Patch tuesday 14/05 win7 updates problem

[browolf]

Have had a number of windows 7 laptops that get stuck preparing updates after this week's patches or stuck in an updating/reverting loop, or say please wait indefinitely.

 

One windows crashed that we tried cold rebooting.

 

Tried to fix it with patch cleaner PatchCleaner - safely clean your windows installer directory | homedev - software development out of the box

 

to delete obsolete updates. One laptop with this problem had 32GB of obsolete updates.

 

Unclear how much that helped

 

Managed to fix this one after hours of waiting, cold booting to safe mode with network support, updates appeared to go through, a reboot then stuck on "please wait" for an hour, then it went to the logon screen and it seems fine.

 

a possible fix is

 

cold boot when it's stuck preparing updates

boot into safemode to for updates to complete. log on.

reboot

leave it on "please wait" for however long it takes. - might be hours.

Edited May 16, 2019 by browolf

[Ertech]

Anyone else experiencing the same issue?

[themightymrp]

Missed your post about this today. Yes we've had issues. It hit approx 100 of our Windows 7 devices, the rest were fine.

 

Not sure which update causes the error. I've had to do a system restore on each one to make it work. The bulk of machine just reset themselves during the Windows 7 splash screen during loading and got stuck in a loop. Some would get as far as a logon screen but would sit on 'Welcome' forever if you tried to login. Another wasted day sorting update errors. I can only imagine that the monthly rollup included some of the bits that gave me nightmares last month!

[pantscat]

Are you guys running Sophos by any chance?

[themightymrp]

Yep. But the fixit from last month that Sophos mentioned (add the Sophos folder in Program files to the on-access scanning exception) is deployed throughout the school thanks to Sophos pushing that out.

 

Is there something else I should know?

[pantscat]

Nothing much to add other than we've observed the same issue - seems to be caused by KB4499164.

[themightymrp]

What have you been doing to get around it? Removing the update?

[pantscat]

Marking the update as "Approved for uninstall" in WSUS and then using our RMM tool to remove the update.

[Chrisbf1]

i thought the update that caused the Sophos issue was kb4493472, not another one !!!

[themightymrp]

It was that update last time, I'm guessing whatever was in it is also in this May one. @pantscat - I assume your machines are at least getting as far as a logon screen then? As the bulk of ours just got stuck in a reboot cycle.

[pantscat]

@themightymrp - we've seen both - some machines stuck in a loop, then it's a case of booting to safe mode and removing the update. Other machines have just been stuck on "applying updates" for a couple of hours before finally getting to a logon screen.

[themightymrp]

I can confirm that KB4499164 seems to be the problem. Do we think MS are forcing people onto Win 10 by screwing up 7????

[keyboards]

Yeah we've had a few machines with that issue here, restored to an earlier date and bizzarely they seem to have updated fine after.

[browolf]

I can confirm that KB4499164 seems to be the problem. Do we think MS are forcing people onto Win 10 by screwing up 7????

 

I thought we could uninstall that update in the installed updates section of add/remove programs but only dot net and office updates are listed.....

[themightymrp]

You should be able to see them, I can? I wish it wasn't so random for which machines it hit this time. i can't see any pattern. Had a few more this morning that I hadn't managed to block in time I hope this doesn't become a monthly thing!

[keyboards]

Yeah we've just been hit randomly, worst bit being someone who likes a moan who seems to think we've done something! Edited May 17, 2019 by keyboards

[browolf]

You should be able to see them, I can? I wish it wasn't so random for which machines it hit this time. i can't see any pattern. Had a few more this morning that I hadn't managed to block in time I hope this doesn't become a monthly thing!

 

I think patch cleaner must have had something to do with it but

 

this works : wusa /uninstall kb:KB4499164

Edited May 17, 2019 by browolf

[themightymrp]

That would work if my machines booted far enough I can't get them to safe mode even. I think I'm done now at least with it being set to remove via WSUS and I've fixed those machines this morning which had picked it up before I blocked it.

 

So strange that about 75% of computers installed it without issue? Wish I knew what the problem was!

[pantscat]

"wusa /uninstall /kb:4499164 /quiet"

 

This should help if you can't find the update in add/remove programs...

[browolf]

"wusa /uninstall /kb:4499164 /quiet"

 

This should help if you can't find the update in add/remove programs...

 

That also didn't work on some but this works

 

download the patch from : https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4499164

 

wusa /uninstall

[Ertech]

Could be something to do with Sophos...

 

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-may-hang-for-sophos-users-after-installing-may-updates/

 

https://windowsreport.com/kb4499175-kb4499164/

[themightymrp]

Do we think Microsoft and Sophos might decide to communicate in future to actually test these updates before they release them?

[browolf]

this script will hide the update

 

Set updateSession = CreateObject("Microsoft.Update.Session")
updateSession.ClientApplicationID = "MSDN Sample Script"

'Get update title to search for

updateTitle = "2019-05 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB4499164)"
WScript.Echo vbCRLF & "Searching for: " & updateTitle 
Set updateSearcher = updateSession.CreateupdateSearcher()

'Search for all software updates, already installed and not installed
Set searchResult = updateSearcher.Search("Type='Software'")
Set updateToInstall = CreateObject("Microsoft.Update.UpdateColl")
updateIsApplicable = False

'Cycle through search results to look for the update title
For i = 0 To searchResult.Updates.Count-1
  Set update = searchResult.Updates.Item(i)
  If UCase(update.Title) = UCase(updateTitle) Then
  'Update in list of applicable updates 
  'Determine if it is already installed or not
     If update.IsInstalled = False Then
        WScript.Echo vbCRLF & "Result: Update applicable, not installed."
        updateIsApplicable = True
 update.IsHidden = True      
Else 
        'Update is installed so notify user and quit
        WScript.Echo vbCRLF & _
        "Result: Update applicable, already installed."
        updateIsApplicable = True
        WScript.Quit 
     End If
  End If 
Next

If updateIsApplicable = False Then
  WScript.Echo "Result: Update is not applicable to this machine."
  WScript.Quit
End If

[enbiggen]

Thanks you everyone - we've been getting these intermittently over the last week. We thought it might be the patch, but as it was just a trickle we reimaged and had done with it. Having a quicker solution helps - thanks.

[Scifigirl]

Thanks for this. it hit both technician PC's today - so i have been moved to win 10... well if we can get the rsat tools to install

 

and the windows updates once its on the domain....