Moderator Edit: extracted from http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9006 ... an issue with the 'sound notification' for new e-mail in/on the WebMail application.

I think Media Player 11 released around Nov 30, maybe something like that had an effect. Anyway, you might check what M$ auto updates have been installed lately and ckeck the associated articles for "issues".

Hmm ... I didn't specifically authorise anything and my update history shows three downloads on Dec 6 for (XP) references KB929399, KB939683 & KB936782 - all to do with MP 11, one of them a security update. There are a lot of pages outside of the KB area about MP 11 too. Which I see I picked up on Dec 5 (could have been a bit delayed, had to re-build Windows after motherboard change). But flippin' marvellous isn't it? Who owns my plurry computer? Saw a sob story on a security site, some unfortunate lass being told she had to download and install XP SP1 - before she could download and install SP2 and subsequent patches to ensure her machine wasn't re-infected next time she ventured out - when SP1 was going to take 10 hours on her dial-up. So, skipping the updates is no solution.

In Vista it's always been MP11 and I notice that there have been a few updates for it. It's no big deal really.

OK.

Heh - just ran cmd - systeminfo for a complete list of my own "hotfixes" as a baseline for future reference but alas the number issued evidently exceeds the allowance provided:
"290 Hotfix(s) Installed." but the list breaks at 228.

Is that in XP? If so I'm not surprised. I dread the day if I ever have to reinstall either of my XP's.. Hopefully they'll behave until after SP3 is out and I've had time to slipstream it into an installation disk.

Here's my sysinfo in Vista:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6000]
Copyright © 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

M:\Windows\system32>systeminfo

Host Name: R2D2
OS Name: Microsoft® Windows VistaT Ultimate
OS Version: 6.0.6000 N/A Build 6000
OS Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
OS Configuration: Standalone Workstation
OS Build Type: Multiprocessor Free
Registered Owner: Peter
Registered Organization:
Product ID: 89 etc. etc
Original Install Date: 14/10/2007, 2:48:00 PM
System Boot Time: 10/12/2007, 6:57:39 AM
System Manufacturer: INTEL_
System Model: D865GBF_
System Type: X86-based PC
Processor(s): 1 Processor(s) Installed.
[01]: x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~
2992 Mhz
BIOS Version: Intel Corp. BF86510A.86A.0077.P25.0508040031, 04/08/2
005
Windows Directory: M:\Windows
System Directory: M:\Windows\system32
Boot Device: \Device\HarddiskVolume1
System Locale: en-ca;English (Canada)
Input Locale: en-us;English (United States)
Time Zone: (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Total Physical Memory: 3,298 MB
Available Physical Memory: 2,110 MB
Page File: Max Size: 6,788 MB
Page File: Available: 5,625 MB
Page File: In Use: 1,163 MB
Page File Location(s): M:\pagefile.sys
Domain: WORKGROUP
Logon Server: \\R2D2
Hotfix(s): 62 Hotfix(s) Installed.
[01]: {AC76BA86-7AD7-0000-2550-7A8C40000000} -
[02]: {B58FF9A9-B1CA-4A56-B83C-4EE1D8BC9BFC}
[03]: {DA256408-A2E7-41A5-8AD6-62ACB86A0FD7}
[04]: {106E7A1C-22DA-42D7-8E74-37772A9C89FB}
[05]: {150A5667-2171-4D5C-ABE5-17BA5049BB55}
[06]: {2959B9F6-2D49-4E0D-96F4-D684106FE48D}
[07]: {32971938-65B1-4B38-B483-9A32560B7CF2}
[08]: {6A6A5A40-FB6D-402C-8516-CC61E6DFE524}
[09]: {AA0370C1-BEB2-4C8E-ADFD-B7AFE85F0FBE}
[10]: {B945219C-C51C-4BD0-BAD5-A3FED95B555F}
[11]: {C4535494-0732-4123-BD27-8A000D3B36F2}
[12]: {F4A7AE1B-378F-41D2-857F-5AA1CB01533D}
[13]: {FA111F3D-A299-438D-A61F-2E8D5138D1D2}
[14]: {6EC77255-2E6B-49C0-B730-9C38410E0A85}
[15]: {BE2BFE6C-42E9-41DC-925D-2B5AA1A78644}
[16]: 933246
[17]: KB941236 Windows DreamScene Content
[18]: KB931133 Windows DreamScene Content
[19]: 933713
[20]: 932926
[21]: 932925
[22]: KB905866
[23]: KB925528
[24]: KB925902
[25]: KB929399
[26]: KB929735
[27]: KB929777
[28]: KB930178
[29]: KB930857
[30]: KB931099
[31]: KB931573
[32]: KB932471
[33]: KB933579
[34]: KB933729
[35]: KB935652
[36]: KB936021
[37]: KB936357
[38]: KB936782
[39]: KB936825
[40]: KB938127
[41]: KB938952
[42]: KB939159
[43]: KB939165
[44]: KB940105
[45]: KB941202
[46]: KB941229
[47]: KB941600
[48]: KB929123
[49]: KB929916
[50]: KB931213
[51]: KB933360
[52]: KB933928
[53]: KB935280
[54]: KB935807
[55]: KB936824
[56]: KB938123
[57]: KB938194
[58]: KB938979
[59]: KB939653
[60]: KB941649
[61]: KB941651
[62]: KB942763
Network Card(s): 2 NIC(s) Installed.
[01]: Intel® PRO/100 VE Network Connection
Connection Name: Local Area Connection
DHCP Enabled: Yes
DHCP Server: etc. etc.

