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Windows 7 messed up from December updates


foxzzy

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Anyone know why Windows 7 is so messed up after the December 2019 updates?

I know microsoft is trying to get eveyone onto10. but, to screw up an OS to do it is un-called for..

It's the same thing on 6 different computers - all act in different ways when booting up - sometimes

they make it - other times they don"t.

I know, it can;t be just me - so, anyone got any suggestions as to how to fix this weird ordeal?

Thanks..

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When it boots up - the icons will not show on the screen - mouse pointer just circles continuously - never works,

If I restore back to november updates all is fine - so it has to do with the december updates..

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Restore to november state, with the internet disconnected, disable automatic updates, then reconnect the internet and keep the machines like that, for the time being. Or use just one of them to find out which file(s) are the culprit, step by step.

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I've not had any problem with the December updates on either of my two Win7 64bit machines.

I was offered three 'important' updates initially:  KB4530734 (Monthly QR), KB4533095 (.NET Framework) and the usual Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (WMSR Tool). I only installed the first two late on the 11th December 2019. It made two PC restarts as is fairly normal for any updates that include .NET Framework ones. That was the only thing of note.

The WMSR Tool I normally install without thinking about it but this month I've had a run in with MS over the anti-virus definitions used by MSE and Defender which out of the blue started reporting the third party system monitoring tool: Process Hacker 2 (PH2) as a high threat. I guessed the WMSR Tool might take it upon itself to try to remove PH2 too so I hid the update and won't use it ever again.

After I'd installed the first two updates successfully I was surprised to get an immediate, small additional 'important' update offered:  KB4531786 (Stack Update). That installed successfully* without a required restart but I noticed next day on cold boot that I had a "...configuring your system..." message, usually present when Windows updates are being installed, before the PC booted to the login screen.

Also soon after the boot my system fans spun up and, ironically using PH2, it reported as I expected high CPU use caused by a Windows Trusted Module Installer process running. That is typical after any Windows updates and it stopped, as usual, after a few minutes. However I was suspicious so I checked all the usual places for MS having sneaked a telemetry gathering scheduled task onto my PC but nothing was found and I've had no indications of anything amiss since.

BTW I did check before those Windows monthly updates installs, as I've done for years now, for reports of problems. After waiting over 24hrs there were none so I was happy to go ahead and do it. However this report of trouble here is not the first I've come across since:-

https://appuals.com/kb4530734-causes-reboot-loop/

I should mention that long ago I'd opted out of the MS "....experience...." reporting and disabled three MS telemetry gathering tasks they still tried to foist on me. As a result I've not had prompts about the Win7 EOS since. Whether there is any connection between this and the problems reported by other I have no idea but I thought I should add this information in case it is relevant.

* I should have checked before install but assumed the stack update was a normal part of the monthly updates and therefore safe but only later did I look for information about it. I was surprised it suggested installing it prior to any of the cumulative monthly updates! It was not being offered before I installed those other two so there was something odd going on.

Could it have been a quick release fix for these reported problems?

Why my two Win7 PCs have had no problem with KB4530734 I won't guess, but I provide the information I have in the hope it might help identify the cause of the problem.

My thought is that if the stack update was a quick fix it might be worth trying installing that first manually before trying to install the KB4530734 Monthly QR again.  

EDIT

Found this later which suggests you should have two other updates installed first apart from KB4530734: KB4490628 and KB4474419. I've just checked and I have both of these too.

So if you do not have them, again, install all three first. 

 

 

Edited by WalksInSilence
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3 hours ago, WalksInSilence said:

The WMSR Tool I normally install without thinking about it but this month I've had a run in with MS over the anti-virus definitions used by MSE and Defender which out of the blue started reporting the third party system monitoring tool: Process Hacker 2 (PH2) as a high threat. I guessed the WMSR Tool might take it upon itself to try to remove PH2 too so I hid the update and won't use it ever again.

At VirusTotal the Microsoft engine does not detect the Process Hacker setup file, but various other engines do - and twice as many engines detect 2.39 as 2.38. Perhaps you should have more faith in your chosen antimalware solution. This is probably OT since OP never mentioned Process Hacker 2, but OP does use MSE.

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I really just mentioned the Process Hacker 2 issue as an aside. I did not think that the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool possibly deleting PH2 is directly or otherwise related to the OP's problem. I still don't but, apparently, WMSRT itself maybe involved..........................................................

Mcinwwl ^^ link is not about the December updates but a report about a problem with last month's (November) stack update KB 4523206 which seems to have caused problem for some users as well. If you follow the links from AskWoody the WMSRT (MSRT = Malicious Software Removal Tool) is being blamed for some of the November update issues. Not for Win7 users specifically but still possibly relevant.

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/d1a9bf15-99e9-458f-b942-e387308ad1a6/windows-server-2012-stuck-in-reboot-loop-8220configuring-updates-stage-2-of-4quot?forum=winserver8gen

The solution for that problem if encountered seems to be booting into Safe Mode then rebooting normally.

Maybe I dodged a bullet by not installing WMSRT this and last month as I've just checked and for some reason the last WMSRT shown installed on either of my Win7 PCs is the October one. Could be I've been freakishly lucky.     

 

 

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2 hours ago, WalksInSilence said:

Mcinwwl ^^ link is not about the December updates but a report about a problem with last month's (November) stack update KB 4523206 which seems to have caused problem for some users as well.

So I've read it like 3 times and ignored "November" in title? Shame on me.

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