Re: OT(windows updates and patches)
- From: "Norman L. DeForest" <af380@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 03:37:53 -0300
On 25 Oct 2005, badgolferman wrote:
> yar, 10/25/2005, 1:16:34 PM,
> <dcosl1t92ues9fsia436qcnh0b0il0i3ts@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > this is a little off topic ,but i respect the opinion of those that
> > post here. is windows updates and patches a good thing? i see all
> > sorts of problems that are generated for users by doing this. the
> > solutions are just about as bad. in fact everything that MS does seems
> > to be very , how should i put it......not done very well.
>
> I administer 30+ computers at work and am required to install patches
> and updates Microsoft releases. In the 5 years I have been doing this
> on W2K and WXP machines I have only had a problem on two computers.
> One was my own, which has so many installations and registry tweaks
> that I would expect something like that to happen more often.
I have had two problems with updates, both easily solved:
1. One update changed some of my settings back to the default ones,
including changing the Windows swap file back to my overcrowded[1]
C: drive again, causing Windows to slow to a crawl (15 minutes to
open something, 3 hours for shutdown). Changing the swap file
back to my D: drive fixed things.
2. One update broke Windows Updates. The Start menu item no longer
works. (I think they hardwired in the wrong hostname or something
like that.) Setting Microsoft's Windows Update page as IE's home
page and just launching IE for updates works. (With rare exceptions,
I use Firefox, Opera or Lynx for browsing.)
>
> In my opinion you are better off installing patches -- mostly for
> security reasons. If you have problems after installing it is related
> to other software or hardware drivers on your computer. Regardless,
> keep track of what you are installing and if necessary you can always
> uninstall it from the Add/Remove Programs applet unless it is one of
> thse that you can't uninstall of course.
Indeed.
[1] Rant: Why do so many programs have installation routines that
installs automatically on drive C: without asking you where you
want it to install. The latest software guilty of that was the
Real Player plugin for Firefox needed to display something I wanted
to see. 22 [bleep]ing megabytes downloaded with a 14.4 modem and
it finally announced that it couldn't install because there was
insufficient room on my C: drive. I would have to uninstall half
the software on that drive (most of which also gave me no choice of
installation location) to make room and then download the Real Player
extension all over again. I like the installation procedure for
Alchemy Mindworks GIF Construction Set.[2] No hidden registry tweaks.
No fuss. Just unzip to the directory of your choice and create the
shortcuts you want. To uninstall, just drag the directory (assuming
only GIFCon was put there) into the Recycle Bin (a toilet on my
system).
[2] http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~af380/Tips.html#Tip020
--
Norman De Forest http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~af380/Profile.html
"> Is there anything Spamazon DOESN'T sell?
Clues. The market's too small to justify the effort."
-- Stuart Lamble in the scary devil monastery, Fri, 13 May 2005
.
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