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Windows Update broken again?

By | October 10, 2006, 2:25pm PDT

Summary: Two months ago, I documented widespread problems with Microsoft’s update servers. No problem, they said. Everything’s perfectly normal. Today, those same servers are offline and technical teams are “working around the clock” to fix them. Hmmm.

You know, I really hate saying "I told you so" two weeks in a row (last week it was the arrival of the Vista "kill switch"). But maybe Windows Update really is broken:

Microsoft on Tuesday released a slew of patches for Windows and Office, but a glitch prevented the company from pushing the updates out automatically.

The patches, which include critical fixes for both Office and Windows, can be manually downloaded from Microsoft's Web site, and the company said it hopes the more-automated tools will have the patch available later on Tuesday. Microsoft said that its technical teams "have been working around the clock" to solve the updating problems.

"Due to technical difficulties experienced on the Microsoft Update platform, security updates released today are not currently available via Microsoft Update, Automatic Updates, Windows Server Update Services or Windows Update v6," the software maker said.

Two months ago, I wrote, "The more I look, the more I’m convinced that there’s a substantial problem with Microsoft’s update process. But they’re not willing to talk about it."

And now, two months later, a new round of problems.

Hmmm.

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Topics

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications.

Disclosure

Ed Bott

Ed Bott is a freelance technical journalist and book author. All work that Ed does is on a contractual basis.

Since 1994, Ed has written more than 25 books about Microsoft Windows and Office. Along with various co-authors, Ed is completely responsible for the content of the books he writes. As a key part of his contractual relationship with publishers, he gives them permission to print and distribute the content he writes and to pay him a royalty based on the actual sales of those books. Ed's books written prior to fall 2011 have been distributed by Que Publishing (a division of Pearson Education) and by Microsoft Press. As of November 2011, Ed is a partner in the independent publishing company Fair Trade Digital Exchange, which exclusively publishes his books.

On occasion, Ed accepts consulting assignments. In recent years, he has worked as an expert witness in cases where his experience and knowledge of Microsoft and Microsoft Windows have been useful. In each such case, his compensation is on an hourly basis, and he is hired as a witness, not an advocate.

Ed does not own stock or have any other financial interest in Microsoft or any other software company. He owns 500 shares of stock in EMC Corporation, which was purchased before the company's acquisition of VMware. In addition, he owns 350 shares of stock in Intel Corporation, purchased more than two years ago. All stocks are held in retirement accounts for long-term growth.

Ed does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.

Biography

Ed Bott

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications. He's served as editor of the U.S. edition of PC Computing and managing editor of PC World; both publications had monthly paid circulation in excess of 1 million during his tenure. He is the author of more than 25 books on Microsoft Windows and Office, including the recently released Windows 7 Inside Out.

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RE: Windows Update broken again?
beijing2008 14th Sep
Thanks a lot. chanel bags replica
0 Votes
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We need service pack 3 now
zmud 10th Oct 2006
It has been far too long since service pack 2. 61 updates to download after sp2 is way too many. No wonder they are having problems.
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Service pack 3 - you mean Vista? (nt)
bportlock 10th Oct 2006
nt
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crashed my windows xp
risktaker 5th Oct 2007
The microsoft updates two weeks ago crashed my Toshiba P100 laptop. I can boot into vga mode or safe mode. . I downloaded the newest nvidia drivers for the geforce go 7600 video card, but it black screens once you login.It ran perfect before that upgrade. I am going to have to see if a total rebuild will bring it up..
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RE: Windows Update broken again?
beijing2008 14th Sep
Thanks a lot. chanel bags replica
0 Votes
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I had a sports car like that once
Yagotta B. Kidding 10th Oct 2006
Dang thing ran nicely for the two or three hours it wasn't up on blocks. Whatever I fixed, something else would break.

It's now sitting in the garage (where it's been for 15 years) getting tinkered with pending the kids leaving University -- and leaving me enough money to get it a complete end-to-end renovation.
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Old cars
m-nature 10th Oct 2006
You'll get it restored, at which point it will spontaneously catch on fire.

I, too, have had cars that were more of a pet than a vehicle.
0 Votes
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Talkback broken
orcmid 10th Oct 2006
I just lost a comment that kept getting an "Asset key ..." message. I'm too tired to create it over again.
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It was broken earlier today
toadlife 10th Oct 2006
But my WSUS server has the updates now.
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Some perspective please
TonyMcS 10th Oct 2006
Once again you seem to have no idea of the size of Windows Update.

I mean it's OK if ZDnet stuffs up its forums or goes down for a while because (let's face it) there aren't that many people who actually use it compared to the installed base of Windows. It seems to be fine if Blizzard stuffs up their huge user base occasionally (and they are paying $15 per month). Countless other software firms regularly miss updates, go off-line etc.

However, MS who's supplying a free update to just about all the world's computer users, stuffs up and it appears it's the end of the world.

If MS has a delay - fine - at I'm sure they'll fix it.
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Windows Update OK now
ChessCanoe 11th Oct 2006
Windows Update worked fine for me at 23:27 on 2006-10-10 when I manually invoked the service. Looks like the problem was relatively minor.
It took one of the richest companies on Earth a whole day to fix a high priority problem. And it's not as if "Patch Tuesday" caught MS by surprise, either.

The best thing you can say at this point is merely "Windows Update OK for now".
0 Votes
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Message has been deleted.
opensourcepro Updated - 24th Oct 2006
0 Votes
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The Cumulative Effect
Harry Bardal 11th Oct 2006
Windows problems seem to happen at a rate that is identical to
the time it takes to write a blog. More conveniently, in blogland,
the problems do not seem to overlap regardless of whether they
exist concurrently or not.

At no point has the cumulative effect of these problems been
addressed. Whereas the user experiences the effect of cascading
failures, the clue to it's cause lies not in the content of any given
blog, but the laundry list of titles. By itself, each item is an
opportunity for the heroic or magnanimous gesture, a little self
contained "story" with conflict, and at least an attempt at conflict
resolution. Today might require self sacrifice, tomorrow may
require the hero/advocate. All of them conclude or hand off to a
sequel. Their only cosequence is light entertainment.

The blogosphere will trail behind the reality, unable to predict
what will happen, satisfied to turn what has happened into a tidy
morality play. In this way the blogger becomes the ultimate
advocate for the status quo.
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What about zdnet
zzz1234567890 11th Oct 2006
The number of times that users have been unable to post due to some glitch far exceeds the couple of times there has been a glitch at Microsoft website.

How come none of the zdnet bloggers never commented on it I wonder. Hmmmmmm
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Theres the saying
code_Warrior 11th Oct 2006
Dont crap infront of your own house.



But they sure dont mind going to someone elses yard to crap.
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What's broken?
bob3160_z 11th Oct 2006
I've been down for 2 days because Comcast couldn't get their act together and you're worried about a little glitch with MS?
Does it really matter if you wait a few extra hours to get a fix for something that's been broken for years???
Worry about real problems. The little ones (like this one) usually take care of themselves.
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Is it because?
bmgoodman 16th Oct 2006
Didn't you hear that Microsoft's Update Server inexplicably failed the WGA test so it was put into "reduced functionality mode"? wink

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