Windows Update has stopped my internet connection

[Gerty Gumdrop]

I'm getting mightily pi$$ed off with Windows 8 updates busting my internet connection.  Yet another round of updates that I couldn't stop have interfered with things and I narrowed it down to a Service Pack, and changed the settings so that I can control what updates I allow.  I uninstalled the offending update and normal service has been resumed.

What I am wondering is, am I doing anything wrong by not updating these Service Pack thingy bobs?  What are they for?

I consider my actions to be only a temporary measure until I can get some sound advice.  Anyone else having similar problems?

[Old Cruser]

I don't know if it's the same updates Gerty but a couple of weeks ago hubby had some updates on his nexus tablet and I couldn't do anything with it. All his bookmarks had gone.
I put it back to the factory settings and that sorted it out

[Alsatian]

Paging Fly!!! 

[Fly]

This is probably bad advice, but here goes.

My laptop crashed the other week, I had to reinstall Windows Vista Home Basic. It was supplied with the laptop.
So now it's like brand new machine. I installed service patch 1 and 2.
These came out within a couple of years of Vista being launched. I have them stored on disk.
I've turned off Windows Updates. I don't want anymore Microsoft crap on my laptop. I don't want to sit for ages waiting for updates.

I have a virus checker running, I'm careful with my internet browsing, I'm extra careful with email attachments.
I don't go trawling the net looking for copyright films, songs, or porn. (Very often LOL)
I keep a back up of all my files, sadly this failed recently, but that's another story.

Every couple of years I do a fresh install of Windows again.
I've done this since my first decent laptop running Win95 in 2000.

I've never had an account, FB, Ebay etc hacked. Never had a debit or credit card problem.
I once got a virus that wiped my laptop, in 2001. It was in a video that Our_Lass's son sent me in an email.
That's how I learn't to never trust anything from anybody. He'd sent it quite unaware it was infected.

I presume Microsoft must have a continuing commitment to show they are doing their best to stop people from having their customers systems hacked. Personally, I'll risk it, and not blame MS if owt goes wrong. They'd never accept responsibility anyway 

[Gerty Gumdrop]

Thanks Fly.  Might be no bad thing to uninstall and reinstall.  I have to say Windows 8 is exasperating anyway!

[Alsatian]

Slightly off topic, just had a phone call from 'Windows Technical Dept' regarding the computer I have at home. 

Don't think she was impressed when I politely refused to acknowledge the call and I put the phone down!

[Gerty Gumdrop]

Slightly off topic, just had a phone call from 'Windows Technical Dept' regarding the computer I have at home. 

Don't think she was impressed when I politely refused to acknowledge the call and I put the phone down!

I turn myself into a deaf old biddy when they call.  Or I am so rude I issue expletives at every other word.  Or I just tell them I don't have a computer.  I was once asked "well why don't you get one then?"  Dipshits!

[Spire]

I also get pissed of with constant updates, however the downside that I see to turning of the updates, is if a serious security hole is found by hackers, which I believe there was with Internet Explore recently, then you will not get the fix and as such your machine may be subject to being exploited.

So I for one put up with the constant stream of updates, which can be a real pain sometimes when the dam thing has updated, then when I am in a rush I shutdown the PC and guess what please do not turn of your PC installing 1 of 20 updates, and as I switch my PC of at the socket when it's shutdown it's a pain.

I download and use free software from time to  time (not pirated) and some of it installs other stuff I don't want, and as I have upgraded to 64bit I have an old copy of 32bit win7 which I run as a virtual machine on my server, so I install software downloads on that first then if all looks okay I install it on my desktop machine.

As for visiting doggy websites if I am looking for something that may mean I end up on a doggy websites I use the Tor Browser, which hides my Ip address and location, in addition it's all encrypted and limits the use of a lot of the plugins such as flash etc.

That way I limit the potential for any problems on my desktop machine. 

Bet you can't tell I have been caught out quite a few times in the past  , hence my care with how I use the internet.

Whose paranoid me, never 

[Old Cruser]

It's good to be paranoid at times Spire 
I had a problem on Thursday when I turned my laptop on after updates/configuration.
The screen was blank.
Nothing!
Nowt!
Dead!
I had to resort to taking out the battery and switching off at the mains.
It worked but what a pain