Uninstall These Windows Patches NOW! - Comments Page 5

Thanks Bob for this update and for the other ones through the years. If it wasn't for your expertise in the world of technology I would probably still be a key punch operator.

Thank you!!! Found and uninstalled the two patches that were on my computer. What would we do without you!

I have a friend has this problem and for the last few days has not been able to get his computer to boot. What's the next step. Is Microsoft taking resposibility and helping people get it fixed?

I only have 2982791 and IT WON'T DELETE. I keep getting an error message after it hangs a while. I called Dell Support, and they spent two hours trying to delete it while taking remote control of my computer; they tried doing something with fonts. They couldn't delete it either, and I don't have a system restore point earlier than the date of installation. "An error has occurred. Not all of the updates were successfully uninstalled." I am about to move and can't afford a crash.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Try this from a Command prompt:
delete C:\Windows\System32\FNTCACHE.DAT.

I found out my present computer is 64bit. It runs Windows7 and I have had it for 5 months. It's set for automatic updates. I went very carefully through the list of installed updates but could not find any of the numbers that you had listed, Bob. Two were very similar (July 9--KB2972280 and KB 2973351) but not an exact match. Should I keep checking or do you think I have been lucky enough to be missed by this plague?

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you don't see them now, you're fine.

I have Windows Update set for "check for updates but let me choose". It still installed those updates.

I wasn't aware this had happened until a few days ago when I needed to shut off my computer due to a lightning storm. Shutdown was delayed due to "installing updates".

My computer is running Windows Vista. For the past year it refuses to do Windows Updates. I have tried various measures to no avail. It will just not do Windows Updates. As you can well imagine this is very frustrating. What I have decided to do is a complete backup of data and do a fresh install of Windows 7. And I must emphasize that I have tried to problem solve this issue but have not been successful. The wheel spins and nothing happens for days!

Bob, I'm hoping you can clarify my confusion. I checked my computer and it says my system is 64 bit. However, the updates that have been installed are all specified as the 32 bit version. I thought 64 and 32 bits had to be consistent.

What does this mean? I can't find the update numbers you warned against, so maybe I have no problems?

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can have a 64-bit PC running 32-bit Windows. Perhaps that's the case. Go to My Computer, and then click Properties. If you DO NOT see "x64 Edition" listed, then you're running a 32-bit version of Windows XP.

Wow Bob, just wow. I've been running windows 8.1 64 bit with automatic updates activated on 3 networked computers for some time now and only found one of them to have one of the flawed patches (KB2982791). I count myself somewhere between tech savvy and risk taking average user pleb and have been using Windows operating systems as long as I can remember and while I have used other operating systems I've become used to Windows interface and much like an old dog, won't change my ways. What I find odd is that I haven't encountered the flaws you write of in any of the Windows forums I occasionally visit. In any event, thank you for your stewardship.

Thank you for the info; only had one of them.

Thanks Bob,
Found one of the offending updates and uninstalled it.

Never EVER put Windows updates on automatic!
To do so is flirting with disaster!

EDITOR'S NOTE: I've run with updates on Auto since it was made available in 2000, and never had a problem. Unless you are very diligent and somewhat techy, you should do the same.

Microsoft installed them. Why can't they uninstall them if necessary?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Good question. My best guess is that they can issue a new patch to fix the problem, and will do so when they've got it ready and and fully tested. In the mean time, it's best to take proactive action.

I uninstalled the two updates I found for my Win7 64bit system. It had a restart to do to finish uninstalling, while it was reconfiguring windows (do not turn off) I let it go for 45 minutes at 30%. I did a reset and tried to get it to start in safe mode. But instead it decided to finish reconfiguring windows. Anyone else have that problem? And besides that I had no problems with the updates before, so Bob, are you absolutely certain that we needed to uninstall them?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, that is Microsoft's advice.

Thanks so much Bob

I found one installed on my computer (KB2982791)and the same one set to be installed on my husband's.

I am not savvy enough to understand all this, but your easy instructions save me all the time.

Bravo!

Is it certain that this only affects 64-bit Windows? My 32-bit Windows 7 refused to boot following a big Update on 22nd July (I had been away for 4 weeks prior to that). Worse still it had done a system backup after the Update so that would not work either. I had to completely reinstall.

Thank you, Bob. After a diligent search, nothing turned up. I also used Everything, a free search app, to look, and it found nothing. I looked for some installed patches and it found them immediately. Yes, that quick.

I am most grateful for your advice Bob. I had been having a recent problem that had been puzzling me, with graphics not showing in Thunderbird. After following your instructions I can now see html emails in all their glory again.

Thank you Bob! Mine were installed 8/16 on my Windows 7 machine, and immediately thereafter I could not boot.

To add insult to injury, I thought I'd take it into my local shop to have them fix whatever was wrong...called them and got a phone message they had gone out of business.

So I was really desperate for it to come back on. I monkeyed around and somehow got it to reboot. Spent the day doing critical backups.

My system has been acting like normal since then, but I was waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Then your article came out today, and explains all.

Thank you again. Can't tell you how vulnerable MS makes me feel, it's really great to have someone such as yourself in the user's corner.

Thanks Bob... I found two of those four updates were installed back on the 14th and for the first time I had experience four unexpected crashes just since Friday. I'm hoping that these updates were reason for those crashes... I've now uninstalled those two updates and now its a 'wait and see'...