I don't want to see IE7. Ever again.

[William R. Walsh]

Hello all...

At some point in the past, a computer running XP Home with Windows Automatic
Updating turned on but set to prompt for update installation displayed the
IE7 upgrade information. The user didn't think a thing of going ahead with
the installation, so they did.

They did not like it, so I talked them through the uninstallation process
and thought that would be the end of it. Fast forward a few months...somehow
they've gotten IE7 once again. They said that Windows prompted them to
install it again. I have no reason to not believe this.

I didn't think that this was supposed to happen...it was my understanding
that if you declined the update or later uninstalled it that you wouldn't be
prompted again to install IE7.

Did I miss something? Do I need to visit this computer and give it a strong
dose of the IE7 Blocker Toolkit? (The computer in question is rather far
away.)

William

 

[MAP]

I didn't think that this was supposed to happen...it was my understanding

that if you declined the update or later uninstalled it that you wouldn't be
prompted again to install IE7.

They will be prompted to install it again and again that is why I have
automatic updates turned off and just download the updates from MS directly,
bypassing windows updates.

 

[PA Bear]

Automatic Updates will offer IE7 as a High Priority (not a Critical) update
but it will NOT install without user approval. If IE7 is not installed or
if it's been uninstalled, you must "hide" it in order for it not to be
offered/installed by Automatic Updates (again).

There are two ways to "hide" an update:

Windows Update (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com): Go to Windows Update
website | select Custom install and scan | Uncheck the update (e.g., IE7)
and then check the "Don't show me this again" option.

Automatic Updates (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525): Start > Settings

Control Panel > Automatic Updates > Select the third option ("Notify me

but...") > When an update is offered for downloading, uncheck it and then
check the "Hide/Don't show me this again" option.

NB: The installer for IE7 was itself updated in early Oct-07. This had the
unfortunate (for some) effect of making Windows Update/Automatic Updates
"see" IE7 as a new update, such that it would be offered again if you'd
previously hidden it.

NB: When Windows XP SP3 is released next year, it may have an *option* to
install IE7 if it's not already installed.

=> Those with IE7-specific questions or comments are asked to post to and
seek support in this newsgroup: microsoft.public.internetexplorer.general

On the web:
http://www.microsoft.com/communitie...?dg=microsoft.public.internetexplorer.general

In your newsreader:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.internetexplorer.general

 

[Dave Onex]

I saw a similar thing the other day. I had chosen to hide the IE7 update and
this was fine for several months. Then, all of a sudden, it showed up again.

Fortunately we were able to block it again and it wasn't installed. Like
yourself, we don't want to see IE 7 either. You can run Windows Update and
then choose to hide that update. Hopefully MS won't cause it to 'unhide'

 

[PA Bear]

You do NOT need to disable Automatic Updates in order to avoid installing an
update!

See the Automatic Update ptions available to you:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525

 

[MAP]

You do NOT need to disable Automatic Updates in order to avoid
installing an update!

I just perfer to not deal with the windows update site at all.
Instead I recieve this e/mail each month.
http://www.ultimatewindowssecurity.com/

Then I review each update and decied if I wanit to install it.if I do I go
here.
http://search.microsoft.com/search.aspx?mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US

Most updates each month are not needed for the home user they are designed
for an office setting.If people will read the updates they will see a small
but very important sentance in almost every one which says something like
"this exploit cannot be exploited remotely" so why install it, which if you
visit the windows update newsgroup after each patch tuesday people are
screaming for help because a hotfix has messed their system up bigtime.
Just my 2 cents worth, take it or leave it,it's your computer not mine.

 

[3c273]

---snip---

Hopefully MS won't cause it to 'unhide'

But of course, they will because that's what people don't want.
Louis

 

[Dave Onex]

"NB: The installer for IE7 was itself updated in early Oct-07. This had the
unfortunate (for some) effect of making Windows Update/Automatic Updates
"see" IE7 as a new update, such that it would be offered again if you'd
previously hidden it."

Aha - that's what happened. Makes sense because that's exactly what happened
to us. We had it set to go away (and never come back) yet it did..... :-9

 

[PA Bear]

I just perfer to not deal with the windows update site at all.
Instead I recieve this e/mail each month.
http://www.ultimatewindowssecurity.com/

MS releases "out-of-band" critical updates whenever they're ready to go.
When that happens, do you then run your machine with a known vulnerability
that's being actively exploited until you get the next month's newsletter?

Then I review each update and decied if I wanit to install it.if I do I go
here.
http://search.microsoft.com/search.aspx?mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US

How do you know you're machine /needs/ a given update?

Most updates each month are not needed for the home user they are designed
for an office setting...

Pure & unadulterated FUD!

Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/computer/default.mspx

Learn how to protect your PC by taking three simple steps
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3AD23728-4973-4DA5-9836-602954130D38

 

[Poprivet`]

Hello all...

