Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

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Susan Smith
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Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by Susan Smith »

Hi all,

Windows 7 and 8 users:
Are you aware that Microsoft is pushing a Windows update to those configured with "automatic updates" to "prepare" for a Windows 10 install? If you aren't aware of it, I suggest that you do a little reading.

My primary client was unable to load BR at all on any of their local workstations this morning because of this update, which came overnight. This had previously happened on ONE workstation which got the update before the others, and we didn't realize what the problem was with BR. We just restored the system to the previous config and it worked again. But then, the update was pushed again overnight - to ALL of their workstations. And then NONE of them worked!

The update creates a hidden folder in the C: root that basically sets up for a Win10 install with the intention (per MS) to remind the customer to install Win10 at some point. It contains the entire Win10 install (6gb) and according to our tech, this new hidden folder contains basically the entire hard drive contents - sort of like a recovery partition or something. It installs some other things too (you can see them online if you google around a bit). We don't know much about it, but once the update was pushed to the workstations, when trying to load BR, we got the error shown in the attached screen capture when BR hit the drive statement. BR couldn't map to the drive (and therefore couldn't find or create wbserver.dat).

If I login to their server via Remote Desktop, I can run BR just fine because I am not running on one of the local workstations with the update. It works fine on my computer in my office too, but I checked and that update is not installed here. (I don't have automatic updates turned on.) If my client restores the computer back to before the update, BR runs fine again. But the update continues to be re-pushed by Microsoft unless you do more to stop it. There are some third party utilities available just for this purpose. I am reading online that a lot of people are pretty unhappy about this.

My client is going to turn off automatic updates on all of the workstations and hide this patch. But this COULD be an issue for the BR community as a whole as this patch rolls out. I don't know why it doesn't play nice with BR.

My drive statement, that it is choking on, is very simple DRIVE L:,L:,L:,\BR
L: is a mapped drive on the server. (which IS accessible through Win Explorer)
They are not running BR client server.

Has anyone else run into this? And if so, do you know why BR chokes? None of their other application software has a problem with it.

-- Susan


Here are a few links of the sources I went to about the unwelcome Windows updates:

http://betanews.com/2015/09/11/remove-u ... ndows-8-x/

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/21 ... load-files

At the end of the following article, it mentions a program that someone wrote to prevent the update from coming back:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/298377 ... 81-pc.html

http://windowsitpro.com/windows-10/reas ... -computers

http://www.computerworld.com/article/29 ... nsent.html
Attachments
BR exe error screen capture.jpg
BR exe error screen capture.jpg (51.9 KiB) Viewed 21673 times
dmeenen
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by dmeenen »

Here is a link to "How to Block Windows 10 upgrades"

It involves creating 2 registry settings and works on all of the computers I have implemented on.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-blo ... TREc64629f

Sorry Susan,
I have not run into your specific problem, yet!


Doug Meenen
Susan Smith
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by Susan Smith »

Thanks Doug. I will pass this along to the systems guy at the client's location. I wish I knew how this Windows update was breaking BR. Not knowing this makes me pretty nervous.

My current drive statement on all of the workstations is the old L:, L:, L:, \BR

It was suggested that I change it to L:, L:\BR, L: \ so I might try that (if they are willing to reinstall the Win update on a workstation so I can test that theory). The existing drive statement has been working for decades. And we haven't upgraded BR recently. So I don't even know if I'm on the right track. Just because BR "appears" to die on the drive statement doesn't necessarily mean that this is where the fatal shot was fired.

Have a good weekend!

-- Susan
John
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by John »

I and several of my users are using Windows 10. I do have to set up a couple things configuration wise for each installation. Here are some sample config statements I use on a typical Windows 10 install.

!* Windows 10 Home 64-bit - 1 User
! ACS Programs: C:\Program Files (x86)\ACS
! Data: (default) %ProgramData%\ACS
Drive S,%ProgramFiles(x86)%\ACS5~1,X,\
WBServer %Temp%

In this configuration my data is located in a default place (set by a dynamic drive statement after I start BR) and my programs would be located in "C:\Program Files (x86)\ACS 5". In a multi user environment I'd point both the data wbserver statement to point at some shared location on the network. I have pretty much given up (for new installs) on keeping the programs on the network. It's faster for the users to require each workstation to update from time to time than it is for them to constantly read the programs from the network. It just works faster that way on slow networks. Of course I am not using client server simply because it's too much of a pain to set up.

-John
John Bowman
gordon
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by gordon »

Is it possible the update removed or corrupted the mapping for drive L: ?

