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Windows Update disaster - recovery help, please!

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rjbull:
The story, continued:

Now having a working PC again, I tried Stoic Joker's idea of testing the updates one by one.  I got into a mess...  I uninstalled at least one update using Uninstall rather than going back to a restore point.  The same problems as before occurred, only now I didn't seem to have a restore point I could go back to, to correct things.  So I was left with having to restore a disk image.  This was heart-in-mouth, because I hadn't done it before, and because TeraByte Image for DOS (IFD) reported an error.  I had to say, just keep going, and eventually got things back as they were.  Of course now I'm worried that the error will come back to bite me.  IFD didn't say what kind of error.

I'm now left with a dilemma.  If I don't install (some of) the updates, I may have a security hole.  If I do install them, I have a high risk of Windows destroying itself.  Not a happy choice, is it?  If a similar disaster happens again, I might consider starting from scratch with a shrink-wrapped copy of Win7.  No guarantee of avoiding another Update from Hell, but the OS is generally said to be better, so may as well get that benefit.  But reinstalling all those programs and data would not be fun.

While the main laptop has been waiting attention, I got a quick look at the Web with my old Win98 laptop, but it's getting long in the tooth.  Or rather, the OS is.  I'd guess the hardware is still good for a while.  So I need to think about some kind of backup machine for e-mail and Web stuff, maybe a netbook or other cheap laptop.

I subscribed to the Windows Secrets newsletter.  I searched their archive but couldn't immediately see any comments on the updates I think might have been responsible.  I was disappointed that the first one didn't come as an e-mail newsletter rather than a link to a Web page, especially as it doesn't even contain a contents list or synopsis, other than the title.  I'd rather minimize the effort of checking the integrity of updates, something we should be able to take for granted.

Thanks for all the suggestions.  Wouldn't it be nice if we had computers that just worked...

cyberdiva:
I agree that it's not always easy to find the update information you need from Windows Secrets, especially if you're trying to find it after a while rather than at the time the updates were first issued.  But perhaps if you post the KB numbers of the updates you've got questions about, some of the folks here might be able to provide help. 

Curt:
I don't understand why you keep updating Vista, it is not being updated with new features or anything really important. If you security programs are good, you need not to update Vista at all.

rjbull:
I don't understand why you keep updating Vista, it is not being updated with new features or anything really important. If you security programs are good, you need not to update Vista at all.-Curt (July 24, 2011, 04:52 PM)
--- End quote ---

I've been wondering myself, as I run Online Armor firewall with HIPS, and F-Prot AV. 

There's slightly more to the updates, as can be seen from the screenshot of what Vista thinks I should install.  E.g., IE 9.  I'm somewhat surprised by the update system, as I've already hidden a security update for PowerPoint 2007, that Vista had failed repeatedly to install.  That's probably because I don't have 2007 (that I know of...) as I have Office 2010.  Yet, Vista doesn't automatically mark SP1 for Office 2010.

I've marked the two updates that I think gave me problems.  Suppose I ought to look for any reports from anyone else...

cyberdiva:
I haven't been able to find out anything about the second one you list, but the first one, KB2507938, has been on Windows Secrets' Install list since mid-July.  Hope that helps.

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