WinXP Pro SP1+, Win Update never has updates for me?

[JETninja]

Howdy all,

I have always made a point of uses Windows Update manually, I usually go there about 2-3 times a month since my old Win98 Days. Been using WinXP for almost 2 years now. Last system build I installed it again (XP Pro) with SP1+ updates. I run behind a Router the last couple months (D-Link 614+) I have noticed the last couple months when ever I go to Windows Update, I never see any updates. Over that amount of time, usually at least a few Critical Updates show up, and with Blaster out I figured I would see the patch. Nothing there still. I verified I am not running "Auto Update".

The timing sorta coincides with the router install, could it be blocking something? Win Update never says it has a problem, just that it has no updates for me.

I also have stopped some processes from loading, could there be a needed process for Win Update to work properly?

Any help appriciated, Thanks!

 

[bozo1]

Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options. Click the Languages tab. Make sure something is defined in there.

 

[SnailBoy]

It's not that bad . . . honestly, why would you WANT to voluntarily send usuage and personal info to microsoft on a regular basis? Seems like a rather unbalanced exchange rate : 1 human soul/ 33 critical updates. Anyway, WU is notorious for incorrectly judging what you have/need, so it's best to just download the patches yourself if you're after something specific.

 

[bacillus]

Originally posted by: bozo1
Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options. Click the Languages tab. Make sure something is defined in there.

also make sure your using the correct date & year!

 

[spyordie007]

Originally posted by: SnailBoy
It's not that bad . . . honestly, why would you WANT to voluntarily send usuage and personal info to microsoft on a regular basis? Seems like a rather unbalanced exchange rate : 1 human soul/ 33 critical updates. Anyway, WU is notorious for incorrectly judging what you have/need, so it's best to just download the patches yourself if you're after something specific.

Also dont listen to this guy, he decided to forgo alowing Microsoft to "see his IP address" only to visit their website anyways without realizing that ANY WEBSITE YOU VISIT CAN VIEW YOUR IP ADDRESS. At this point he is probably propogating a number of viruses and worms such as the W32.Blaster RPC exploit worm because he missed a number of important windows updates.

 

[JETninja]

Thanks Guys! I'll check it out tonight when I get home, I knew something was strange..only in a perfect world would there be no Updates from MS over a period of a couple months....

 

[SnailBoy]

Also dont listen to this guy, he decided to forgo alowing Microsoft to "see his IP address" only to visit their website anyways without realizing that ANY WEBSITE YOU VISIT CAN VIEW YOUR IP ADDRESS. At this point he is probably propogating a number of viruses and worms such as the W32.Blaster RPC exploit worm because he missed a number of important windows updates.

Two words, my friend : Service Packs. I put on SP4 more than a month ago and didn't have to worry about nasty RPC vulns and such - while you were downloading patches at windowsupdate yesterday. And no, thanks, I'm not propagating worms thanks the fact that i'm not a complete fool and instead read sites that link critical updates, and directly download those, instead of letting WU decide what to patch my system with. In my eight year expirience with Windows, i've never had a single infection - thanks to handy common sense (don't use IE, don't use Outlook, don't open suspicious files. They teach you this on CBS, for godsake).

As far as the matter IP addresses are concerned, you surely take me for even more of a fool, because i was not talking about my IP address (which I don't care about, as it's dynamic anyway), but rather the other manifested reams of info WU sends off - lists of third-party drivers, programs that I have installed that WU DOESN'T EVEN HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH, and God knows what else. Nothing personal, but I'd rather preform a simple HTTP transaction as opposed to sending this stuff to Microsoft : it's none of their business.

Before you attack someone next time, follow this handy list of instuctions :
1) Make SURE you understand what the other party is saing.
2) No, really, make sure you know.
3) Make sure you know exactly what you're talking about before you go around preporting yourself to be an expert in everything.

 

[JETninja]

Hmmmm.....I use WinXP. No SP4 yet......(Win2K at work....only SP3..oh well)

I use and Love IE(also Moz), and OL. (not express) I don't get spam at home cause I keep that address private. (got 4 other email address for the rest of the world) I'm on broadband the last 3 years, just got a router 3 months ago. I'm on most everynight playing my online games...never been infected either. That's what ZA & XP FW, NSW, AAW and Spybot are for.....allows me to live dangerously!

