Windows September 2019 Updates: more search woes and Telemetry

[Karlston]

Windows September 2019 Updates: more search woes and Telemetry

Microsoft released security updates and regular updates for all versions of Windows on yesterday's September 2019 Patch Tuesday. It does not take long, usually, before an assessment can be made on the quality of the released updates.

 

Microsoft fixed the high CPU usage issue that affected some users on Windows 10 version 1903.  Reports about the issue started to appear on several Internet forums after Microsoft published the cumulative update KB4512941  for Windows 10 version 1903 in early September.

 

The high CPU usage was caused by the Cortana process SearchUI.exe that caused the load on the system. Some administrators uninstalled the update to fix the issue, others managed to fix it by enabling Bing Web Search on the system it it was disabled.

 

The release notes for KB4515384 for Windows 10 version 1903 and Windows Server version 1903 highlight that Microsoft fixed the issue:

Addresses an issue that causes high CPU usage from SearchUI.exe for a small number of users. This issue only occurs on devices that have disabled searching the web using Windows Desktop Search.

I received several emails in the past 24 hours by users who informed me that search is still broken on their systems after installing the latest patch. A thread on Reddit provides further user reports on the issue.

 

According to the reports, search is not working for some users. Whenever they run searches, a blank results page is shown; this appears to be the most common issue that users experience.

 

The number of systems affected by this is unclear. Microsoft has not acknowledged the issue.

 

Administrators could restore an earlier version of the operating system to fix the issue.  It is too early to tell if workarounds, e.g. changing Bing Search parameters, may address the issue as well.

Telemetry on Windows 7 / 8.1

 

Microsoft releases security-only updates for Windows 7 and 8.1 that are designed to patch vulnerabilities only in those versions of Windows.

 

The company added non-security related patches to the security-only updates in the past; this happened when Microsoft released the July update for Windows 7 SP1 and appears to have happened again with the September 2019 update.

 

Ghacks user Belga stated that two Telemetry tasks were added on a system running Windows 8.1 after installation of the security-only update for Windows 8.1, and a report on Ask Woody suggests that Microsoft replaced the compatibility update KB2952664 on this patch day which contains Telemetry.

 

When you open the Windows 7 SP1 update KB4516033 on the Microsoft Update Catalog you will notice that KB2952664 is listed as one of the updates that the new update replaces.

Closing Words

In this day and age, it seems like a good idea to wait with the installation of updates at least for a short while to to make sure that they are free of issues or undesirable changes.

 

 

 

Source: Windows September 2019 Updates: more search woes and Telemetry (gHacks - Martin Brinkmann)

[Karlston]

The Windows 10 Search bug makes a return in the latest Patch Tuesday Update

High CPU usage and Windows Search Bug, which were unknown issues in the Cumulative Update KB4512941, hit a number of Windows 10 users a few days ago. Microsoft was quick enough to acknowledge the issue and promised a fix in the subsequent Cumulative Updates and while the company did issue a fix in the latest Patch Tuesday Update(KB4515384), some users are now complaining that Windows Search still returns a blank plage instead of the desired results — a bug that Microsoft claims to have resolved in the yesterday’s Patch Tuesday Update, which was issued to Windows 10 1903 users.

 

“Addresses an issue that causes high CPU usage from SearchUI.exe for a small number of users. This issue only occurs on devices that have disabled searching the web using Windows Desktop Search,” yesterday’s changelog reads.

 

A user reported the issue on Microsoft’s Feedback Hub saying, “KB4515384 should address an issue that causes high CPU usage from SearchUI.exe for a small number of users. But this update again introduces the same problem as the previous update. Part of the problem is a high CPU usage (~30%) and a totally broken search function. Currently, I see no other option than to blacklist this update also to prevent update to reinstall it again and again.”

 

Another user on Reddit corroborated a similar story saying, “Sigh, searching for anything on the Start Menu results in a blank window again after installing this update.”

 

Aside from the Search bug, some users complaing about broken Start Menu after installing the latest Patch Tuesday Update.

 

“I tried install KB4515384 on one of my workstation with no luck. Menu start stopped working with critical error and sign out demand. After uninstall latest CU problem with start menu was solved but action center won’t open now. Reinstalling update do nothing. Windows 10 especially 1903 is the most bugged OS ever. I suggest stay at 18362.295 as long as possible or until all flaws will be finally fixed,” a user noted.

 

On the Windows Search bug, Microsoft earlier said that users who disabled the web integration in Windows Desktop Search are going to get affected by the Search bug. However, no official words came from Microsoft on the return of the Windows Search bug, and broken Start Menu issue yet.

