Help with Activating Microsoft Product Updates via GPO
Asked by
CuriousCat42
Hey everyone, I'm trying to enable the option for "Receive updates for other Microsoft products" on a domain-joined device using Group Policy. I've followed these steps: 1) Checked the box for "Install updates for other Microsoft products" in the policy under "Configure Automatic Updates". 2) Created a registry value 'AllowMUUpdateService' set to 1 in HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdateAU. 3) However, in the "Configured update policies" on the device, it still shows "Get updates for other Microsoft products" set to 0, and I'm unsure where that's coming from. I even checked with gpresult. 4) I enabled "Enable optional updates" too, but it seems to only impact the prompt for latest updates, which I'd prefer to disable anyway. 5) The policy itself reaches the device and works since other settings from it apply. 6) Also, there's no WSUS configured. Any advice would be appreciated!
Answers
Just to clarify, when you say you want updates for other Microsoft products, it should be about downloading updates for stuff like Office, not just the latest Windows updates. That’s a different setting. And it looks like you're doing this on a single machine? Just checking to see if that's through local policy or the Domain Controller. If it's coming from the DC, you might want to try a test OU with minimal GPOs to see if something there is interfering. Worth a shot!
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Sounds like you're on the right track, but just so you know, enabling those updates can sometimes lead to issues with your PCs, especially if you're pushing out updates to a lot of machines. Just a heads up! Are you doing this on a single machine or the domain controller? If it's the latter, that might change some things too.
Also, have you checked if it's affected by another policy? That can often mess things up!
QuestionAsker: Yeah, I'm testing on a local OU first to ensure safety!
IT_Guru88: Good call on the testing! Always better to be cautious.
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The switch for enabling updates for other Microsoft products is different from the Insider Preview or the fast update options. It’s been around since at least XP for products like Office and SQL Server. Just make sure you're looking at the right settings!
QuestionAsker: Oh, okay! That makes sense. I’ll double-check those settings!
OldSchoolAdmin: Yup, good to confirm! Sometimes those old options can be a bit tricky to find.
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QuestionAsker: Right, so it’s not about getting the fastest updates but more about ensuring the other products are updated. Thanks for the tip on checking the OU!
VirtualTechie: Exactly! Testing is definitely the way to go.