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Microsoft: Windows 7 SP1 to Contain "Only Minor Updates"

Paul Lilly — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:27:06 -0500

If you're holding out on upgrading to Windows 7 until the first Service Pack sees the light of day, you may want to reconsider. Windows 7 SP1 won't usher in huge, sweeping changes like some of the Service Packs we've seen for other Windows OSes, and instead will introduce small changes, Microsoft said.

"For Windows 7, SP1 includes only minor updates, among which are previous updates that are already delivered through Windows Update," Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows Communications Manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. "SP1 for Windows 7 will, however, deliver an updated Remote Desktop client that takes advantage of RemoteFX introduced in the server-side with SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2."

LeBlanc went on to emphasize that Windows 7 is ready for commercial deployment now and that many industry experts recommend against waiting for SP1.

"So don't wait -- go ahead and deploy...you know you want to!," LeBlanc added.

Microsoft has not yet announced a beta or release timeline for SP1 for Windows 7.

Report: Don't Hold Your Breath Waiting for a Windows 7 Service Pack

Paul Lilly — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:11:09 -0600

SMBs playing it cautious and waiting for Microsoft to release a Service Pack before making the leap to Windows 7 might want to get cozy. It's true that a recently discovered Registry Key would seem to indicate the OS's first update isn't too far off on the horizon, but according to The Register, don't expect one to "rock up any time soon."

Here's where a little bit of a history lesson is in order. Vista, by most accounts, came busted out of the box. And not just minor niggles, but piss-poor file transfer performance and a bunch of other performance hampering bugs, not to mention various stability woes. Despite limping out of the hyped-up gate, it was still 14 months before Vista's first Service Pack emerged.

While Microsoft has shown a desire not to make the same mistakes with Windows 7, the Redmond outfit has already succeeded in doing so, at least for the most part. Windows 7 doesn't exhibit the same problems Vista had, so it's hard to imagine Microsoft would be in any hurry to pump out a collection of updates.

"Our Partners are also excited for Windows 7, demonstrating fantastic ecosystem support. As of today, there are more than 800,000 unique apps and 238,000 unique devices that work great with Windows 7. That's more than a million reasons to choose Windows 7," said Microsoft's Brandon Le Blanc in a blog post.

So when exactly when the first Service Pack hit the Web? "There is currently no news around this at the moment," a Microsoft spokesman told The Register.

Microsoft: Vista SP2 is Done!

Andy Salisbury — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:32:27 -0500

At long last, Microsoft has confirmed that Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 is complete, by releasing it to select manufacturers. It even hit torrents, hours before it was officially announced on the Windows Vista Team Blog.

As for an official download, it’s not clear when Service Pack 2 will be available. They’ve stated that they will push the final version to customers through Automatic Update over the next few months, but those that aren’t ready can still use Microsoft’s service-pack blocking tool.

Along with this, Microsoft has started pushing Vista SP1 to users that had previously blocked it, in order to prime them for SP2.

For those wondering, Service Pack 2 will bring Windows Search 4.0, the Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack, the ability to record data on Blu-ray natively through Windows, Windows Connect Now (a simpler WiFi tool), the addition of support for UTC timestamps in the exFAT file system, as well as various security and performance updates.

Image Credit: Microsoft

Threat Update: Spam and Phishing Out, Trojans and Scareware In

Mark Edward Soper — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:20:42 -0500

If you've been worrying about computer security for awhile, you might remember when macro viruses in Microsoft Word and Excel files were at the top of the exploit list. These file formats, along with the omnipresent Adobe Reader PDF format, are once again among the biggest threat vectors being exploited by today's malware, according to a new report from the Microsoft Malware Protection Center. Fittingly, the full report and a condensed key findings version are available in either PDF or Microsoft's own XPS formats. These reports cover the July-December 2008 period.

