Windows 7 update and Browsers don't work

BillyW wrote:
What's not mentioned is that Chrome uses the same Internet connection settings as IE. Firefox uses it's own settings.

Firefox stores its configuration files in its own profile folder which can be located anywhere. It doesn't rely on Windows system files to do so such as the registry. Which not only isolates Firefox from system changes, but makes it easy to secure by using encryption for instance. Such as hardening the built-in password database.

MNtundraRet wrote:

mikestock wrote:
My Windows 7 laptop did a major Windows update last night as I shut down. This morning I found that neither Internet Explorer nor Google Chrome worked. Firefox was my only browser functioning. I did a System Restore to roll back the updates and all browsers worked again.

Just wondering if anyone else ran into this problem.

If I am reading your quote right, the problem was caused because you "SHUT DOWN" the computer. A really big mistake.

Your computer went to the update site: found about 18 updates, down-loaded them, installed them, and was waiting for your computer to "RESTART" to configure them.

When you went to "SHUT DOWN" the computer may have had a small marker meaning you needed to "RESTART. Not SHUT DOWN". The two versions of restart and shut down are not the same.

When doing RESTART part of the "Reconfiguration" takes place while you see a warning not to shut down. The rest or "Reconfiguration" takes place right after you see Windows starting to reload and you are warned to give it time to finish before entering your password.

Best thing for you to do now is to go to the update site and look for updates. Then down-load and install them. Watch what is going on, and hit button for "Restart" when asked.

Also set up Windows Update to Notify you when updates are available. Too many things can go wrong when "Auto update" is going on in the background. This was a failure waiting to happen with 18 updates being handled in the background.

My wife and I both have computers which updated...Mine went ok...hers didn't...I had to go back to earlier date, and re-do the update..this time went fine..

I never shut down my PC and only restart it when Windows Update forces me to (which it usually doesn't)

MNtundraRet wrote:

mikestock wrote:
My Windows 7 laptop did a major Windows update last night as I shut down. This morning I found that neither Internet Explorer nor Google Chrome worked. Firefox was my only browser functioning. I did a System Restore to roll back the updates and all browsers worked again.

Just wondering if anyone else ran into this problem.

If I am reading your quote right, the problem was caused because you "SHUT DOWN" the computer. A really big mistake.

Your computer went to the update site: found about 18 updates, down-loaded them, installed them, and was waiting for your computer to "RESTART" to configure them.

When you went to "SHUT DOWN" the computer may have had a small marker meaning you needed to "RESTART. Not SHUT DOWN". The two versions of restart and shut down are not the same.

When doing RESTART part of the "Reconfiguration" takes place while you see a warning not to shut down. The rest or "Reconfiguration" takes place right after you see Windows starting to reload and you are warned to give it time to finish before entering your password.

Best thing for you to do now is to go to the update site and look for updates. Then down-load and install them. Watch what is going on, and hit button for "Restart" when asked.

Also set up Windows Update to Notify you when updates are available. Too many things can go wrong when "Auto update" is going on in the background. This was a failure waiting to happen with 18 updates being handled in the background.

Umm. no.

Windows updates will work FINE if you choose shut down or restart.

The problem child is if you PULL THE POWER (IE turn off via power strip or unplug a laptop battery with no AC power adapter connected).

Now the "rub" so to speak with the wise wisdom of MS with W7 and above is if the updates get corrupted while they are being downloaded to your PC. This starts and endless loop of failed updates which are not easily fixed.

My recommendation is to ALWAYS SET YOUR PCS TO MANUAL UPDATES DOWNLOAD. This allows you to get notifications but you can choose to NOT DOWNLOAD WHILE YOUR PC IS ON A WIRELESS CONNECTION.

Connect the PC to a WIRED CONNECTION, then download the updates.

Interesting. My windows 7 also upgraded last night when I shut down and all works OK today. However, I never did like Norton. Dumped it. Comes free on some new computers for 6 months. I use Zone Alarm and Malwarebytes premium and very happy with them and no problems.

Turns out that the updates had nothing to do with my problems. Looks like it had to do with Norton 360. I couldn't even get the Norton 360 to work at all. Had to download and apply the Norton uninstall tool. Then had to download 360 and reinstall.

I think I may have caused the problem myself when I chose to delay start of some of the start up programs to speed up my boot time.

Everything seems to be working now.

What's not mentioned is that Chrome uses the same Internet connection settings as IE. Firefox uses it's own settings.

If updating during shutdowns was a bad thing, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be an option. I touch hundreds of PCs every week and do it all the time. I would bet there was a security update that temporarily affected those settings.

I particularly like it when Windows Update says you need to restart to complete the update, I click restart, and it say Windows is waiting for the following program to close.... Windows Update.

Dohh!!

The main point of my reply is that bad things can happen when there is a large update taking place in the background while you are working on a separate program (which might also be heavy CPU use intensive). Obviously some of the updates may have been bombed during "Installation".

If you had clicked on the "Update Windows" before shutting down, the window would have showed how many updates were successfully down-loaded and installed, or that some had failed. That would have been the time to click search for updates again and allow down-loading and installation again.

Not all computers are created equal.

I too always get my MS updates when I am shutting down. I get a messge saying DO NOT TURN OFF until completed.

My WIN 7 update had some 18 updates and took a pretty long time before finishing..

I normally use FIREFOX but just switched over to Internet Explorer when I read your comment and all worked just fine here on internet explorer...

Perhaps you had an internet connection hiccup when it was downloading since it was so hugh???

Roy Ken