Wrap that w..... er, patch that machine

[unixronin]

For those who haven't seen, the latest Microsoft vulnerabilities have just been disclosed: four updates covering 20 vulnerabilities, 16 of them remotely exploitable, 8 of them rated "Critical" severity, most of them affecting ALL versions of Windows, most of them allowing a skilled hacker to take complete control of the system.

I note that the Outlook Express vulnerability patch goes by Outlook version ..... Hey, Microsoft, I've got a much better idea. How about just letting me REMOVE the festering piece of shit?

Oh yeah.  Don't expect to successfully download these any time soon.  Windows Update is being hammered.

(Thanks to echristo for calling this to my attention.)

Comments

two words

[mrquacker.livejournal.com]

Linux Desktop

[darthgeek.livejournal.com]

Since I pretty much have to deal with Windows, I have the auto-update featured turned on. Downloads the updates and then prompts me to install them. Thankfully, EDS saw fit to remove the domain policy that prevented people from using Windows Update after whatever Welchia was supposed to fix came around. Fortunately, I'm not on the domain and most of the other contractors aren't either, so, that didn't have much of an impact on me.

[radarrider.livejournal.com]

You should be able to remove Outlook Express. Go to the Add or Remove Programs control panel and then click Add/Remove Windows Components. Outlook Express should be listed here and you should be able to uncheck it.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

The sum total of Windows Components listed in my add/remove control panel are:

Indexing service (not installed)
Internet Explorer (I'd remove it if Windows Update didn't require it)
IIS (not installed)
Managing and Monitoring Tools (not installed)
Message Queueing Services (not installed)
Networking Services (not installed)
Other Network File and Print Services (not installed)
Outlook Express (not installed)
Script Debugger (not installed)
Windows Media Player

The descriptive text on that Outlook Express entry says only, "Adds or removes access to Outlook Express from the Start menu." And it occupies zero disk space. All this removes is the Start Menu shortcut; it still leaves it installed on the disk. I don't want Outlook Express on my disk at all, period. I don't want Windows 2000 to just delete an icon and tell me "There, there, it's gone now, see?"

The only way I've found to accomplish this is to boot in safe mode, go into Program Files, and physically delete the Outlook Express folder (and Netmeeting and Microsoft Frontpage while I'm at it). And even then Windows 2000 will recreate empty folders there when I reboot again, and frantically insist that they're in use.