Managed to get my XP Sysinfo, interesting that XP shows my Pentium 4 HT as 2 processors and Vista reports only 1. Also interesting the first few hotfixes labelled "File" and although 224 hotfixes mentioned it stops halfway through #213:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
© Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Peter>systeminfo

Host Name: R2D2
OS Name: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Version: 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
OS Configuration: Standalone Workstation
OS Build Type: Multiprocessor Free
Registered Owner: Peter McNicol
Registered Organization: Home
Product ID: 76 etc. etc.
Original Install Date: 10/05/2007, 8:42:24 AM
System Up Time: 0 Days, 0 Hours, 7 Minutes, 36 Seconds
System Manufacturer: INTEL_
System Model: D865GBF_
System type: X86-based PC
Processor(s): 2 Processor(s) Installed.
[01]: x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~
2992 Mhz
[02]: x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~
2992 Mhz
BIOS Version: INTEL - 20050804
Windows Directory: C:\WINDOWS
System Directory: C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device: \Device\HarddiskVolume1
System Locale: en-us;English (United States)
Input Locale: en-us;English (United States)
Time Zone: (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Total Physical Memory: 3,299 MB
Available Physical Memory: 2,608 MB
Virtual Memory: Max Size: 2,048 MB
Virtual Memory: Available: 2,007 MB
Virtual Memory: In Use: 41 MB
Page File Location(s): C:\pagefile.sys
Domain: MSHOME
Logon Server: \\R2D2
Hotfix(s): 224 Hotfix(s) Installed.
[01]: File 1
[02]: File 1
[03]: File 1
[04]: File 1
[05]: File 1
[06]: File 1
[07]: File 1
[08]: File 1
[09]: File 1
[10]: File 1
[11]: File 1
[12]: File 1
[13]: File 1
[14]: File 1
[15]: File 1
[16]: File 1
[17]: File 1
[18]: File 1
[19]: File 1
[20]: File 1
[21]: File 1
[22]: File 1
[23]: File 1
[24]: File 1
[25]: File 1
[26]: File 1
[27]: File 1
[28]: File 1
[29]: File 1
[30]: File 1
[31]: File 1
[32]: File 1
[33]: File 1
[34]: File 1
[35]: File 1
[36]: File 1
[37]: File 1
[38]: File 1
[39]: File 1
[40]: File 1
[41]: File 1
[42]: File 1
[43]: File 1
[44]: File 1
[45]: File 1
[46]: File 1
[47]: File 1
[48]: File 1
[49]: File 1
[50]: File 1
[51]: File 1
[52]: File 1
[53]: File 1
[54]: File 1
[55]: File 1
[56]: File 1
[57]: File 1
[58]: File 1
[59]: File 1
[60]: File 1
[61]: File 1
[62]: File 1
[63]: File 1
[64]: File 1
[65]: File 1
[66]: File 1
[67]: File 1
[68]: File 1
[69]: File 1
[70]: File 1
[71]: File 1
[72]: File 1
[73]: File 1
[74]: File 1
[75]: File 1
[76]: File 1
[77]: File 1
[78]: File 1
[79]: File 1
[80]: File 1
[81]: File 1
[82]: File 1
[83]: File 1
[84]: File 1
[85]: File 1
[86]: File 1
[87]: File 1
[88]: File 1
[89]: File 1
[90]: File 1
[91]: File 1
[92]: File 1
[93]: File 1
[94]: File 1
[95]: File 1
[96]: File 1
[97]: File 1
[98]: File 1
[99]: File 1
[100]: File 1