Some key findings include:

Scareware (which Microsoft calls "rogue security software") is on the rise, including the latest versions of our old friend Antivirus XP.
A slight reduction in unique vulnerability disclosures from 2007, but the High (most serious) category was larger in the second half of 2008 than in the first half of the year or the second half of 2007.
Applications continue to be the biggest target (86.7%, with browsers at 8.8%, and operating systems at only 4.5%)
The second half of 2008 saw a big rise in Microsoft security bulletins: over 67% more than in the first half of the year.
US English and Chinese-language browsers were the chief targets of browser-based exploits, accounting for almost 60% of all attacks.
Microsoft-based vulnerabilities accounting for more than 40% of browser-based attacks on systems running Windows XP, but less than 6% on systems running Windows Vista.
Ironically, the most frequently exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office have been patched since 2006, but were targets mainly because up-to-date service packs were not installed.
Adobe PDF-based attacks rose sharply in the second half of 2008, but the attacks cited in the survey are blocked by the current versions of affected products.
Despite the rise in software-borne attacks, lost and stolen equipment continues to be the biggest security risk, amounting to 50% of the incidents listed in the OSF Data Loss Database.
The US, Canada, Europe and Russia continue to lead the world in phishing sites.
Miscellaneous Trojans, followed by Trojan downloaders and droppers are the two most common threat types detected and removed by Microsoft's Windows Live One Care and Forefront Client Security apps in the second half of 2008.
By contrast, older threats such as backdoors, viruses, exploits, and spyware are significantly less of a threat than in 2006 and 2007.

What have you found to be the biggest security threats you face in the office - and at home? Hit Comment and share your security war stories.

Survival Rates for Unpatched Systems Shrinking - Here's How to Fight Back

Mark Edward Soper — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:29:26 -0500

In a recent Handler's Diary entry on the SANS Internet Storm Center website, Lorna Hutchison points out that the survival time for unpatched systems is currently around 4 minutes. In other words, if you connect an unpatched system to the Internet without a router or firewall, it will probably be infected in about 4 minutes.

Why are unpatched systems connected to the Internet? Ms. Hutchinson blames the pressure of wanting to get a new system online right away, versus waiting until it's been patched. Whether you work in a large enterprise, small business, or are the network guru to your own home's PCs, the pressure to connect it right now can be overwhelming.

Here's How to Fight Back

If you want to get working with a PC right away without turning it into a bulls-eye, here's what you can do.

1. Even if you have only one PC, consider installing a router between your cable or DSL modem and your PC. The network address translation (NAT) feature in any router will provide some security against threat probes.

2. Before opening the new PC, have updated anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall software ready to install. If you prefer downloadable versions to packaged versions, copy the installers to a CD, DVD, or flash drive so you can install them as soon as the PC is out of the box.

3. If you are reusing an older version of Windows XP (pre-SP3) or Windows Vista (pre-SP1), follow the instructions on our site for making a slipstream version that contains the newest service pack and updates, and install the slipstreamed version. By doing so, your PC will be close to current from day one.

4. Each month, a few days after Patch Tuesday, Microsoft provides an ISO CD or DVD image of the current month's security releases for Windows. If you are responsible for patching different editions of Windows, or editions in different languages, downloading this and burning it to a disc might be easier than rounding up individual security releases. The July 2008 image, for example, is available here (2).

5. Follow the configuration settings recommended in the SANS white paper Windows Vista: First Steps; similar steps can be performed with Windows XP.

Basically, you should try to have any new system as close to 100% current before you connect it to the Internet. As Ms. Hutcheson points out, the usual result of putting an unhardened system on the Internet is this: "more time was spent playing clean up from it than if it was just done right the first time."

How Do You Cope With Threats to New Systems?

Do you have some additional tips and tricks for getting new (or reloaded) systems back on the Internet without getting them germed up with spyware and trojans? Tell us about them in the comments section.

Graph courtesy Sans.org.

