Updates or Virus?

[GD]

Hello,
"New updates are already to install...." message from systray prompted me to
update Windows 2000 Server this morning, I clicked it and it installed
(without going to Microsoft site) quite a bit files on the server as I could
see that the install progress bar moving for about five minutes. Once it
finished installing, the computer restarted automatically and the nightmare
started from here: it takes forever to start the window. "Preparing network
connection...." message is displayed without any sign of progress except I
can see the hard drive activities now and then and the light of the flopy
drive flashes a
few time . Two hours later, I manually shut down the computer and started it
by pressing F8, and choosing "Last known good configuration.....(Cann't
remember the exact text)". As usual, this menu option has never worked as it
is supposed to be in my case. I reboot the machine and tried safe mode. It
took much longer to open the safe mode window. When I was going to uninstall
the update, it took 2 minites to popup "Start Menu" after I clicked the
"Start" button. I can figure out how long it might take to go to "Add/Remove
programes" utility and fix the problem.

Can some points out what was going? Are there any viruses in the updates? Or
any hacker's program hacked into the update function of the windows and
installed any viruses?

Thanks for any solution.

GD

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Hello,
"New updates are already to install...." message from systray
prompted me to update Windows 2000 Server this morning, I clicked it
and it installed (without going to Microsoft site)

.....because auto update seems to be set to download automatically in the
background & just notify you when it's done.

quite a bit files
on the server as I could see that the install progress bar moving for
about five minutes. Once it finished installing, the computer
restarted automatically and the nightmare started from here: it takes
forever to start the window. "Preparing network connection...."
message is displayed without any sign of progress except I can see
the hard drive activities now and then and the light of the flopy
drive flashes a few time . Two hours later, I manually shut down the
computer and started it by pressing F8, and choosing "Last known good
configuration.....(Cann't remember the exact text)". As usual, this
menu option has never worked as it is supposed to be in my case. I
reboot the machine and tried safe mode. It took much longer to open
the safe mode window. When I was going to uninstall the update, it
took 2 minites to popup "Start Menu" after I clicked the "Start"
button. I can figure out how long it might take to go to "Add/Remove
programes" utility and fix the problem.

Check your event logs for errors....always look at the list of downloaded
updates before clicking Install (good practice). You should be able to
uninstall the updates, one at a time, til you resolve the problem.

Can some points out what was going? Are there any viruses in the
updates?

No, not from windows update (knock wood) - but you *do* have good AV
protection on your servers/network, don't you?

Or any hacker's program hacked into the update function of

 

[GD]

Thanks for reply.
I tried to uninstall the updates in safe mode and it didn't fixed problem (I
don't think it uninstalled the updates successfully). Since the updates
slowed down the windows a lot (for example, it took 10 minutes to display
the program list in Add/Remove Program tool even in safe mode, the sympton
exactly like the machine being affected, though I had Norton Antivirus real
time protection turned on), I was not able to do anything further. Repairing
the system using the installation CD was the only option, and it worked
except that I had to reinstall some software.

The lesson I learned is: don't let Win2k install updates automatically as it
doesn't tell you what it installs. Always go to Microsoft update site to
download neccessary updates.

GD

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"