[101]: File 1
[102]: Q147222
[103]: M928366 - Update
[104]: S867460 - Update
[105]: KB917283 - Update
[106]: KB922770 - Update
[107]: KB928365 - Update
[108]: Q827429
[109]: Q927978
[110]: Q936181
[111]: IDNMitigationAPIs - Update
[112]: NLSDownlevelMapping - Update
[113]: KB929399
[114]: KB911565
[115]: KB917734_WMP10
[116]: KB936782_WMP11
[117]: KB939683
[118]: KB925398_WMP64
[119]: KB932471 - Update
[120]: KB923689
[121]: KB928090-IE7 - Update
[122]: KB929969 - Update
[123]: KB931768-IE7 - Update
[124]: KB933566-IE7 - Update
[125]: KB937143-IE7 - Update
[126]: KB938127-IE7 - Update
[127]: KB939653-IE7 - Update
[128]: MSCompPackV1 - Update
[129]: KB873339 - Update
[130]: KB885835 - Update
[131]: KB885836 - Update
[132]: KB885884 - Update
[133]: KB886185 - Update
[134]: KB888302 - Update
[135]: KB890046 - Update
[136]: KB890859 - Update
[137]: KB891781 - Update
[138]: KB893756 - Update
[139]: KB893803v2 - Update
[140]: KB894391 - Update
[141]: KB896344 - Update
[142]: KB896358 - Update
[143]: KB896423 - Update
[144]: KB896428 - Update
[145]: KB899587 - Update
[146]: KB899591 - Update
[147]: KB900485 - Update
[148]: KB900725 - Update
[149]: KB901017 - Update
[150]: KB901214 - Update
[151]: KB902400 - Update
[152]: KB904706 - Update
[153]: KB904942 - Update
[154]: KB905414 - Update
[155]: KB905749 - Update
[156]: KB908519 - Update
[157]: KB908531 - Update
[158]: KB910437 - Update
[159]: KB911280 - Update
[160]: KB911562 - Update
[161]: KB911927 - Update
[162]: KB913580 - Update
[163]: KB914388 - Update
[164]: KB914389 - Update
[165]: KB915800 - Update
[166]: KB915865 - Update
[167]: KB916595 - Update
[168]: KB917344 - Update
[169]: KB917422 - Update
[170]: KB917537 - Update
[171]: KB917953 - Update
[172]: KB918118 - Update
[173]: KB918439 - Update
[174]: KB919007 - Update
[175]: KB920213 - Update
[176]: KB920342 - Update
[177]: KB920670 - Update
[178]: KB920683 - Update
[179]: KB920685 - Update
[180]: KB920872 - Update
[181]: KB921503 - Update
[182]: KB922582 - Update
[183]: KB922819 - Update
[184]: KB923191 - Update
[185]: KB923414 - Update
[186]: KB923694 - Update
[187]: KB923980 - Update
[188]: KB924191 - Update
[189]: KB924270 - Update
[190]: KB924496 - Update
[191]: KB924667 - Update
[192]: KB924941 - Update
[193]: KB925720 - Update
[194]: KB925902 - Update
[195]: KB926239 - Update
[196]: KB926247 - Update
[197]: KB926255 - Update
[198]: KB926436 - Update
[199]: KB927779 - Update
[200]: KB927802 - Update
[201]: KB927891 - Update
[202]: KB928255 - Update
[203]: KB928843 - Update
[204]: KB929123 - Update
[205]: KB929969 - Update
[206]: KB930178 - Update
[207]: KB930916 - Update
[208]: KB931261 - Update
[209]: KB931768 - Update
[210]: KB931784 - Update
[211]: KB931836 - Update
[212]: KB932168 - Update
[213]: KB933360 -

NetWork Card(s): 3 NIC(s) Installed.
[01]: Intel® PRO/100 VE Network Connection
Connection Name: Local Area Connection
DHCP Enabled: Yes
DHCP Server: etc. etc.