June 2008 Patch Tuesday Preview

Mark Soper — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:52:49 -0500

A Trio of Critical Updates for Bluetooth, IE, and DirectX Users

Critical updates typically refer to the potential for remote code execution exploits (aka "bad guys take over your PC"), and June's trio of critical updates are no exception.

- If you use Bluetooth devices on Windows XP SP2 or SP3, Vista and Vista SP1, or 64-bit versions of Windows XP or Vista, you're number one on the critical update list.
- What's at Number Two2? Anyone running Internet Explorer 5.01 SP4, IE6, or IE7 on Windows 2000 SP4 up through Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 and 2008.
- Number Three affects DirectX 7.0, 8.1, 9.0 and above, so Windows 2000 SP4, XP, and Vista are affected, as well as Windows Server 2003 and some Windows Server 2008 installations.

Important Updates

Of the three updates listed as "Important" for June, the first one affects servers running the Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS), not desktops. However, the other updates (for Active Directory services and for the Pragmatic General Multicast [PGM] protocol for network multicasting), do affect Windows XP SP2/SP3 and Vista/SP1 systems as well as Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003 and 2008-based systems. All three target elevation of privilege vulnerabilities.

Kill Bit (not Bill)

The final security update for June fixes a remote code execution vulnerability in Kill Bit for all desktop versions of Windows from 2000 SP4 through Vista SP1 as well as for Windows Server 2003 and 2008.

These updates will be available starting June 10th via Windows Update or manually: the June 2008 Security Bulletin page will have the links you need.

...And the Rest

June 2008's Patch Tuesday will also include the following updates, including:

- The monthly update for the Malicious Software Removal Tool (KB890830)
- An update for Vista that updates the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program (KB939165 and KB931174)
- The monthly update for the Windows Mail Junk email filter for Vista (KB905866)
- Cumulative update for Windows Vista Media Center (KB950126)
- Update to fix restart loop on Windows XP SP3 systems running AMD or other non-Intel processors (KB953356)*

*AMD laptop users with Windows XP, this is the fix you've been waiting for.

Note that the KB articles referenced above will not be available until the updates are available via Windows Update or manually at the Microsoft Download Center. To search for these or other KB articles, visit the Microsoft Help and Support Center.

New Solutions for Windows XP SP3 Upgrade Woes

Mark Soper — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:21:47 -0500

Windows Home Server + Windows XP SP3 = No More Remote Access?

The UK-based We Got Served Windows Home Server website is reporting that some users cannot use WHS's remote access feature after they have updated the Windows XP computers on their home network to Service Pack 3. WHS's Remote Access feature enables remote users to connect to their home computers.

According to We Got Served, the culprit in SP3 is its disabling of the Terminal Services ActiveX control that enables WHS to provide connections to the XP-based machines on the network, and, to make matters worse, the web browser's suggestion to add the WHS computer's web site address to the "Trusted Sites" security setting on each Windows XP system on the network doesn't work either. To reset XP SP3 to the less secure settings used by SP2 so you can connect remotely to your systems again, see this Microsoft Windows Home Server thread.

HP Laptops + AMD CPUs + Windows XP SP3 = Oops!

According to reports posted at The Register and Tom's Hardware, users of AMD-based HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario laptops with preinstalled Windows XP should run, not walk, away from installing SP3 for now. There are numerous reports of blue screens and continuous reboot loops on these systems after installing SP3.

The Wrong OEM Image Can Haunt You

According to the Microsoft TechNet forum thread on this problem, it's a problem caused by incorrect customization of the original OEM Windows XP image:

This is not a problem with AMD-based systems or AMD CPUs. The issue is caused by the method in which the original, pre-installed version of Windows XP was customized during manufacturing by some PC Manufacturers (OEMs). These OEMs loaded a Windows XP image originally created on an Intel-based machine onto computers with AMD processors, and then modified the image incorrectly for AMD CPUs.

This is an imaging process that has never been supported by Microsoft because of the compatibility problems it can create.

