Blocking Windows Update via Router


Recommended Posts

Hi guys,

We've got a bit of an issue at the moment, we're using DeepFreeze to lock down our PCs on the call floor, the issue is that they're all redownloading Windows Updates automatically every morning. Now I'm going to go around and disable this so we can manually do it once every few months but immediately we need to have Windows Update blocked as our internet connection is barely functioning right now.

Can anyone tell me what Domains / Ports etc Windows Update on Windows XP uses?

Thanks

Chris

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/984862-blocking-windows-update-via-router/
Share on other sites

i believe update.microsoft.com is the hostname of the windows update servers, not sure about the port though, leme see if i can track it down (Y)

edit: windows update services use port 80 and 443, lol

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490846.aspx

Windows update uses the following DNS for updates;

update.microsoft.com

windowsupdate.microsoft.com

you could block these at the firewall if your router supports DNS blocking that would be the simple option i guess.

If you have a Windows Server you could implement a group policy?

EDIT: Riggers beat me to it

Hey guys,

Blocking those two hostnames seams to have done the job for now, well enough at least. I'll update these PCs manually in a few weeks then disable Windows Update on them.

Which group policy are you guys talking about?

They're hooked up to a Server 2008 R2 Domain Controller.

Through Group policy you can control Windows Update, ideally you would do this with WSUS (free) to give you a centralized control of updates allowing you to control what does and what does not get installed

Then when you want to apply an update you OK it in WSUS and all the machines will download it per the scheduling you have already laid out

  On 24/03/2011 at 14:23, Teebor said:

Through Group policy you can control Windows Update, ideally you would do this with WSUS (free) to give you a centralized control of updates allowing you to control what does and what does not get installed

Then when you want to apply an update you OK it in WSUS and all the machines will download it per the scheduling you have already laid out

This, also you can have deepfreeze thaw during a scheduled time period so that updates can be applied. Say between 3am to 5am on thrusdays for example (a time that usually no one is working).

Yeah, controlling Windows Update via Group Policy isn't really worth it, nor is WSUS, When we move to a Windows Multipoint Server base or move from XP to 7 then I'll worry about such things. These machines are used for a basic Java app and nothing else, so updates are barely important, they're even firewalled off from 99.9% of the web.

I'll just let them be and disable automatic updates soon as I get time.

Spending time fixing up PCs from the dark ages isn't my concern, ensuring it doesn't affect the productivity of the office is my concern. lol.

  On 24/03/2011 at 15:59, Vegetunks said:

Yeah, controlling Windows Update via Group Policy isn't really worth it, nor is WSUS, When we move to a Windows Multipoint Server base or move from XP to 7 then I'll worry about such things. These machines are used for a basic Java app and nothing else, so updates are barely important, they're even firewalled off from 99.9% of the web.

I'll just let them be and disable automatic updates soon as I get time.

Spending time fixing up PCs from the dark ages isn't my concern, ensuring it doesn't affect the productivity of the office is my concern. lol.

30 min gets you wsus and the appropriate group policies in place (even to disable windows updates for those specific machines, this would take 5 min if you have a domain). Dunno how it isnt worth it. Dunno how WSUS isn't worth free.

computer configuration

admin templates

windows components

windows update

Configure automatic updates

"If the status is set to Disabled, any updates that are available on Windows Update must be downloaded and installed manually. To do this, go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com or click Start, click Programs (or click All Programs), and then click Windows Update."

This is a computer setting so it applies only to computers, add the computers that you want to apply this gpo to not the users within the group policy management console in active directory.

On the Domain Controller, Start, Administrative tools, Group Policy Management Console.

Make a new group policy under the main domain name, edit the policy. I will provide screen shots in my next post, I will start getting them done now.

when you are in the group policy management console, you single click on the policy on right it displays scope tab, at the bottom of the scope tab there is security filtering. add computers in there. You will have to modify the object type to include computers to be able to add them.

then on a computer that is going to be effected by the group policy you can force it to apply by going to a command prompt and typing in:

gpupdate

to verify that this has been applied you can either use the gpresults command or going to start run rsop.msc and navigating to the windows update section. All pcs will follow suit within 15-45 min, you may want to schedule a one time thaw so that these updates can take place and be in there always, even after a reboot.

