Updates

[Roderunner]

Hi Folks, my 2 Win7 32bit Home Prem computers get updates for Windows & Microsoft.
My friend has a 64 bit Professional version and only gets Windows Updates.

RR.PNG

[JoeP]

Is there a question here?

[viking33]

If you want to get both, click on the "find out more" link to add Windows and MS updates.
( answer to assumed question )

[Roderunner]

Hi Bob, I tried that 2 or 4 times, all it did was show me how to access WU.
I knew Win7 is almost at its end of life, but read somewhere it still gave updates if an Anti Virus (Avast Free) was installed.

[JoeP]

See the post marked as an answer at Updates for other Microsoft products

[viking33]

JoeP gave you the answer before I came back to post but here is the screenshot of Windows Updates>Settings. check the boxes shown.

WU.JPG

[Roderunner]

Sorry for the delay, just got access to my friends pc. Here is his Update Settings.

Jimmy Updates.JPG

[Argus]

As mentioned, you (or your friend) need to visit the Windows Update page with a browser and change a setting there (install) to get Microsoft Update integrated with Windows Update in the OS.

Here is another article with the same message as Bob and Joe mentioned.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lib ... 42466.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(Edit: Changed link, since the search result and destination didn't match, i.e. a copy of the MSFT URL didn't work, sorry.)

[Roderunner]

Hi Argus,
if you look at Bob's (viking33) settings image, it has 4 options, 2 ticked 2 unticked.
My image only has 2 options, both ticked. The image is full with no side scroll bar obscuring other options.
The link from JoeP has been tried and only shows how to access WU. and was posted July 2015.
Jimmy's pc has no office equipment installed.

[viking33]

Somewhere along the way, I think I lost track as to weather you do or do NOT want to have Windows AND MS products updated?
If your friend does not have any Office products installed. he will not get any recommended MS updates, only Windows updates.

[Roderunner]

Somewhere along the way, I think I lost track as to weather you do or do NOT want to have Windows AND MS products updated?
If your friend does not have any Office products installed. he will not get any recommended MS updates, only Windows updates.

Neither of my 2 computers have ever had office equipment installed yet both get updates for Windows & Microsoft.
Both had a reinstall of the non destructive method recently.
Plus See this thread
I have tried this unsuccessfully.

[DaveA]

Microsoft Updates are not limited to the Office products.
ANY Microsoft product is a candidate to be updated in this manner.
Remember that there are a lot of MS products out there.

[Argus]

Hi Argus,
if you look at Bob's (viking33) settings image, it has 4 options, 2 ticked 2 unticked.
My image only has 2 options, both ticked. The image is full with no side scroll bar obscuring other options.
The link from JoeP has been tried and only shows how to access WU. and was posted July 2015.
Jimmy's pc has no office equipment installed.

I saw that, George (and I could imagine how the settings would look even before they were posted).

There is nothing wrong per se with the old instructions (though as mentioned MSFT has gradually changed from a web page to OS applications; this MSFT article shows the old way how to enable and disable MU); and in this case it would have been a better help if you had posted what you saw when you followed those instructions (it always is, if instructions doesn't give the expected result), but I think I know that as well (the plain page with an image of the Start menu showing how to run Windows Update (WU)). I will show a couple of options below.

That said, before my other post I was thinking about if any changes, updates, from Microsoft during all these years had changed this process. Quite difficult to pinpoint now. Most Windows 7 users know that there has been more than one issue with WU, taking a long time to run etc. as mentioned in the link in your reply to Bob. But that is not related to this.

Since most people change this, adding Microsoft Update (MU), or install MSFT products, quite early in the setup process it can be difficult to remember. And if something changes later on, i.e. MSFT updates or new browser versions, it will only affect new users, setups, or those that have not changed the settings.

Some have mentioned issues when using IE11, (i.e. the browser when following the link in WU), and that they needed to add microsoft.com to the list of Compatibility View in IE ... how about that. (That will be one option below.)

Microsoft Updates are not limited to the Office products. ANY Microsoft product is a candidate to be updated in this manner.

It is true as Dave says that there are plenty of Microsoft products out there that will be included in MU. (There are also scripts for admins to kick start MU.)

Given the abovementioned, a long history of updates to Windows 7 and its update mechanism, WUA, and that the OS shipped with IE8 and now run IE11, it can be quite difficult to pinpoint, or simulate.

However ... (and for this I will continue in more than one post).

Here is a spiffing new VM running Windows 7 with IE11 and running at default settings in every way.

