Jason Evangelho
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New Windows 7 Patch Is Effectively Malware, Disables Graphics Driver Updates And Windows Defender
If you have Windows 7 set to automatically update every Tuesday, it’s time to permanently disable that feature with a vengeance. Microsoft MSFT -0.36% has just confirmed that a recent update — specifically KB 3004394 — is causing a range of serious problems and recommends removing it.
The first issue that caught my attention, via AMD’s Robert Hallock, is that KB 3004394 blocks the installation or update of graphics drivers such as AMD’s new Catalyst Omega. Nvidia users are also reporting difficulty installing GeForce drivers, though I can’t confirm this personally as my machines are all Windows 8.1. Hallock recommended manually uninstalling the update, advice now echoed officially by Microsoft.
Unfortunately this newest update isn’t limited to graphics driver problems. Redmond hasn’t directly divulged each and every issue, but Microsoft’s Answer Forum is littered with tech-savvy users reporting that USB 3.0 drivers are broken and User Account Control (UAC) prompts have gone haywire. Microsoft has acknowledged that it even prevents the installation of future Windows Updates.
Perhaps most troubling is that the Windows Defender service – crucial software that blocks viruses and malware — has been disabled by the update.
Note that these problems are isolated to Windows 7 users.
Removing KB3004394
Microsoft has issued a patch to patch the patch (sorry, couldn’t resist that one), which is KB3024777 and is available directly through Windows Update. My advice? Just manually remove the problem by browsing to Control Panel -> Windows Update -> View Update History -> Installed Updates. Then, highlight the update named KB3004394 and click the “Uninstall” button. This is confirmed to resolve the issues, and Microsoft has removed the original update from the pipeline.
If you are on automatic updates, it’s possible KB3024777 has already installed itself and made things right. Still, a lot of Windows 7 customers from casual to gamers to power users will have been affected by this, and I’ve heard numerous firsthand reports from readers who’ve been pulling their hair out over this. Some even forked over cash to their local computer shops to troubleshoot what they couldn’t identify and fix themselves.
The moral of the story is this: Return to your main Windows Update area and change your settings from “Install updates automatically” to “Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them.”
See, Microsoft has a bit of a spotty track record with Windows Updates, and this isn’t the first one to cripple systems. My recommendation is to install system updates about two weeks after they’ve been released, allowing enough time for any potential problems to be identified by users, reported on by the press, and fixed by Microsoft.
I have to close this with a frighteningly accurate observation from InfoWorld about this situation: “Microsoft has the all-time best Windows malware delivery system.” They’re right. The definition of Malware is “any software used to disrupt computer operation.”
The first issue that caught my attention, via AMD’s Robert Hallock, is that KB 3004394 blocks the installation or update of graphics drivers such as AMD’s new Catalyst Omega. Nvidia users are also reporting difficulty installing GeForce drivers, though I can’t confirm this personally as my machines are all Windows 8.1. Hallock recommended manually uninstalling the update, advice now echoed officially by Microsoft.
Unfortunately this newest update isn’t limited to graphics driver problems. Redmond hasn’t directly divulged each and every issue, but Microsoft’s Answer Forum is littered with tech-savvy users reporting that USB 3.0 drivers are broken and User Account Control (UAC) prompts have gone haywire. Microsoft has acknowledged that it even prevents the installation of future Windows Updates.
Perhaps most troubling is that the Windows Defender service – crucial software that blocks viruses and malware — has been disabled by the update.
Note that these problems are isolated to Windows 7 users.
Removing KB3004394Microsoft has issued a patch to patch the patch (sorry, couldn’t resist that one), which is KB3024777 and is available directly through Windows Update. My advice? Just manually remove the problem by browsing to Control Panel -> Windows Update -> View Update History -> Installed Updates. Then, highlight the update named KB3004394 and click the “Uninstall” button. This is confirmed to resolve the issues, and Microsoft has removed the original update from the pipeline.
If you are on automatic updates, it’s possible KB3024777 has already installed itself and made things right. Still, a lot of Windows 7 customers from casual to gamers to power users will have been affected by this, and I’ve heard numerous firsthand reports from readers who’ve been pulling their hair out over this. Some even forked over cash to their local computer shops to troubleshoot what they couldn’t identify and fix themselves.
The moral of the story is this: Return to your main Windows Update area and change your settings from “Install updates automatically” to “Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them.”
See, Microsoft has a bit of a spotty track record with Windows Updates, and this isn’t the first one to cripple systems. My recommendation is to install system updates about two weeks after they’ve been released, allowing enough time for any potential problems to be identified by users, reported on by the press, and fixed by Microsoft.
I have to close this with a frighteningly accurate observation from InfoWorld about this situation: “Microsoft has the all-time best Windows malware delivery system.” They’re right. The definition of Malware is “any software used to disrupt computer operation.”