The continual reboot issue was first discovered with the release of Windows XP SP2, and we determined the problem to be a modified registry entry incorrectly set as a result of the imaging process discussed above. During Windows XP SP3 beta testing (see KB888372), we inserted special code into the Windows XP SP3 installation software logic that preserved this registry setting so that customers would not experience this reboot problem again. However, after the release, we received reports of customers experiencing the same problem when upgrading to Windows XP SP3. After investigating those reports, we discovered additional OEM workarounds to the original issue (see KB888372) that are causing the same problem to occur.

In these additional cases, when Windows XP SP3 is installed, this particular registry value is set to load intelppm.sys automatically (i.e.: at boot time). When the driver loads on a system with an AMD processor, the system blue screens and instantaneously reboots.

Calling All Cars: Be on the Lookout for SP37394

If you have an affected HP or Compaq laptop, watch for a patch called SP37394 in the next week or so. This patch is designed to fix the problem, so you can upgrade safely to SP3. You should receive it through HP Update.

Hey, What About Us?

According to The Register, users of AMD-based Dell, Gateway, and Lenovo have reported similar problems. According to PC World, Microsoft is working on its own hotfix for the problem.

Traumatized by SP3 Woes? Dr. Jesper Will See You Now

Former Microsoftie and current MVP at Amazon.com, Jesper Johansson (a PhD in MIS, so he's a real doctor), has beaten both HP and Microsoft to the punch with a simple VB script tool that can remove the erroneous command that loads the Intel driver on an AMD-based machine. He's also pulled together a bunch of solutions to other Windows XP SP3 upgrade woes. See the whole collection of solutions here.

XP SP3 Installation Woes? More Light on Redmond's Top Reasons - And Solutions

Mark Soper — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:56:11 -0500

Most Windows XP users are sailing easily through SP3 updates, but there are always some exceptions. That shouldn't surprise anyone, since Windows XP can be run on an unfathomable number of hardware and software configurations. Fortunately, the XP team in Redmond's been keeping track of what's going wrong. Here's a roundup of what they found out.

Super Six Solutions to "STATUS_PREREQUISITE_FAILED" Error

If you can't install Windows XP SP3 and the service pack installation log (typical location: C:\Windows\svcpack.log) lists an 8007F0F4 - STATUS_PREREQUISITE_FAILED error along with additional information, there are six causes - and, thankfully, six solutions.

1. If your laptop is on battery power, plug it in. You cannot install XP SP3 on a system that is not running on AC power. If you see this message on a desktop system connected to a UPS, check to make sure the UPS is properly switching back to AC power after a power outage. You might also discover that the AC wall outlet the UPS is plugged into has failed or is unreliable.

2. If your computer has the Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit for Windows XP installed, you must uninstall it before installing SP3. The Shared Computer Toolkit was designed to preserve the configuration of a shared computer in lab, school or cybercafe-type environments. Although it's no longer available, it's been replaced by Windows SteadyState.

3. If your computer's running the KB 925877 update (which includes the Multilingual User Interface Pack for Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 [Terminal Services 6.0], you must uninstall it before you can upgrade to SP3. If you can't uninstall it, see this newsgroup thread for help.

4. Windows XP SP3 will not install over the Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (aka WinFLP) operating system, a stripped-down version of Windows XP SP2 made for older systems running Terminal Services or third-party clients. Never heard of it? Unless your company has Microsoft Software Assurance and uses various client apps on older PCs, you'll probably never see it.

5. Windows XP SP3 will not install over the Windows Embedded for Point of Service (aka WEPOS) operating system, another stripped-down version of Windows XP SP2, but optimized for retail POS systems. If you fall into categories 4 or 5, Microsoft promises that there will be a specific version of SP3 for these operating systems made available at a later date.

6. If you have Windows XP Media Center Edition (original version) or Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003, you need to install Windows XP SP2 first before you can install SP3. You can get SP2 via Windows Update, or here.

Get more information about these problems by reading KB 949388.