OK - just a brief foray OT
Yes it was. But reinstall works fine - the M$ updates run through without drama, a small degree of iteration is involved if you run through requesting updates rather than waiting for the auto update to take care of it (presumably a few dependencies have to be satisfied) and the update list is far shorter, something like 81 from SP2 with IE7 installed. Guess there are some "few" redundancies. Repair is a different matter - see http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8996 - though untested (in that instance) is Wazoo's thought about leaving the autoupdates to work their magic. There's always the little bat file if that doesn't work. In either case, make sure you have your Windows key handy (you can pull it off the system before starting if the physical plaque has gone missing).
Yeah, I've noticed that "dual processor" thing before in XP, pretty sure it was other than systeminfo too. A quirk I guess. OK you got to 212.5 before the buffer filled or whatever happened. We could start a competition - the number seems quite variable. My list

Host Name: STEVEWORK
OS Name: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Version: 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
OS Configuration: Standalone Workstation
OS Build Type: Multiprocessor Free
Registered Owner: Steve
Registered Organization: Home
Product ID: 76487-OEM-0053312-27733
Original Install Date: 27/01/2005, 9:55:16 AM
System Up Time: 0 Days, 0 Hours, 43 Minutes, 30 Seconds
System Manufacturer: System Manufacturer
System Model: System Name
System type: X86-based PC
Processor(s): 2 Processor(s) Installed.
[01]: x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 4 GenuineIntel ~
3000 Mhz
[02]: x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 4 GenuineIntel ~
3000 Mhz
BIOS Version: ASUS - 42302e31
Windows Directory: C:\WINDOWS
System Directory: C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device: \Device\HarddiskVolume1
System Locale: en-au;English (Australia)
Input Locale: en-us;English (United States)
Time Zone: (GMT+08:00) Perth
Total Physical Memory: 480 MB
Available Physical Memory: 165 MB
Virtual Memory: Max Size: 2,048 MB
Virtual Memory: Available: 2,008 MB
Virtual Memory: In Use: 40 MB
Page File Location(s): C:\pagefile.sys
Domain: MSHOME
Logon Server: \\STEVEWORK
Hotfix(s): 290 Hotfix(s) Installed.
[01]: File 1
[02]: File 1
[03]: File 1
[04]: File 1
...
[227]: KB916281 - Update
[228]: KB916595 -

NetWork Card(s): 1 NIC(s) Installed.
[01]: SiS 900-Based PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter
Connection Name: Local Area Connection
DHCP Enabled: No
IP address(es)
etc.

Interesting. Thanks for the Wazoo link.

OK, as stated in the Topic that this was extracted from, I lost quite bit of time chasing this subject around. Turns out the the sysinfo.exe file is one of those that isn't included in XP-Home. However, it's a stand-alone file, so copying it over from an XP-Pro system solved that small issue.

I didn't run into the "file ran out of buffer-space' on any of the five systems I looked at here. The first 'easy' answer as to why is that none of those systems had as many updates, patches, fixes showing in the list ... a low of 172, a high of 208 .... all 'up-to-date' as far as the most-recent patches being applied. I'm having to go with that some fixes/patches/etc. were replace by later fixes/patches/etc. so the 'history' of those previous updates don't actually exist on some systems, assumedly based on the install date (and in two cases, the wierd results stemming from the XP-Repair problems noted in another Topic/Discussion)

One of my favorite tools is Belarc Advisor .. which for XP and above uses results from the Microsoft Security Bulletin Search to do a comparison on what's available/what's installed.

I'm also going to note that the last newsletter from Windows Secrets has yet another mention of the WGA screw-up by Microsoft that based on Farelf's comments still hasn't actually been 'fixed' .... (or maybe I'm reading to much into it .. it may be just as I opined in the other Topic, that vast confusion between the XP-Repair replacing (with original) Windows files, but the 'evidence' of previously applied patches remains in place, so the 'need' to apply those patches isn't seen .. yet the attempts to actually install them get confused results because they already have been applied as far as the 'update' code and data tries to indicate.)

Closing here as I can't remember where I was heading with this when I started doing the research a couple of days ago.

