microsoft Bypass For Windows Update Lock For Next-Gen Processors Found

[vissha]

Bypass For Windows Update Lock For Next-Gen Processors Found

 

A first workaround for the blocking of Windows Update on Windows 7 or 8.1 PCs with next-generation processors has been discovered.

 

Microsoft blocked the delivery of Windows Updates recently to Windows 7 and 8.1 devices powered by a next-generation processor.

 

The company announced the support change in January 2017. Broken down to the essentials, it means that Intel Kaby Lake and AMD Bristol Ridge processors are only support by Windows 10, and not older versions of Windows.

 

To hammer that home, Microsoft made the decision to block Windows Update on Windows 7 or 8.1 PCs with those next generation processors.

 

The company introduced patches, KB4012218 and KB4012219 for instance, which introduced process generation and hardware support detection on Windows 7 and 8.1 systems.

 

Windows users who run Windows Update get the unsupported hardware error prompt when they try to scan for and download the latest patches for their -- still supported -- operating system.

 

Bypass for Windows Update lock for next-gen processors

 

 

GitHub user zeffy made the decision to take a closer look at how the actual blocking is done on the operating system level.

What he did was the following:

1. Download the Patch KB4012218 from Microsoft.
2. Extract the content of the MSU file using the expand command line tool. Expand basically extracts all files that are part of an update file so that you can analyze each individually.
3. This resulted in a long list of files. He used PowerShell to filter the files for anything starting with "wu" to filter out Windows Update related files.
4. He then ran diff tools to compare the binaries of the files in the new update file with those on the actual operating system.
5. He discovered the dynamic link library wuaueng.dll, and found the two functions IsCPUSupported(void) and IsDeviceServiceable(void) in it.

Now that he found the culprits that blocked the installation of updates on machines with next generation processors, he came up with a solution for that.

 

His preferred solution jumps over the whole "IsDeviceServiceable(void)" body so that Windows Update is notified that the CPU on the machine is supported.

 

The solution requires the patching of the dll file. He has uploaded the patched files for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to the GitHub project page. The source code has been made available there as well for you to check.

 

The patches come as scripts that you just need to run to make the necessary changes. Windows Update should work just like before then even on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 systems with next generation processors

 

Attention: it is recommended that you create a backup of the wuaueng.dll file before you patch it. Even better, create a backup of the system partition just to be on the safe side of things.

 

One caveat of the method is that any new version of wuaueng.dll that Microsoft releases requires new patching. Microsoft may device other means to block updates on those systems as well in the future. (via Sergey)

 

Now You: What's your take on Microsoft blocking updates for customer systems?

 

Source

[steven36]

Dont seem to be working after Aprils  update  .. A game of cat and mouse?
 

Quote

 

  SomeThrowawayAccount commented 2 days ago

It seems that there's another Windows Update, possibly the April Rollup, that causes the CPU check now too. I don't have kb4012218 or 19, but the CPU checks are present it seems.

If it's not too much trouble, is it possible you can look into this? I'm not sure if there is anything I can do to help.

Thank you for your work!

 

 

 

 

https://github.com/zeffy/kb4012218-19/issues/1

 

[Karlston]

He may be able to create a generic patch that will work with any version of wuaueng.dll.

 

For example, replacing any calls to IsDeviceServiceable() with either NOP's or with setting a variable/location to whatever means "Yes, updates are fine".

 

EDIT: Also very interesting are the Telemetry function calls in the same DLL. Perhaps another patch to Kill-ALL-Telemetry. Hopefully more hackers will now get involved to remove the distasteful features that Microsoft inflicts.

[steven36]

Even back on XP and Vista  when windows could really be cracked it was always a game of cat and mouse with WGA every time  they updated WGA  they had too update the  crack. This is before they  had KMS  and VL activation work arounds  but there were some releases of XP  that worked out the box on any computer . So as long as they push out a update most likely you will need a new crack in this case the person cracking it would have too crack  it the 1st Tuesday of every month  hes already  a week behind  .It looks like if he uses the crack himself and he can still crack it he would of posted a new crack by now ? Maybe hes just doing something else and busy though not Windows related . There is one guy I know  on  this forum who was good at this sort of thing he use too crack WGA  for everyone  but he most likely  don't have a kaby lake CPU to do it with

[Karlston]

Whether Microsoft does anything about a patch is dependent on how far it spreads.

 

IMO, unless it gets to GWX Control Panel numbers, Microsoft isn't going to worry too much about a few geeks working around their dirty tricks campaign.

 

Having to reapply it each month is no big deal, For example, the patch could be made smart so it autostarts and checks after each boot if it needs to be reapplied and alerts the user.

