Restored hyper-V server loses its windows updates

[TwistedHelixis]

Not sure if this is by design but whenever I do a test restore of our DC VM server it does not have any of the Windows updates. Everything else is fine AD, DHCP, DNS etc but when I check the Windows updates it says none have been installed, and if I check update history it also lists none.

 

This is on a 2012r2 host + vm client using Windows backup.

 

Is this normal?

[TwistedHelixis]

Just realized that if I go to uninstall an update they all get listed, so they are installed

[Chuckster]

This is also the same when you restore a VM in ESXi. Not really sure why this occurs but, as you've realised yourself, the updates do appear installed in the Programs and Features.

[TwistedHelixis]

Thanks, will not worry to much about it then.

Do they ever come back?

[3s-gtech]

This will happen if the SoftwareDistribution folder gets emptied, which can be done manually by stopping the Windows Update service and deleting the files within. Does no harm really, just means you lose the history.

[DMcCoy]

The answer:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToSnapshot

 

Which I didn't actually look at before, and just noticed VSS backup/snapshot will exclude ost files! (At least mine does with Office installed)