[German]Within this blog post I've collected some more details about EOL notification update KB4493132 for Windows 7 SP1. Who gets it? When will there be the first notification and what does it look like? There are answers for these questions and more.
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The so-called notification update update KB4493132 for Windows 7 SP1 was released by Microsoft on March 22, 2019. This is intended to inform the owner of a Windows 7 system about the end of support (End of life, EOL) for this operating system in the coming months. Microsoft writes:
After 10 years of servicing, January 14, 2020, is the last day Microsoft will offer security updates for computers running Windows 7 SP1. This update enables reminders about Windows 7 end of support.
I had collected a few information in the blog post Windows 7 Notification Update KB4493132 released. The article based on the information Microsoft published when writing the texts. But later I learned more details about that update – some from feedback of blog readers running into issues or not receiving this update. So I decided to add some information about this update in a separate blog post.
Update only for Home and Ultimate users!
In the comments to my German blog post Windows 7: Benachrichtigungs-Update KB4493132 verfügbar I received some feedback. One user wrote:
As long as it doesn't show up in WSUS and drives all employees crazy …
But so far it seems to come anyway only via Windows Update directly.
and addressed the fears of company administrators: Microsoft will distribute this nag screen in enterprise environments. Microsoft itself doesn't release too much details in the description of update KB4493132. Only Windows 7 SP1 is specified as the target.
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Within my German blog there was a hint in the comments (e.g. here and here) that this update is probably not offered on Windows 7 Pro. The update seems only available on Windows 7 Home and Windows 7 Ultimate. The above screenshot shows this optional update on my Windows 7 SP1 machine with Ultimate.
Meanwhile it is clear that Microsoft has only distributed this update on consumer machines with Windows 7 Home and Windows 7 Ultimate. On Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise (volume license environments), this update never occurs in Windows Update. The reason is simple. The update package contains a meta file that contains a query of the key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion] "EditionID"="Professional"]
If the value Professional appears there, update KB4493132 is not offered. Another 'switch' checks the key for the value "Enterprise" (and ServerHomeStandard) and also excludes these clients. In this comment at askwoody.com someone had changed the value of the key in Ultimate on Windows 7 Professional. Then the update was offered.
As long as Microsoft does not change the metadata description of the update package and releases it as V2, V3 etc., the package will not be offered on Windows 7 for Professional / Enterprise SKUs (volume licensing systems) via Windows Update. Administrators in companies do not have to worry about that.
Update cannot be installed
At least in the comments here in my blog there are hints that the update simply cannot be installed. The update fails with error code 0x80070643. The cause is unknown – the affected persons have hidden the update. Also at German site deskmodder.de I found a comment about a failed installation.
How can I block the update?
Since the KB4493132 update is not distributed for Windows 7 Professional/Enterprise, Microsoft has not published any policies to allow administrators to block the package. End users are able to hide the optional update in Windows Update using the context menu. However, this means that automatic download and installation is disabled in the Windows Update settings.
A second possibility is to enter the value Professional in the above mentioned registry key under Windows 7 Home Premium and Ultimate. But this could possibly have unkown side effects.
What's the nag screen looks like, when's it showed?
Some US media (e.g. Bleeping Computer) managed to display the notification about the end of support of Windows 7 SP1 from the update KB4493132. The English screen looks like the one shown here.
(Windows 7 EOL-Nag Screen, Source: Bleeping Computer)
In the lower left corner there is also a checkbox that you can use to hide future notifications. At askwoody.com someone has listed in this comment the data on which the notification appears.
-Phase 1 starting on April 18;
-Phase 2 starting on June 13;
-Phase 3 starting on August 29;
-Phase 4 starting on November 7 and
-Phase 5 starting on December 5.
All this, of course, under the premise that the user does not hide the display of future notifications.
More details about the notification
Bleeping Computer has not only posted the screenshot shown above. They have also compiled further details about the update. The notification (nag screen) is shown by a program sipnotify.exe, which is installed by the update and is located in the following path:
C:\Windows\System32\sipnotify.exe
This executable is launched by two scheduled tasks named Notfify 1 and Notify 2, located in the Microsoft\Windows\End Of Support tasks folder.
How to suppress the notification?
The easiest way is to check the option to suppress further notifications in the dialog box. But it is also possible to block the display by a registry entry. Bleeping Computer mentioned the following registry key is releavant for the notification:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SipNotify
Using a .reg file containing the following commands allows to block the notification about the end of support for Windows 7.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SipNotify]
"DateModified"=hex(b):
"LastShown"=hex(b):
"DontRemindMe"=dword:00000001
Simply save it into a .reg file using the editor and import it into a user account by double-clicking on it. Maybe the information will help you.
Similar articles:
Windows 7 Notification Update KB4493132 released
Microsoft announces Windows 7 End of Life
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