Windows 7 Users: A warning about update KB971033 and Windows 7 SP1.
#1
02-25-2010, 01:51 AM
Windows 7 Users: A warning about update KB971033 and Windows 7 SP1.
As a fellow member found out, the hard way I might add, Microsoft issued a new update on 02-23-2010. KB971033 is its name. What this does is makes your system "phone home" with your windows license key to cross reference it with their list of "banned" or "black listed" key code/code sequences.
If, for some reason your copy of windows 7 isn't all that legal, you should obviously avoid this update.
Now, depending on your "Window's Update" settings, you can avoid this. If you have it set to notify you of all updates and then allow you to chose what to do, you can simply hide/ignore this update. On all five of the systems in my home, I have the updates set this way. They all listed the update, but it WASN'T checked. So, even if you were to just click install, it shouldn't install KB971033.
Ok, so those of you that have installed this update, and are now squirming in your seat, there is hope for you yet. I have, so far, successfully removed this update from three different systems, and I have been left unaffected. There is, however, a catch. So far, the only way I've seen to get around this is to catch the update before it "phones home".
IF you have this update installed, and it HASN'T given you an error message stating that you have an illegal OS copy, follow the below steps.
1. Click the "Start" button.
2. Select "Control Panel".
3. At the very bottom, select "Windows Update". You might have to select change to classic/icon view first to get your window to look like mine.
4. Once the new screen has loaded up, down at the bottom will be a link that says "Installed Updates". Click that.
5. A new window should pop up, and a list of your system's installed updates should generate.
6. You will be looking for "Update for Microsoft Windows (KB971033)"
7. Click that update, and at the top, click "Uninstall". A new window should pop up asking if you really want to go through with uninstalling this update. Select yes, and then wait for it to complete. Windows might ask you to reboot, and if it does, go ahead and complete that.
Now you should be safe from this nice little update from Microsoft.
For those of you that are, for lack of a better word, "Geeks", you might find that this is common knowledge; I'm posting this up because I know that there are some people that might be running their OS, and someone else installed it for them. Those people might not know how to fix this until it's too late.
DF and myself take no responsibility for any unwanted/unwarranted actions or situations that my arise from doing this procedure.
If, for some reason your copy of windows 7 isn't all that legal, you should obviously avoid this update.
Now, depending on your "Window's Update" settings, you can avoid this. If you have it set to notify you of all updates and then allow you to chose what to do, you can simply hide/ignore this update. On all five of the systems in my home, I have the updates set this way. They all listed the update, but it WASN'T checked. So, even if you were to just click install, it shouldn't install KB971033.
Ok, so those of you that have installed this update, and are now squirming in your seat, there is hope for you yet. I have, so far, successfully removed this update from three different systems, and I have been left unaffected. There is, however, a catch. So far, the only way I've seen to get around this is to catch the update before it "phones home".
IF you have this update installed, and it HASN'T given you an error message stating that you have an illegal OS copy, follow the below steps.
1. Click the "Start" button.
2. Select "Control Panel".
3. At the very bottom, select "Windows Update". You might have to select change to classic/icon view first to get your window to look like mine.
4. Once the new screen has loaded up, down at the bottom will be a link that says "Installed Updates". Click that.
5. A new window should pop up, and a list of your system's installed updates should generate.
6. You will be looking for "Update for Microsoft Windows (KB971033)"
7. Click that update, and at the top, click "Uninstall". A new window should pop up asking if you really want to go through with uninstalling this update. Select yes, and then wait for it to complete. Windows might ask you to reboot, and if it does, go ahead and complete that.
Now you should be safe from this nice little update from Microsoft.
For those of you that are, for lack of a better word, "Geeks", you might find that this is common knowledge; I'm posting this up because I know that there are some people that might be running their OS, and someone else installed it for them. Those people might not know how to fix this until it's too late.
DF and myself take no responsibility for any unwanted/unwarranted actions or situations that my arise from doing this procedure.
Last edited by ericemery; 02-25-2010 at 06:36 AM.
#2
07-07-2010, 01:03 AM
Beware: The upcoming Windows 7 Service Pack 1 appears to have incorporated this update, or at least the BETA version has. I and Chris (Laramie) will attempt to keep everyone updated.