At some point in the past, a computer running XP Home
with Windows
Automatic Updating turned on but set to prompt for
update
installation displayed the IE7 upgrade information.
The user didn't
think a thing of going ahead with the installation,
so they did.

They did not like it, so I talked them through the
uninstallation
process and thought that would be the end of it. Fast
forward a few
months...somehow they've gotten IE7 once again. They
said that
Windows prompted them to install it again. I have no
reason to not
believe this.
I didn't think that this was supposed to happen...it
was my
understanding that if you declined the update or
later uninstalled it
that you wouldn't be prompted again to install IE7.

Did I miss something? Do I need to visit this
computer and give it a
strong dose of the IE7 Blocker Toolkit? (The computer
in question is
rather far away.)

William

Have them to to the download site and adjust their
preferences to not include IE7 in the future. Quick,
simple, easy to do. If they're using Custom so they
can see what's being installed theyv'e already been
ther eonce; go back to the same area.

HTH

Pop`

 

[Poprivet`]

They will be prompted to install it again and
again that is why I
have automatic updates turned off and just download
the updates from
MS directly, bypassing windows updates.

No problem, but you could have just told it to not
offer it any longer. Read...

 

[Poprivet`]

Wow, talk about cutting off your nose to spite your
face. That's silly and totally unnecessary. I have to
wonder how much malware they serve with that? Here's a
couple things you might like to know about them from
dnsstuff.com:

ERROR: I could not complete a connection to one or more
of your mailservers:
mx2.dnsmadeeasy.com: Timed out [Last data sent: RCPT
TO: ]

WARNING: One or more of your mailservers does not
accept mail to (e-mail address removed).
Mailservers are expected by RFC2142 to accept mail to
abuse.


WARNING: One or more of your mailservers may not accept
mail to (e-mail address removed) (it is
generating a temporary error). Mailservers are required
(RFC822 6.3, RFC1123 5.2.7, and RFC2821 4.5.1) to
accept mail to postmaster.

Otherwise they look reasonably clean though as long as
you don't need to contact them about their spams or
site issues.

Pop`

 

[Poprivet`]

---snip---
But of course, they will because that's what people
don't want.
Louis

Wrong: IE7 is one of the better things MS has put out
and should have been done years ago. The fact that a
few people have borked systems has nothing to do with
IE7 that a tiny bit of research wouldn't clear up.

I do however think it was dumb to call it "critical"
and was pleased when they removed it from that
classification.

 

[3c273]

Wrong: IE7 is one of the better things MS has put out
and should have been done years ago. The fact that a
few people have borked systems has nothing to do with
IE7 that a tiny bit of research wouldn't clear up.

I do however think it was dumb to call it "critical"
and was pleased when they removed it from that
classification.

I was actually talking about the unhide part. MS seems to have a way of
deciding what you want and what you don't want. When I hide something, I
want it to stay hidden, I don't want it to reappear because MS thinks it
should reappear. I use IE7 and think it is better than IE6.
Louis

 

[MAP]

MS releases "out-of-band" critical updates whenever they're ready to
go. When that happens, do you then run your machine with a known
vulnerability that's being actively exploited until you get the next
month's newsletter?

How do you know you're machine /needs/ a given update?


Pure & unadulterated FUD!

Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/computer/default.mspx

Learn how to protect your PC by taking three simple steps
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3AD23728-4973-4DA5-9836-602954130D38

Third party security programs address new exploits long before ms comes up
with a hotfix. I've been doing this for over two years now with NO problems
at all.

 

[MAP]

Wow, talk about cutting off your nose to spite your
face. That's silly and totally unnecessary. I have to
wonder how much malware they serve with that? Here's a
couple things you might like to know about them from
dnsstuff.com:

ERROR: I could not complete a connection to one or more
of your mailservers:
mx2.dnsmadeeasy.com: Timed out [Last data sent: RCPT
TO: ]

WARNING: One or more of your mailservers does not
accept mail to (e-mail address removed).
Mailservers are expected by RFC2142 to accept mail to
abuse.


WARNING: One or more of your mailservers may not accept
mail to (e-mail address removed) (it is
generating a temporary error). Mailservers are required
(RFC822 6.3, RFC1123 5.2.7, and RFC2821 4.5.1) to
accept mail to postmaster.

Otherwise they look reasonably clean though as long as
you don't need to contact them about their spams or
site issues.

I really don't think that an MVP is going to host a website that will give
you malware!
More likely one of your rivet's popped!

http://www.ultimatewindowssecurity.com/uws.html

 

[MAP]

MS07-065 (KB937894) Mitigating factors-An attacker must have valid logon
credentials in order to exploit this vulnerability on Windows XP.

MS07-067 (KB944653) Mitigating factors-An attacker must convince a user to
run an executable or must have valid logon credentials to exploit this
vulnerability. This is a local elevation of privilege vulnerability. The
exploit for this vulnerability can not be done remotely.

Heres two that are not needed for the home user, but no doubt people will
install them and some of these people WILL have problems because of it.