# When the fuck is Windows going to improve the update process? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635 "2017-06-22T20:19:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635/41 "2018-01-08T17:21:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > AMD processor, around the Athlon/Athlon64 era? It’s a known problem. Microsoft didn’t even think to disable the Meltdown fix on AMD, and didn’t test on older AMD hardware. This is something they’ve had over 6 months to iron out, and they still fucked it up. > > Microsoft seemingly has no impetus to make updating better. So I will simply suggest what I do: I follow Woody on Windows, and his blog “[Ask Woody](https://www.askwoody.com/)” It will tell you when it’s safe to update (or what to look out for). Just keep delaying those updates until then. > > Right now, there is no pressing need to patch–yes, even for Meltdown. Let the “unpaid beta testers” handle stuff for you. Oh, great googly moogly. My kids were complaining that the PC they use downstairs (AMD Phenom II x4, Win 7 Pro) wasn’t booting, but I just blew them off because I was busy and I assumed it was just a temporary overheating problem. Reading over the multiple threads on Reddit, Microsoft Answers and TechNet, and Ask Woody, it looks like that configuration may be right in the crosshairs of that terrible and unnecessary “update”. That may be what the kids were complaining about. Stupid Microsoft. Now I’ll have to waste who-knows-how-long trying to roll back that KB and trying to keep it out. ---
**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635/42 "2018-01-09T03:16:35Z")
^ Horror stories like above are why I always downgrade new computers to the last stable OS Windows released. I bought a 1 year old laptop on a good sale a month ago, immediately downgraded it from Windows 10 to Windows 7, threw in the Service Packs and updates, then disabled Windows Update so I don’t have to deal with this crap. Also worth noting is that a computer pretty much always runs better on an older OS since they always use way more RAM and CPU resources with each new OS. ---
**Author:** ![DarkSpearTriant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DarkSpearTriant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkSpearTriant)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635/43 "2018-01-09T04:14:13Z")
Windows is such a garbage OS but at this point what real choice do we have for an alternative? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635/44 "2018-01-09T11:28:30Z")
> [@AI\_Proofreader](#): > > ^ Horror stories like above are why I always downgrade new computers to the last stable OS Windows released. I bought a 1 year old laptop on a good sale a month ago, immediately downgraded it from Windows 10 to Windows 7, threw in the Service Packs and updates, then disabled Windows Update so I don’t have to deal with this crap. > > Also worth noting is that a computer pretty much always runs better on an older OS since they always use way more RAM and CPU resources with each new OS. That is not advisable at all. Downgrading the OS is understandable (particularly with how Windows 10 handles updates), but you very much need to keep abreast of updates. That’s not to say you can’t do it manually, and only install security updates to minimize the level of trouble. And, of course, wait until the bugs are ironed out. But you’ve got to regularly update, as new exploits are found all the time. Spectre and Meltdown are bad because they are in hardward and hard to mitigate, but the damage they can do is not really all that large, relative to software exploits that exist. They can only read data. They can’t take over your system. They have to first get you to run software on your computer before they can do anything. Again, I recommend Ask Woody. He’ll tell you when it’s safe to patch. All I do is turn updates on “Download but don’t install,” wait until he says it’s safe, and then click the icon to do the updates. But, if you won’t do that, at least check in every once in a while. Everything always seems fine until it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635/45 "2018-01-11T17:39:24Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > This is what grinds my gears: I’m shutting off my computer. The thing says: “Update and shut down” Ok, fine. I click on it and go to bed. > > The next day, I wake up and turn on my computer. The damn thing is telling me: “Hold on while we install your updates. The computer may restart several times. This may take a while.” > > I don’t have issues with it taking a while, but why the fuck couldn’t they do all this crap last night when I shut the computer down and wen’t to bed? > > You know, why not have an “Update, install, THEN shut down” option? > [@scr4](#): > > Some parts of the update can only be done after the system has rebooted with the updated system files. > > Next time choose the “Update and **restart** ” option. The computer will update, reboot, and complete the update. And then go into sleep mode after a while (assuming you’ve configured it to do so - and why wouldn’t you?). This is the sort of thing that users shouldn’t have to deal with. There’s really no reason why the computer hasn’t done the right thing here except for bad design. **Grrr!** has already told the computer he wants it to update, and then to shut down. The computer didn’t do that. Suggesting that the user needs to figure out to select a different option because Windows is too badly written to do the thing it just offered to do is terrible (which is not to say, **scr4** that your suggestion is bad. You are providing helpful info on how to navigate a badly-written OS. It’s just that we shouldn’t _have_ to deal with this shit.) The fact that there are so many different options for “I’m done with my computer” is terrible design in itself. Here’s [Joel on Software](https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/11/21/choices-headaches/) on the design issue. A while ago I read, but can no longer find, an article written by a former MS employee who was on the team that worked on the Shutdown Menu about how much he tried to simplify the process, but was stymied by Microsoft’s organizational hierarchy. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635/46 "2018-01-11T21:58:52Z")
Overall, the MacOS updating process has becoming far more intrusive and annoying than it used to be, and I’m somewhat loath at this point to hold it up as a better model. But from doing updates on both in recent days… • Windows can’t seem to update all the relevant cascade of changes in one shot. It tells you that Update X is critical and you should do it. You do Update X and only then does it tell you that Update Y is critical and that you really need to do it. After you install Y it starts nagging you about Z. • MacOS at the other extreme won’t let you install Update X any more because it recognizes that you didn’t do X or Y and instead nags at you to install Comprehensive Update Z which incorporates X and Y and does it all in one shot whether you like it or not. If you wanted X and not Y or Z, well, we got some bad news for you, sunshine, but Apple wasn’t really going to let you decline anyhow. Updates gotta happen. The days of optional updates are apparently gone, all you can do is postpone them. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635/47 "2018-01-12T07:55:30Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > This is the sort of thing that users shouldn’t have to deal with. There’s really no reason why the computer hasn’t done the right thing here except for bad design. > > **Grrr!** has already told the computer he wants it to update, and then to shut down. The computer didn’t do that. Suggesting that the user needs to figure out to select a different option because Windows is too badly written to do the thing it just offered to do is terrible (which is not to say, **scr4** that your suggestion is bad. You are providing helpful info on how to navigate a badly-written OS. It’s just that we shouldn’t _have_ to deal with this shit.) I agree - ‘update and shutdown’ actually ought to make the computer do ‘update and (if necessary)restart, then update some more, until all parts of the update are done, then shut down’ ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635/48 "2018-01-12T19:20:20Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I agree - ‘update and shutdown’ actually ought to make the computer do ‘update and (if necessary)restart, then update some more, until all parts of the update are done, then shut down’ This has long been a problem installing Windows, too. It’ll churn for 10 minutes, then ask you some questions, then churn for another 10 minutes, then ask more. Installing an OS should be basically unsupervised. Just ask all the questions you might need, then let me go away and come back with an installed OS. I just upgraded Windows 10 last night and then had to go update some display driver to get my on-board graphics to work at larger than 1024 by whatever resolution. Now, that’s not _technically_ Microsoft’s fault, since they aren’t the one who shipped my display driver. But this is a Dell computer. Dell is a big enough supplier that MS should really build that in. Or let Dell ship the update with drivers that work and direct me to them when I try to update. Or _something_ so that I don’t have to expect to spend an hour after an update figuring out what broke. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-fuck-is-windows-going-to-improve-the-update-process/789635.md?page=2)