 

I hope this effort encourages a bunch of cluey Windows hackers to start working on other patches to zap the Windows 10 telemetry/update/advertising BS. If that happens, even I may consider downgrading to Windows 10... ( smelling salts for steven )

[steven36]

Quote

dan_the_penguin 2017-04-18 00:05:34 UTC #19

 

ive done some testing but wont know for sure untill next patch tuesday but i replaced the updated windows update files in the system32 folder with a computer that hasn't installed april update and it allowed the pc to check for updates again. because i noticed it actually updated the windows update client from .23452 to .23735 its abit of a hassle to take ownership of each of the windows update files then replace them and reset ownership i have to test if it is possible to just replace the exe and not the dll's

https://forum.level1techs.com/t/w7-updates-on-kaby-lake-post-kb4012218/114375

Someone else has cracked  it for April update but they want be sure if there method keeps working tell next patch Tuesday.

[steven36]

15 minutes ago, Karlston said:

If that happens, even I may consider downgrading to Windows 10...

Even i thought about it before who hasn't .. The reason i never rolled back too windows 8.1 on this computer was  because  when I had Windows 10 TH1 installed was  I only have a OEM  lic  for my Windows 8.1 PCs  and on this computer my hard drive went bad the same reason Microsoft  is getting sued and for a while i had no windows at all on it, I was relly pissed   and just used Linux but after TH2 came out i tested it on my replacement hard drive  and it's been OK  every since  now I'm on Redstone 2 but not really happy with it but  too lazy too go back too Redstone 1 . If I wanted Windows 8.1 I been on Windows 10 so long I would have to pirate with  VL key activation and this is something  i never done only in a VM  have I tested cracked windows. My Windows 7 PCs still have Windows 7  and i will wait tell Windows 7 runs out of updates to replace OS on them . 

[haxzion]

Microsoft, in a bid to ensure users of 7th generation Intel Core "Kaby Lake," AMD A-series "Bristol Ridge," and AMD Ryzen "Summit Ridge" processors stick to Windows 10, ensured that the three platforms don't receive software updates when running older Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 operating systems. A new user-made patch removes this draconian restriction, letting you install Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on your new-generation CPU powered machine, and receive regular software updates through Windows Update. 

The patch is open-source, so you can inspect its code, and available on GitHub. The author of the patch, Zeffy, discovered two new functions to system file wuaueng.dll after the March 2017 update for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, labeled "IsCPUSupported(void)" and "IsDeviceServiceable(void)." This library is patched to toggle those two functions "1," telling Windows Update that the CPU is "supported" and that the platform is "serviceable," making it eligible to receive updates. 

 

DOWNLOAD

 

source: https://www.techpowerup.com/232527/user-patch-unlocks-windows-7-and-8-1-updates-for-core-kaby-lake-and-ryzen

[nIGHT]

hahaha! It will take a long time before w1ndows 10 going to surpass older OS.

[steven36]

He updated it again 2 days ago nice  too see this .

2 hours ago, nIGHT said:

hahaha! It will take a long time before w1ndows 10 going to surpass older OS.

This is nothing new  it took  Windows 7 years too pass XP   ..  Using this  patch kills  one of the reasons people are staying behind on windows 7 and 8.1 because if you just update with cumulative updates you're taking spy patches  as wel.. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 have back ported telemetry from Windows 10  if install all updates .

 

This is not going to hurt or help Windows 10 in the long run only some technically  inclined people  would bother too use this and play a game of whack a mole with Microsoft  most  Windows 10 users  installed it long before Kaby Lake came out  so this want make or break Windows 10.

 

Most people on windows didn't even know how too turn Windows updates off  and uninstall   2 updates  (GWX) and only install good patches once a month  so they didn't be bothered with the Windows 10 upgrade. . Let alone install Windows 7  or 8.1 on a Windows 10 PC with a  new processor or upgrade there own PCs processor  then turn updates off ,not install some updates use this patch once a month and download the monthly  roil up updates and  update manually

 

it's too much work just too use a new processor with  old Windows for the normal user and this is if Microsoft don't come out with new anti update protection and kill the work around  then it would just been a waste of time and also you're depending on one reverse engineer to supply you with Windows updates. for a PC you  just spent money on upgrading    So the sane thing would be use Linux if you have new hardware and don't want too  use Windows 10 or just stay on old hardware. 

 

Life is all about choice though and it's nice too see people like this  reverse engineer giving the technically  inclined people a choice in a world were Big tech is taking away  all our choices  if we chose too use there platforms. So props to him for making a effort. 

[Karlston]

Woody's take...

 

There's a way to undo the damage caused by Microsoft's update blocker (InfoWorld - Woody Leonhard)

[Batu69]

@haxzion

Topic merged.