I don't have time to troll every security website. I do enough to stay reasonably informed. Works for me.

And you should know with only 12 posts to your credit, you'll always get jumped on a bit, it's one of those funny things about forums...

 

[spyordie007]

SP4 does not include the fix for the RPC vulnerability.

The Windows Update site does allow for them to view the Plug and Play ID numbers of hardware devices along with the Windows version Language and IE version. It does not collect personally identifying information (name, location, etc.). This means that after I run Windows Update they know that some user visited their site with Windows XP, IE6, a P4 CPU and a Nvidia Video card (what an odd combination). None of which I am terribly concerned about (after all I do list what hardware I'm running on my rigs page, the link is below and you know my location so you know more about me now than Microsoft will from Windows Update). Windows Update does look at the versions of some software you are running (not all software) to determine if there are updates for that software (which MS includes in the WU catalog).

In theory just directly downloading all the patches you need is an ideal way to go about patching your system, unfortunetly it's very hard for most end users to ensure that they have all the updates available. This is why every recent operating system has a way to identify the updates that are available and download/install them for you (yes even most Linux distros have this), it's not rocket science it's just good practice.

I agree in that "just because Windows Update says so" isnt a good idea to install something, fortunetly you can always pick which ones you really want to install.

Useless numbered list:
1. READ ME NOW!
2. refer back to item 1
3. Maybe I am an expert on everything

 

[SnailBoy]

We're not talking about end users, now are we?

Oh, and SP4 for Win2k does fix the RPC bug.

Thanks for the lecture, spyboy. I'm more informed now of . . . something.

 

[Kilrsat]

Originally posted by: SnailBoy
We're not talking about end users, now are we?

Oh, and SP4 for Win2k does fix the RPC bug.

Thanks for the lecture, spyboy. I'm more informed now of . . . something.

Win2k SP4 - released 6/26/2003

Patch to fix current RPC exploit - released 7/16/2003

Wow, SP4 must have traveled into the future to include this fix.

SP4 fixes a few other known RPC exploits (there was one back in March that could cause similiar symptoms to the current one), but it does not contain the fix needed to stop the current "Blaster" style exploit

 

[SnailBoy]

This is the part where the thread ends, yes?

 

[Kilrsat]

Originally posted by: SnailBoy
This is the part where the thread ends, yes?

Yes, you understand that you were wrong, so the thread can end with the correct information being known.

 

[SnailBoy]

Ta dah!

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: SnailBoy
It's not that bad . . . honestly, why would you WANT to voluntarily send usuage and personal info to microsoft on a regular basis? Seems like a rather unbalanced exchange rate : 1 human soul/ 33 critical updates. Anyway, WU is notorious for incorrectly judging what you have/need, so it's best to just download the patches yourself if you're after something specific.

well yes, if you think your soul consists of various bits of data regarding the computer you use...

so tell me, how is the information collected by WU going to harm me if in the hands of MS?

 

[JETninja]

Originally posted by: bozo1
Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options. Click the Languages tab. Make sure something is defined in there.

Bozo! You Da Man! That was it....strange, wonder how it lost it? Just added US English...Bud Da Bing!

So I am busy, lots of updates, weeding through them picking the needed ones.....never take them all!

Thanks again!

 

[Pilsnerpete]

fvckin hilarious! Bozo 1 for ELITE!!!

 

[SnailBoy]

Originally posted by: gopunk

so tell me, how is the information collected by WU going to harm me if in the hands of MS?

I assume here that you like being part of every marketing database you can possibly be added to. Is it really so hard to even conceive for you that WU might be a bad thing in some way? Or is this just some sort of residual anti-snail sentiment?

That's cool. Us snails have been fighting racial prejudice for a long time. And now is the time for us to rise up against our oppressors, the weilders of Salt Shakers, and boldly seek our God-given freedom! For why must we toil for nothing all these long years, toil for nothing but having our little slime trails whiped off surfaces, while our children are stepped on and our immediate family and possibly some of their friends are eaten?

Nay, again I say we must rise up!, and boldly go forward! And let not using Windows Update be our proud flag! Rally to me, oh ye snails of Earth! Rally round our banner and be free!

 

[spyordie007]

you go slugbait, er snailboy...
Here is your cookie :cookie;

EDIT: Damn, still no cookie emoticon