Updates for Windows only.

2018-10-22_Win7_1&2.png

Following the link in WU: Get updates for other Microsoft products. Find out more
A plain page with the Start menu. Adding Microsoft to the list of Compatibility View in IE didn't change anything (and would not be an optimal solution since it would be for all MS sites).

2018-10-22 Win7_3&4A&B.png

As mentioned this WM is new, and thus no changes. Normally one would like to run an OS with updated anti-virus software, so, in this case I installed Microsoft Security Essentials, since Windows 7's default is Defender (using MSE install file downloaded from MSFT).

Et voilà. Installing another AV product, in this case MSE, added MU to WU.

2018-10-22 Win7_5.png

I noticed, but didn't respond to a comment in your first reply, to Bob:

... but read somewhere it still gave updates if an Anti Virus (Avast Free) was installed.

As you know Microsoft has nothing to do with Avast or updates to that software. In fact, it's a bit ironic, but by no means odd, that installing a Microsoft AV will add Microsoft Update to WU in Windows.

[Argus]

And so I continue.
Now, let's do this again (this time without installing MSE, but I do prefer using MSE, and Defender is anyhow outdated in Windows 7). A clean Windows 7, with default settings, running IE11.

In the Control panel application Windows Update, click on Find out more. When the browser has opened the Windows Update page, notice the message at the bottom: This webpage wants to run the following add-on: 'Windows Update' from 'Microsoft Windows'. (Remember this is IE11 running with default settings, no add-ons have been added. Click Allow, to install the ActiveX thingy, and close the browser when finished.

2018-10-22 Win7_6.png

Return to the Control panel application Windows Update and again click Find out more. Still the same result.
This time, with the add-on installed in IE:
- Add microsoft.com to the list of Compatibility View.
- OK out, and refresh the page (or close IE and repeat the process clicking on Find out more). See post above, second image.

In this case you will now see the Microsoft Update page, with an offer to add MU. Click the checkbox and Next, choose an option, recommended or only important on the next page and click install (this is as per the instructions mentioned by Joe above).

2018-10-22 Win7_9&10&11.png

As usual, Microsoft will reset the settings to: Install updates automatically (in the Control panel), you can change this if you like.

2018-10-22 Win7_12.png

I can now repeat this process as many times as I want. If I remove the checkmark in the box for Microsoft Update in the WU settings that option will be gone the next time I open the settings, and I will have to visit Microsoft Update via the "Find out more"-link once again, to install Microsoft Update.

There is a third option ...
Administrators sometimes want to do other things ... There is a script one can create to add Microsoft Update to Windows. I do not know if this will work in all configurations (remember that during all these years there have been an awful lot of updates to Windows and its update mechanism WUA). Normally I don't recommend solutions unless I'm 100 % sure they are safe, or can easily be changed. That said, this option also worked in my spiffing new Windows 7 VM; it changed from "Windows only" to include MU.

- Create the script (a text file with the extension .vbs) (copy the example in the link below).
- Open a command prompt with administrator privileges, i.e. type CMD in the Start menu, right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
- In command prompt window, navigate to the folder with the script and run it (say, oh I don't know: MUscript.vbs [Enter]).
- Close the command prompt.
- Open the Control panel; Windows Update will now include MU.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/window ... oft-update" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There you go, three options.

[Roderunner]

Hi Argus, very interesting posts which I have read cafefully. As I am busy with my fav. pastime indoor bowling all week, I won't see Jimmy till the weekend.

[viking33]

Somewhere along the way, I think I lost track as to weather you do or do NOT want to have Windows AND MS products updated?
If your friend does not have any Office products installed. he will not get any recommended MS updates, only Windows updates.

So your initial post was:
================
Hi Folks, my 2 Win7 32bit Home Prem computers get updates for Windows & Microsoft.
My friend has a 64 bit Professional version and only gets Windows Updates.
=================
And my further question still is:
Which option do you want?
I'm sorry George but I'll drop out of this discussion at this point. I think Argus has more than answered it in depth.

[Roderunner]

I have been helping Jimmy for a while thanks to this and other forums I have used. It looks as if he is about to end his copmuter use. He had a minor 'Stroke' about a year ago and finds it hard to see what he is doing provided he remembers how. More later.

[Roderunner]

Hi Argus, I folowed your instructions and used Avast Clear.exe to remove Avast Free. Intalled MSE and now get updates for Windows and other products from Microsoft Update.
Thanks very much.