No other Win 10 problems have been reported.
Susan Smith
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by Susan Smith »

Gordon,

The mapping to the L: drive is still fine. I can navigate to it and even open text files and such with Windows Explorer. And that's going directly from the mapped L: drive and not from the server path.

I don't believe that Win10 itself is the issue. We aren't even using it yet. All workstations are running Win7. But this Windows Update is causing the trouble. I think they have called in some "big guns" to look at this. Of course, if there is something that I can do, like alter a drive statement or something, then that would be preferable. But in the meantime, this is what happens.

1. BR running fine from mapped drive L: on the server
2. Install Windows update
3. BR fails
4. Restore system to restore point from before the Windows update
5. BR works again.

I admit, this is a weird one. For now, we're just preventing that update from reinstalling. But of course, there is a better solution somewhere. I just don't know what it is at present. I will post more questions (or hopefully ANSWERS) when I have them, in case someone else runs into this.

-- Susan

John: I have saved your configuration comments in my notes. When we actually DO go to Win10, I may do something similar. Thanks!
bluesfannoz
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by bluesfannoz »

Susan
What operating system is the Server Machine running?
Steve Koger
Computer Specialist
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Susan Smith
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by Susan Smith »

Hi Steve,

I don't know what version the server is running. It's either Windows Server 2008 or 2012. They had planned to go to 2012, but I'm not sure if that actually happened. I will check on Monday.

-- Susan
bluesfannoz
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by bluesfannoz »

You need to have them turn off SMB2 and SMB3 on the server if it is either one of those operating systems.

This link should tell you how to do so on either Server operating system. Doing this stopped us from getting similar errors. This forces all client machines to connect to the server share with SMB1.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2696547

Make sure you reboot the server and all workstations after making the change.

Steve
Steve Koger
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Susan Smith
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by Susan Smith »

Thank you Steve! I have forwarded the message to their systems guy. I appreciate it so much!

-- Susan
bluesfannoz
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by bluesfannoz »

Just checking back Susan. Did disabling SMB2 and SMB3 resolve your issue?
Steve Koger
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Susan Smith
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by Susan Smith »

Hi Steve,

Thanks for checking in. No, it didn't help. We have tried everything else we can think of. Many times, we will do something that works temporarily (usually removing patches or going back to a restore point). At that point, BR might work again. But then in a few hours or a day, it starts again. Several "pro" level malware packages are being used (and not really turning up anything major), so we don't think it's a virus or even a rootkit. We have rebuilt the profiles from scratch, and it will work for a while, and then start failing again. This is occurring on various workstations at different times. At one point last week, NONE of the 13 workstations could get in. At least for right now, SOME of them are working, but one of the ones that doesn't work belongs to the the boss, so that's very unfortunate. She has to use someone else's workstation in order to do any BR work.

The resulting BR error always has to do with drive mapping (4203 or 4152m depending upon how I launch BR). I could possibly change the way the drives are mapped (maybe), but why has this worked for YEARS and just lately, we are having trouble? The systems guy, Gary, believes it is related to something Microsoft has pushed. We thought it was this Win10 thing, but now we don't know for sure. The ironic thing is that another associated department (which does not run BR at all) is also having major problems related to some Win10 push from MS. In that case, I believe that a Win10 install patch got "stuck" and they can't remove it or finish installing it. So they are dead in the water. I read online that there are all sorts of complaints about recent MS patch pushes. I wish I knew if this was our problem. I think they may have to call in the Microsoft techs soon. It will be very expensive, but after spending countless hours on this, we're running out of things to try. It's just so odd that you can get it going after going back to a restore point, but then it all comes back like a birthday cake candle that won't stay blown out!

-- Susan
bluesfannoz
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by bluesfannoz »

Sorry to hear that. Making those changes has eliminated similar errors on our clients. It is very important that the server and all connected machines be shutdown and restarted after adding those registry entries on the server. If not then SMB2 or SMB3 connection may still occur.

Something else that just hit me that you might also want to make sure is that the server is trusted by the workstations in Internet Options. Make sure you use the same server name/ip address used to establish the share when setting it as trusted.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lib ... 96428.aspx

The above link tells you where to go on the workstation to set this. We usually try to use IP address for our servers as it removes an additional step in the communication process. So for example I would set the site to trust to be \\192.168.15.1 and it would be stored as file file:\\192.168.15.1

Let me know if that has an affect.

Steve
Steve Koger
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SEKESC-MACS Division
Susan Smith
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Re: Windows automatic update for Win10 install - kills BR

Post by Susan Smith »

Thanks for this input, Steve. I'm passing this along to Gary, the network/systems guy. You're way over my head (as you no doubt know), but he knows what you're talking about ;)

-- Susan
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