Replies

> Can’t count how many times I went into a situation to do one simple and routine thing, and then had to fix an entire environment because that one thing sent an unstable situation over the edge.

Of course. We've all been there, plenty of times. That situation hardly is restricted to software updates, as you must know.

> The situation described above is not hypothetical or theoretical, it is an actual situation I have encountered multiple times doing IT support over the years.

I never said the problem is "hypothetical or theoretical". You're setting up straw men.

Sure the problem exists, with ANY update to ANY operating system or application. I've encountered more than my share as well. So what? Are you claiming that users are unaware that all software has flaws and can misbehave? In 2017, really?

I defend my assertion that the best general advice is to install the updates, on the basis that the number of cases where they create serious trouble for the user (on the order of "won't boot") are very small compared to the number of cases where they prevent trouble for the user (on the order of "oh god I'm infected / my files are encrypted / etc.").

If you would have preferred to see a reminder to the effect of "... and before you install new updates, be sure to back up your computer", fine. I've stated that numerous times in the past in similar situations. I didn't do so this time, so I'll offer a mea culpa for that omission.

But the advice still stands. For the vast majority of Windows users, the good done by the security patches and stability fixes far outweighs the small danger of locking up the machine, and if the user has taken even the most rudimentary precautions -- which they should be doing anyway -- recovery is not too bad.

Personally I prefer VMs for this very reason. "Recovery" is a file copy, done. And if it's a really big filesystem, I partition off 100-150GB for the OS, and make a separate large data partition, so the system "disk" can be restored more quickly by itself.

> One simply cannot make a responsible recommendation for any particular case without knowing the whole of the situation.

Oh come on, of course one can, as a general recommendation, applied by the user to their own particular cases. And one is forced to do so "without knowing the whole of the situation", since one cannot possibly know the details of every user's individual circumstances.

Seriously, what do you recommend instead? Don't just keep criticizing me -- propose what someone on Free Republic (or any internet forum) posting articles regarding the largest ever ransomware outbreak, should tell their fellow FReepers, to help them stay out of trouble?