Okay, you don't want to believe or hear this, but the acronyms are interesting too.

[orange]

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/02/intel_cpu_design_flaw/

All of a sudden Pentium 4s don't sound as bad.

 

[orange]

I think some fact finding needs to be done to verify this, it still sounds fishy. Call Snopes.com...

 

[orange]

I though that if I could find a setting to turn off the pre-fetching it might help...however, Alison has no such setting in UEFI BIOS. Apparently I need to go back beyond 2006 and see what I can do myself and try Windows settings as well. I suspect that turning off remote access would help. However, I'm wondering how much of this is crap and how much is just Yahoo...however...if it has Linux developers as well as Windows folks...

 

[orange]

I think I've still got a Pentium IV...

 

[Netfly]

Do you think the Pentium IV won't be affected? It uses virtual memory too doesn't it? I may have to go back to the old Dx40 with win3.11 ..oh no.

 

[VSAT88]

Yeee Haaaww

 

[Netfly]

View attachment 31102 Yeee Haaaww

You are indeed safe sir !

 

[Netfly]

I understand anything AMD is not included

 

[Northwinds]

There is a big thread about this on AK also

 

[orange]

At least SOME AMD is included...servers as well as consumer products are included. Possibly most stuff since 1995.

 

[Gepetto]

I understand anything AMD is not included

I think they all use similar techniques and architectures...have to keep up with the Joneses

 

[Netfly]

'AMD chips are also affected by at least one variant of a set of security flaws but that it can be patched with a software update. The company said it believes there "is near zero risk to AMD products at this time." '
from:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/design-flaw-found-intel-chips-fix-causes-them-152935477--finance.html

 

[orange]

The first thing to remember is that, as I think I was correctly guessing, this is about PREFETCHING. This can be turned off on older computers through BIOS but not on computers built for CPUs released in the last 10 years or so (those with UEFI/so-called 'modern' BIOSes that are COMPATIBLE with Windows 8.1 and 10...

So that ancient thing Lee was running XP on probably could be adjusted in BIOS.

The next thing to remember is that this is one of those hypothetical/imaginary exploits Google 'finds' and runs up the flagpole to panic the Western world that the bogeyman will rob them blind...then all the 'experts' come out of the woodwork and suggest that you do this and buy that.

There is one word for it, not a nice one, and it's retarded,

 

[orange]

I've been following the comments on the Register story and related topics and some are reporting that they get BSOD errors with Windows 7 versions and some AV programs, even Microsoft Security Essentials. The patch issued the other day is huge, takes forever and according to some hasn't got a thing that is about the CPU itself, it's mere a huge rewrite of large parts of Windows itself. Up to 900 MB in a rollup is damned stupid when one piece of it off is a potential disaster.

I gather that Firefox has updated to 57.0.4 with some features that might help. Have not used it yet.

 

[Netfly]

Ran the Firefox update. No issue there. Has anyone run the MS update yet? I'm holding off till I see some feedback on the results.

 

[orange]

I tried uninstalling it, doesn't work even if you turn Windows Update off. It overrides your settings and changes them back to automatic as well if I saw it correctly. The ubergeeks say it's 900 MB in size, this patch and that's just obscene.

Some have noted that their older computers have become sluggish or no very useful, Meanwhile Google and Intel say Oh no, it's really groovy, no bad tripping. Both Firefox and IE 11 felt like they started rough and needed fueul system cleaner to me at first but maybe some of the Kinks are worked out now, but after 7 YEARS I'm wonder who was Passing The Dutchie.

 

[orange]

Think my start button went into cardiac arrest last night after an update (11-17 rollup actually), had to do a hard shutdown and shout CLEAR! when I started it again.

Fortunately it was a hiccup, no IV ringer required.

 

[orange]

Ran the Firefox update. No issue there. Has anyone run the MS update yet? I'm holding off till I see some feedback on the results.

BTW the Firefox went back to opening five files each called firefox.exe until I shut them down once in Program Manager. Boy, was that a Bad Trip.

Did not know Mozilla dropped acid as a kid. Was better after that.

 

[Netfly]

For now my soluion is a simple one. Cloned th C: drive to an identical one and replaced it. I do that twice a year regardless and it was due. Skipped the update and sent it to hide.

 

[BlazeES]

Ran the Firefox update. No issue there. Has anyone run the MS update yet? I'm holding off till I see some feedback on the results.

KB4056891 (OS Build 15063.850)


Trust me, you want to install all the updates if you are on Windows 10. Don't let the security ones lapse ...