Very powerful the group policies are, I would suggest making group policies as granular as possible. They can really lock down a computer. The computer configuration section applies to computers, the user configuration section applies to users. If you change something to the computer configuration and try to apply that to users it will will not apply and if you change something in the user configuration and have that apply to computers it will not apply.

You can make groups and apply policies to groups (you can put computers in a group).

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Hello, The thing about Thunderbolt 2/3/4 PCIe cards is that in additional to the signals carried over the PCIe slot they are plugged into they need to send additional signals to the motherboard for which there is no standardized connection set of connections on the PCIe bus.  To get around this limitation, motherboard manufacturers can include a separate Thunderbolt header. which is sometimes labeled as JTBT1 or TBT1 on the motherboard.  The Thunderbolt PCIe card has a corresponding header on it, and comes with a proprietary cable to connect between the card and motherboard. While the additional signals that need to be sent over the Thunderbolt header are somewhat standardized, motherboard manufacturers are also free to implement whatever custom vendor-specific additions like like, like allowing a the system to recognize an on/off button on a Thunderbolt dock they alone offer to power up the system, or recognize what an external peripheral has been plugged in or unplugged from the Thunderbolt port.  Features like this, plus the lack of requirements for standardized features, or even a standard physical layout for the Thunderbolt header, mean that manufacturers can implement what are Thunderbolt PCIe cards that are essentially proprietary in that all features only work with their motherboard and even then only when their custom cable is used between their motherboard and their Thunderbolt PCIe card.  There may be additional cables required in order to route a video card's signals through the Thunderbolt port as well. Because of this, you need to go with the motherboard manufacturer's Thunderbolt PCIe card, unless you want to get a different brand, build a custom cable to connect it to your motherboard, and potentially give up features like hot-plugging devices to it. I believe @Nik Louch identified a card which will work with your motherboard.  You can always double-check with the motherboard manufacturer just to be sure, or find out if there are any issues or limitations to the combination of your motherboard and the card. If you purchase a used Thunderbolt PCIe card, make sure to check with the seller if it comes with all of the cabling necessary to use it, otherwise you may end up having to purchase that separately as well. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky  
    • ChromeOS M137 goes stable, bringing new Face Control policy and more by David Uzondu Google has brought ChromeOS M137 to the stable channel, and it includes a few focused updates for users and IT admins. A key change is a new policy for managing big groups of Chromebooks. The face control accessibility tool, which Google also updated back in ChromeOS M135, now gets a vital control for managers. A new policy called FaceGazeEnabled lets them switch the feature on or off across a whole school or company. The update also brings a new audio feature called crosstalk cancellation. It aims to create a better sound experience using just the Chromebook's built-in speakers. The software processes audio to make it seem like it is surrounding your head, not just coming from two small points. This tries to copy the feel of a surround sound system or good headphones. Any audio gets a boost, but you will notice it most when watching movies or playing games with directional sound. More accessibility tools have arrived, too. ChromeVox now has a direct keyboard shortcut, Search + O + C, that displays spoken text as braille captions on a connected display. For the poor souls in IT, troubleshooting got a little less painful as well. A new event-based log collection system, when enabled by an admin, will automatically upload relevant logs when something specific fails, like an OS crash or a botched update. Instead of digging through mountains of data, administrators get targeted reports sent straight to them. Here's how to enable it: Turn on the Device system log upload setting. Turn on OS update status reporting—For the Report device OS information setting, select OS update status. Turn on device telemetry reporting on crash information—For the Report device telemetry setting, select Crash information. Google also keeps things sane by limiting these targeted uploads to just twice a day per device. As usual, the update is rolling out slowly. If you do not see ChromeOS M137 for your machine yet, just be patient. This phased release lets Google find and address any issues before the update gets to everyone.
