back to article Microsoft pulls another dodgy patch

Another Patch Update Tuesday, another red face for Microsoft, which has again been forced to pull a patch to prevent nasty side-effects. Explained at TechNet, the patch that aimed to add “SHA-2 Hashing” to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 has instead raised some concerns among Redmond's customers. The company is therefore …

  1. Oliver Mayes

    So, is this why my machine bricked itself after last weeks update?

    1. Anthony 13

      How do you ever know???? My WHS (Server 2008 R2) bricked itself too - I saw it was waiting for an update - BOOM - wouldn't boot the next day... oh crap. Coincidence? I don't know - I'm too incompetent to work it out - I guess it serves me right for keep putting off the backup of the OS drive...

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Microsoft are not alone in this, the moral of the story,

    Update at your own peril, and wait for someone else to beta test the release before you jump.

  3. hplasm
    Devil

    Tuesday

    Is dustbin day...

  4. Captain DaFt

    Make a week of it!

    Anxiety Monday

    Update Tuesday

    WTF!? Wednesday

    Uninstall Thursday

    Finally running Friday

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: Make a week of it!

      I bow in humility. That was masterful. I regret that I have but one upvote to give.

  5. Zippy's Sausage Factory
    Linux

    My girlfriend's computer borked because of this. Blue screen loop. Nasty. In the end, tried to reinstall from my Win 8 Pro image, which is the only one we have (recovery disks? Only pirates want those, surely?). MS wanted to charge us 166€ just to get a licence key that would probably have borked again. So she's running kubuntu now.

    1. Andy Non Silver badge

      Ditto that.

      My Windows 8.1 laptop got stuck a few months ago in a never ending attempt to run Windows update / failing to update loop; leaving the computer un-patchable. I ended up wiping the hard drive and installing Kubuntu. Can't say I miss Windows 8.1. and won't be going back to using any Microsoft products, despite being a DOS+Windows application developer for the last thirty odd years. I'm now looking into developing applications for Linux instead, having become more and more disillusioned and fed up with Microsoft over the years.

      1. wdmot

        Re: Ditto that.

        @Andy - I'd love to switch to Linux but I haven't found a flavour that actually works with my 2006 HP laptop. Some won't install (don't like the hard drive), some will install but then not boot (although I can get a non-graphical terminal), and others will install and boot but then lock up the machine (or perhaps go into a very high CPU usage so that the machine is unresponsive). Seems like a graphics driver issue but I don't know how to resolve it. The machine works fine with XP (came with media center edition) but I don't have install media and want to put a larger hard drive in...

    2. leexgx

      windows 8 key is baked into the UEFI BIOS (unless you paid for windows 8 and installed it your self) you just need the right version that came with your laptop it self activates, if you install windows 8/8.1 and it asks for a Key after its installed you installed the incorrect version and there is a recovery built in any way just force it off 2-3 times until it gets you into the windows troubleshoot GUI

      there are 2 versions 8 and 8.1 (some new laptops are still coming with windows 8 installed that can then be upgraded for free to 8.1 but you must use a windows 8 OEM install disk/USB not retail disk/USB)

      1. frank ly

        @leexgx

        As you say. What could be simpler and easier to sort out that that? It's almost intuitive.

      2. Michael Thibault
        Headmaster

        @leexgx

        That was as clear as mud--possibly a function of your being so parsimonious with punctuation.

      3. Zippy's Sausage Factory

        The key we've got. The media? Not so much.

    3. Michael B.

      This patch was for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008R2 so it wouldn't have been this that caused it.

      1. Gordon 11

        This patch was for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008R2
        It was KB2949927, which seemed to need BitLocker activated to install. So it failed to install for me. Sounds like this failure was a bonus.

  6. chivo243 Silver badge
    Windows

    2nd Tuesday?

    We wait until 3rd Wednesday to do the nasty with WU. Gives a week to see how patches and updates affect the bleeding edge world.

  7. Hans 1
    Windows

    There are other updates reportedly causing issues this month, including KB2984972 (breaks App-V packages) and KB2995388 (causing issues with VMware workstation).

    Just sayin'

    Source: http://windowsitpro.com/security/kb2949927-may-have-been-pulled

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ever heard of a phased implementation?

    Week 1 - select test machine from various depts. and types (laptop / desktop)

    Week 2 - rest of PCs / laptops and some test servers - ones that are easy to replace in case of FUBAR

    Week 3 - rest of background servers

    Week 4 - Domain controllers - performed over 3 days to allow for extra FUBAR.

    Not had any great problems since this was implemented.

  9. Steve Kerr

    Borked my PC

    Ran windows update, reboot "Windows cannot start", tried to recover, failed.

    Reinstalled Win7, added patches, all 400 odd, reboot, failed.

    Reinstalled Win7, added patches, all 400 odd, failed, recovered to pre-400 patches, reinstalled, failed, reinstalled 120 patches.

    FFS - 2 days of my life wasted.

    Now to find the license keys for the stuff that was there.

    1. AlbertH
      Linux

      Re: Borked my PC

      My time's too valuable to waste fighting faulty software. That's why I stopped using anything from

      Microsoft over 20 years ago!

      Remember - Microsoft have NEVER released any product that works properly!

      1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

        Re: Borked my PC

        "Remember - Microsoft have NEVER released any product that works properly!"

        Neither has anyone else. *shrug*

        Everything requires patches. Microsoft make good - even great - software. They also make real stinkers. Windows itself is more the former than the latter.

        Wake me when Wayland/Weston are baked, we have a FreeRDP server baked into the distro and someone has taken systemd, gnome 3 and unity out back and done the needful. Then we can really move beyond Windows.

  10. JeffyPoooh
    Pint

    "Failed to install"

    I see this all the time. Usually one update per batch fails to install. Even with default settings of what to install. Next time through it either succeeds, or it decides it wasn't required in the first place. Silly.

    This happens with fairly fresh-install machines. Not some old disease-ridden junk.

    Perhaps I'm clicking it wrong.

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: "Failed to install"

      Track the KB numbers. 94% of the time the reason a patch fails to install is because some other patch in the group either superseded it or stepped on files this update round that the patch-that-won't-install needed to step on.

      The other 5% of the time it's because something buggered your ACLs and you need to use subinacl to reset everything.

      1% of the time is a goddamned mystery.

  11. tempemeaty
    Facepalm

    I couldn't help it but...

    I may have to start referring to "Update Tuesday" as "Update Disasterday™"

    1. Ken Hagan Gold badge

      Re: I couldn't help it but...

      What about "Backtrack Wednesday Eve"?

  12. JaitcH
    Unhappy

    New Update? Wait EIGHT days and read the tech news sources.

    We never install ANYTHING until 8 days has lapsed.

    Problem is with Adobe, they seem to update almost daily.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    http://www.aidanfinn.com/?p=16980

  14. JustWondering
    Happy

    No problem here!

    One of the advantages of still running XP: no updates.

  15. JustWondering
    Happy

    No wonder

    After Tuesday the calendar says WTF.

    1. beep54

      Re: No wonder

      Ooo, good one!

    2. tempemeaty

      Re: No wonder

      Hahaha. Awesome.

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