 

via: WindowsLatest

 

 

 

Source: The Windows 10 Search bug makes a return in the latest Patch Tuesday Update  (MSPoweruser)

[BimBamSmash]

10 hours ago, Karlston said:

Ghacks user Belga stated that two Telemetry tasks were added on a system running Windows 8.1 after installation of the security-only update for Windows 8.1, and a report on Ask Woody suggests that Microsoft replaced the compatibility update KB2952664 on this patch day which contains Telemetry.

 

They should have vast troves of technical and "non-technical" telemetry data by now. And yet they are hungry for mooooaaaar!

Are they using any of that data at all though? From what I have been seeing there seems to be serious problems in their flagship products than there were ever before.

[Karlston]

Heads up: Microsoft is back to snooping with this month’s Win7 and 8.1 'security-only' patches

If you thought you could install Microsoft’s 'security-only' patches and just, you know, get security fixes, think again. This month’s KB 4516033 (Win7) and KB 4516064 (Win8.1) install and activate full telemetry.

Thinkstock

Two months ago, the July Win7 security-only patch was found to install telemetry software, triggered by newly installed scheduled tasks called ProgramDataUpdater, Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser, and AitAgent. As best I can tell, Microsoft never admitted that its security-only patch dropped a telemetry component.

 

The August security-only update didn’t include that bit of snooping, so it looked like the July snooping was a one-off aberration.

 

Now we’re learning that the September security-only patches for both Win 7 and Win 8.1 have this, shall we say, feature.

 

Back in July, the excuses given for the snooping behavior struck me as disingenuous. Microsoft never commented, but those who defended the sneaky practice referred to the fact that Win7 is approaching end of support, and Microsoft needed the telemetry to help Win7 users move on to greener pastures.

 

Those excuses don’t work an more. Windows 8.1 doesn’t reach end of support until Jan. 10, 2023. And if the telemetry is intended to improve Win 8.1 features, I’d like to hear about just one feature improvement in the past four years.

 

What information is Microsoft collecting? I don’t know. Telemetry is frequently downplayed as being largely uninteresting blobs of unattributed data. If that’s the case, why is Microsoft collecting it now, after all these years? It hasn’t even acknowledged (as best I can tell) that it's collecting it via security-only patches.

 

If you’ve already installed one of this month’s security-only patches, you can blunt the “phone home” portion by following @abbodi86’s advice:

Disabling (or deleting) these schedule tasks after installation (before reboot) should be enough to turn off the appraiser

\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\ProgramDataUpdater

\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser

\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\AitAgent

In addition, there’s a thorough checklist and walkthrough in AskWoody Knowledge Base article AKB2000012 – Neutralize Telemetry & Sustain Win 7, 8.1 Monthly Rollup Model.

 

What on earth are they thinking?

 

Seriously. Tell me about it on AskWoody.

 

 

 

Source: Heads up: Microsoft is back to snooping with this month’s Win7 and 8.1 'security-only' patches (Computerworld - Woody Leonhard)

[steven36]

Microsoft is thrusting its hidden telemetry app at Windows 7 and 8.1 users again

 

We know. We're as surprised as you are

 

 

MICROSOFT IS UP to its old tricks again, sneaking in some cheeky telemetry software with an update.

 

Users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 have once again been greeted this month with a 'security only' update rollup which actually hides some telemetry spyware within, designed to allow Microsoft to keep tabs on your usage.

 

What's particularly annoying about this is Microsoft claimed during the last rollout in July that the telemetry software was there to make the end-of-life experience for Windows 7 users, who will see their operating system breathe its last this coming January, a bit easier.

 

Thing is, including Windows 8.1 in that completely belies that point. It's not due to reach EoL until 2023.

 

'Security Only' updates are a user-choice designed to stop exactly this sort of nonsense. It's for people that just want to protect their PCs without any Microsoft sass. So that's gone well, hasn't it? This is of course in addition to the existing telemetry in Windows 10, already ruled illegal in the Netherlands.

 

The official line on the subject from Microsoft has been [cue tumbleweed] though the inside track is that it's all about the EoL, which we've pretty much established, it isn't.

 

Indeed, since the launch of Windows 10, its predecessor has had very little of anything out of Microsoft - it's just sitting, waiting to reach EoL itself, except that's in over three years time.

 

If you want to see if you've ended up with the telemetry on your machine, check your Task Manager for the processes ProgramDataUpdater, Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser, and AitAgent. Officially, there's no telemetry, but multiple teardowns have reported that its exactly what it is.

 

As ever these days, the biggest problem is Microsoft's seeming inability to be straight with customers. We'd probably have a lot more respect if they just said: "we're adding this, is that ok?".

 

It's the whole "we know what's good for you" mantra which has silently emanated from Redmond in recent years, that has frustrated us, and frustrates us, still.

 

Source