    • LG gram Book 15U50T: Is this lightweight laptop the right upgrade for you? by Paul Hill If you’re in the UK looking for a new mid-range laptop that won’t feel underpowered, check out the LG gram Book 15U50T now because it’s at its all-time lowest price on Amazon UK thanks to a 14% discount from its £699.99 RRP. You can get it now for just £599.99 (Buying link at the end). At this price, the laptop definitely makes this mid-range option much more appealing, it’s also pretty new having only come out in January 2025, so you’re definitely getting more value for your money. The delivery is free and will take a few days to arrive unless you take advantage of a Prime member trial and get it next-day in time for Father’s Day. LG gram Book 15U50T: Key features and who it's for The LG gram Book 15U50T features a 15.6-inch Full-HD (1920x1080) anti-glare IPS display, making it ideal for use in well-lit areas as you won’t see yourself staring back. It’s powered by an Intel Core i5 processor (1334U), 16GB of RAM, and has a very fast 512GB NVMe Gen4 SSD. In my opinion, the storage might be a bit tight for some users; however, the device comes with two M.2 slots if you want to upgrade the storage. The LG gram Book 15U50T is ideal for students or professionals who need a device to carry with them out and about. It has an ultra-lightweight design and weighs just 1.65kg - that’s not too far off a similarly sized MacBook Air, but for a fraction of the cost. In terms of ports, there is an HDMI port, two USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack if you need to plug in headphones. Other noteworthy details about this laptop include that it's running Windows 11 Home with Copilot integration, it has a HD webcam with a privacy shutter, it uses Dolby Atmos audio for immersive sound, and it has a unique feature called gram Link for multi-device (including Android and iOS) connectivity. Should you buy it? If you are a student or a professional that won’t be doing heavy gaming, or using other super intensive applications, this laptop is a solid pick. It’s lightweight - so easy to carry around, it has an anti-reflective screen - so good in well-lit environments; and it features upgradeable storage slots if 512GB is not enough space. On the downside, this laptop has a mid-range processor that could limit your ability to use high-end professional tools. Another thing I’m not really a fan of here is how opaque LG has been with the battery life. As a portable laptop, you’re obviously going to want to take it on the go where you don’t have a charger handy, but all LG says about the battery is that it has a capacity of 51Wh. According to some online sources, variants of this laptop manage about 7 to 10 hours, so if you need a super long battery life, you might be better off with something like a MacBook Air. So should you buy it? If you’re not going to be doing anything super intensive, but can’t stand underpowered and slow budget laptops then this could be the ideal laptop for you. The £100 discount makes it even more appealing! LG gram Book 15U50T: £599.99 (Amazon UK) / RRP £699.99 This Amazon deal is U.K. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. If you don't like it or want to look at more options, check out the Amazon UK deals page here. Get Prime, Prime Video, Music Unlimited, Audible or Kindle Unlimited, free for the first 30 days As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Totally different vehicles. Uber has partnered with Waymo for level 5 autonomous vehicles. Waymo has completed 10 million trips and to date, there have been 696 accidents in 4 years and of those 16 of them appear to have been due to an error by the car. In total airbags have only been deployed 38 times. The technology should always be under review and continued to be improved on, but this is a totally different animal to Tesla FSD PS. no I don't work for them etc. I am an analyst for a market intelligence firm and we have a lot of interest from clients looking at the connected car space for advertising etc. so I have studied them
    • Just seems ridiculous that my 2019 imac is no longer getting the latest macOS. Nowadays a 6 year old PC is still a fairly powerful computer. It could easily run the new OS. I also have a 2015 macbook pro with a 4th gen Intel cpu. Its running sequoia (via OCLP) and can still cope not too bad. My imac is way more powerful. Really puts me off ever buying a mac again, with such short support. Open Core legacy again for me then.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      somar86 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      somar86 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Apprentice
      Adrian Williams went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Reacting Well
      BashOrgRu earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • Collaborator
      CHUNWEI earned a badge
      Collaborator
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      504
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      260
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      186
    4. 4
      +FloatingFatMan
      174
    5. 5
      snowy owl
      132
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!