On the matter of hotfixes, I am of the opinion that systeminfo.exe is not always (or not often) giving a clear result. For a start, on XP, the initial 90 or more are often just shown as
[01]: File 1
...
[101]: File 1
etc and, next point, they may include superseded or otherwise inactive patches as I think a comparison with 3rd party utilities would show (BA maybe? - certainly K1.exe shows a much lower number). I trust the lower number because it agrees with what I saw when installing patches on the "repaired" work machine I mentioned. Systeminfo says 180-something, K1 says 80-something and I know 80-something patches/updates were installed because they were all done on the one day, half of them one at a time. A companion machine, exactly the same age, which started out identical but hasn't been through the motherboard replacement & Windows repair trauma says 290 (systeminfo) and 130 (K1). This could be/just might be something to do with the number of system restore points (maybe the buffer thing too) - I noticed while doing the one-at-a-time patching that a restore point was created before each patch installed. Maybe with that machine I will reset/wipe the restore points and see what happens with the respective hotfix counts and lists - nothing to lose, something to learn, perhaps.

Done, made no difference to the "excessive" number of hotfixes reported by systeminfo - whatever the difference it is not so simple as an inventory of restore points. The exercise did regain 4Gb of disk space. Presumably - but I don't know - that represents something like 3 years' regression to when the machine was first built since that would be the data on the disk (since 4 Gb is well under the 12% of total max that is & was set) - although Windows was rebuilt by repair - not reinstall - on just 30 November this year. Hmm - 4Gb for 3 years seems barely adequate for today's bloatware and incessant patching? Heh - noted from Control Panel Install/Remove Software that the only hotfixes shown before Dec 5 (when the machine was put back online) are 2 Windows Genuine Advantage ones). Nice that our 'advantage' is so bulletproof.

Restore point monitoring now turned back on.

Just noting that "Restore Point" isn't really much of a 'back-up' .... so it's not like 'everything' is backed up/archived ... some items are also stored in a 'compressed' mode ....

I can recaall that the couple of times I 'hoped' that using a Restore Point would 'solve' things left me wondering whether all the time trying to 'fix' the 'Restored' system was actually worth it.

I actually have a system here that failed WGA, It hadn't been on-line in ages, I had to use a screwdriver to get the dust out of the modem jacks, I installed a network card to ease the pain of the updates .. ouch! Followed the "Resolve this issue now" prompts to see that one could just drop in a credit card number and buy a 'real' version of Win-XP for $179 U.S. Contrast that to a recent news-blurb where it stated that Microsoft was offering to help those poor third-world folks with a $3 U.S. copy of Windows and Office ... part of their effort to make sure that the $100-laptop-per-child efforts would not use that nasty Linux stuff ....

I'm thinking that's all true Wazoo. A touch of pragmatism too in that $3 software deal. I know that for years even the most major stores in Jakarta have been selling just about everything, nothing over Rp30,000 (near enough to $3). Needless to say this was long before the deal you mention which would actually undercut the counterfeiters (momentarily). It's a strange old world.

Hmm ... came across this in grc.security today. No names, no pack drill 'cause he has his archive flag set to "no"(Also mentioned here in http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8759). So I installed and ran the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.0.1 - 2-step validation required - on the home PC. No Windows problems but a few with MS Office (the one-stop shop concept for Microsoft Update seems to have slipped, and I was signed up for notifications too being a belt-and-braces person, but a critical update was missed somehow, and several "important" ones but I digress).

Anyway, it will be fascinating to find out what it has to say about the re-built office computer, the erstwhile twin of the home one. Guess I should ask our IT Adviser/Advisor first. Nah, he should have been running MBSA on our network all along (maybe has, just not "bothering" us with positive results, which would be fine).

Re-iterating, this is an XP - a "similar" beta tool is available for Vista, haven't read the fine print about other OS. [Added - ah yes, there it is, hiding in plain sightand some specifics at Products Supported by WSUS]

I could be wrong, but .. I believe this is what the Belarc Advisor tool uses to identify the patches, fixes, etc.

Hard to tell but if not it certainly aims to replicate the function. Okay, that's it - scrapping K1 and MBSA and going with Belarc Advisor instead (when I have a spare few seconds).

Belarc and MBSA agree on patches/fixes on the office computer (no issues) so there is no evidence, on this sample of one, that MBSA would contribute anything extra to sorting out such things as why a baulky machine is in trouble (except it will access remotely which might conceivably be an advantage sometimes - also a liability sometimes). On the other hand, MBSA is a touch unreasonable in some respects. MBSA complains 3 local accounts have weak passwords. Belarc reveals these are disabled accounts and have never been used.

What am I doing? I don't have time for this right now. Still to check against K1 info but I'm thinking it's Belarc for me and scrap the rest.