windows 7 servicing infrastructure. They will not deliver any new features or fixes.

 

The updates will be offered interactively. This means that users will be notified of available updates, but they won’t install automatically. Users will need to go to the Windows Update control panel and manually start installation. They will also be clearly titled as a test update. If you don’t want to install the updates then you can right click on each update and select “Hide update” to prevent it from being shown in the list of available updates.

 

MU Team




02/26/09--18:55: .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Package Clarification (chan 2091273)

Hi Folks,

 

We’ve been noticing some questions regarding the recent update for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 titled “Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 Family Update (KB951847)”.  This update includes a full family update for .NET Framework bringing versions 2.0 and greater, up to version 3.5 SP1, as well as a small compatibility update for .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

 

If you already have .NET Framework 2.0 or higher installed, you will be offered this update as an Important Update.    If you do not have .NET Framework 2.0 or higher installed, then you will be offered a Recommended Update.    For those users who already have .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed, only the app compatibility update will be installed as part of this update; for all other users, .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 will be installed, followed by the compatibility update. 

 

Hope this helps, 

 

The MU Team 

 

 

 




03/20/09--05:07: Enabling Microsoft Update to keep Office 2003, Office XP, and other Microsoft Products Secure and Up-To-Date (chan 2091273)

 

Hi Folks –

We want to remind everyone that enabling Microsoft Update and keeping your computer up-to-date will give you the best possible experience with Windows.   Are you wondering about the difference between Windows Update and Microsoft Update?  Windows Update offers updates for Windows and drivers for your hardware and devices.  Microsoft Update offers updates for Windows, other Microsoft software, and drivers.  So, if you have any version of Microsoft Office installed on your computer, or any other Microsoft software, then you should enable Microsoft Update. Otherwise you won’t even get security updates for your other Microsoft software.

 

Enabling Microsoft Update gives you updates for more software, it doesn’t change how you get updates.  If you use Windows XP, you can find the updates through Automatic Updates or by visiting the Microsoft Update Website.  If you use Windows Vista, you can find all available updates in the Windows Update control panel.

 

So, you’re probably wondering how to "opt-in", or "enable" Microsoft Update, or check your configuration and stay up to date.  It’s very easy, just follow the steps below:

 

1.  To enable Microsoft Update and verify your update settings, click here:  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=146977.



Note:   If you’re a Windows Vista user, this link will take you to the Windows Update Control Panel “applet”.

 

A.  On Vista, on the Control Panel App, if you have not enabled Microsoft Update your Control Panel Windows Update screen will look like this and you will see the Get updates for more products link in a yellow highlighted area.  Simply click Get updates for more products, to start the Microsoft Update install and scan process: 

 

 

 

B.  On Windows XP, clicking the above link will take you to the Microsoft Update page.  If Microsoft Update is already enabled you can check to see if you need updates for Windows, other Microsoft programs, or your hardware of devices from this page.  If you have not yet enabled Microsoft update, you will see this page.  Simply click Start now and follow the steps to install Microsoft Update.

 

 

 

      

 

2.       Regardless of your Windows version or your automatic update settings, you can always check for new updates and new software available through Microsoft Update.  If you are a Windows XP user click here:  http://update.microsoft.com/. If you are a Windows Vista user (or Windows 7 Beta user), you can open the Start menu, click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.

 

 

Thank you!

The MU Team




04/14/09--16:58: Office 2007 SP 2 .... coming soon (chan 2091273)

 Hi Folks, Just a heads up that SP2 for Office 2007 will be available soon through MU.  Be sure to check the Office Sustained Engineer team blog for the latest news on SP2 as it becomes available.

thanks,

The MU Team

 

 




04/23/09--18:01: Upcoming Expiration Reminders of Windows XP and Windows Vista SP Blocker Tools (chan 2091273)

 Hi Folks,

Just a reminder, If you have used the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista then make sure you’re prepared for the expiration of the blocker tool. The Windows Vista blocker tool expires on April 28, 2009. The Windows XP SP3 blocker tool expires May 19, 2009.

 

For those of you who haven’t used the blocker tools. They temporarily prevent certain updates or service packs from being offered to a computer through WU. The service pack blockers work for one year after general availability of the service pack. We provide them for business customers who don’t manage software updates using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or our System Center products and solutions.

 

For more information on the Service Pack Blocker Tool, please see the FAQ available through the Springboard Series on TechNet.

 

Thanks,


The MU Team




05/08/09--17:33: Upcoming updates for Windows 7 RC (chan 2091273)

Hi all,

 

Starting on May 12^th, we will begin a verification of some update scenarios on Windows 7 RC (build 7100), similar to the update verification we did for Windows 7 Beta (build 7000). We need to verify the update infrastructure to ensure that when we need to release real updates, the process will run smoothly. There will be at most 10 updates, and as before, they will not deliver any new features or fixes.

 

Many of the updates will install automatically, and a few will not. One of the updates will test a new update notification feature that provides detailed information about available updates that need to be installed manually. Windows 7 RC users will be prompted to install this update and provided more information about this feature –it will not install automatically.

 

Users will need to go to the Windows Update control panel and manually start installation of the updates that don’t install automatically, and the updates will be clearly marked as test updates. Click here, for more information about the Windows 7 Beta update verification process.

 

MU Team




05/08/09--21:17: Windows IE 8.0 Installation (chan 2091273)

Hi All,

We’ve been hearing that there is some confusion with how Windows Internet Explorer 8 is offered through Windows Update (WU) and Automatic Updates (AU), so we thought we’d post a little bit of information regarding this update.

 

WU and AU will not automatically install Internet Explorer 8. It can be installed just like any other interactive update in WU or AU. The update will be offered to you, and you can choose Install, Don’t Install or Ask me later. If you choose Don’t Install then it won’t be actively offered to you again, and it will become an Optional Update which you can manually install at some point in the future.

 

Why is it classified as an Important (or High Priority on XP) Update? This classification is used for updates that protect you from security or privacy threats, significantly improve the reliability of your PC, etc.  There are many new security features in IE8 that protect you while browsing the Web, and this update is offered like other updates that have similar security implications, like the Microsoft Software Removal Toolkit (MSRT). For more information about how we classify updates, please visit the Windows Update Website on microsoft.com.

 

Hope this information is clear!

 

MU Team