28 May
2016
28 May
'16
4:48 a.m.
1) We always staged updates internally using WSUS which allows limited testing.
2) GPO's are not a good way to deliver critical updates, but they are what you get
"out of the box" and "systems centre" is an arm and leg in
dollars...
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Alex
McWhirter
Sent: 27 May 2016 23:06
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: Windows use in medical spaces (Re: vintage computers in active
use)
Where Windows generally fails in my experience is in the idot proofing /
automation mechanisms. I can really only comment on Windows 7 as it's what
we use in production on our client boxes.
Granted this is a different environment where all machines have access to the
internet and thus Windows updates / aplication updates.
Group Policy is something I struggle with regularly. Automatically feeding
Group Policy updates to clients is not always straightforward, especially when
you need to push application updates to fix important security or functionality
bugs. Yes, you can gpupdate /force, but that's only seems to work about 50% of
the time and requires user intervention on an admin account.
I've seen issues with the Print Spooler randomly crashing from a partially install
printer through group policy. Some kind of event happens similar to a power
outage at some point and the printer only partially installed. According to
Windows and the group policy management utilities the printers were
successfully installed, but all of the driver utilities didn't quite make it causing
the Spooler to freak out. When something like this happens event log is almost
useless because it just tells you the prinint spooler crashed from an uknown
error.
Windows update seems to regularly stop working when a malformed update
package is downloaded. You would think it could just checksum it and delete
the package rather than failing to install it a few hundred times before a user
complains that their workstation won't stop installing upates. I even had a case
where a failed update created new registry keys every time it tried to install
and after a few months of not being able to do so the machine slowed to be
unusable. Roaming profiles is an absolute mess, and folder redirection Works
decently as long as you disable offline files on all of the clients. Otherwise
windows will just randomly decide that it can't connect to the server and only
show the users their offline files.
Windows deployment services on the other hand Works absolutely great and is
perfect to put fresh installs on the machines that died from various other issues
with windows and / or malware.
This is starting to somewhat turn into a rant, and in all honesty for most things
Windows does a pretty good job. Pretty much all the issues I outlined would
only affect people using Windows as a workstation OS. Embedded applications
generally don't have updates or network connectivity, and thus are probably
fine.
That being said my *nix machines have never given me an issue that wasn't
easily fixed since they were put in place. I almost forget about them
sometimes.
Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
-------- Original message --------
From: Rod Smallwood <rodsmallwood52 at btinternet.com>
Date: 5/27/2016 5:37 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: Windows use in medical spaces (Re: vintage computers in active
use)
On 27/05/2016 22:04, Ali wrote:
modality of use it runs stable.
It makes me wonder how many patients have had to
wait on care or
didn't get proper care because of an IT screwup related to Windows. I
have to say just _seeing_ Windows on machines in the ER made me
livid. I found it breathtaking they were that caviler about getting
people checked in, keeping records straight, etc... I guess I
shouldn't have visited the sausage factory, so to speak...
Then again, folks in hospitals probably should be more concerned with
patients than with their IT tools. Ugh. Still. Windows? I'd have felt
better about paper forms. At least they don't blue screen.
I would say very few. You have to remember critical systems are not
running a general windows system i.e. people are not surfing the web
on them and installing the latest games recommended by friends from
facebook. Windows on its own is very stable. I.E. if you take a clean
install of windows SW on recommended HW and just use the built in apps
and never go on the internet it will run without any issues. Medical
HW makers are basically using recommended HW, building one application
on top of the OS, and test the hell out of it. Since they limit the HW, SW, and
Almost all (maybe 80%) of your medical HW is probably running some
flavor of windows.
Pyxis/Omnicell: Windows CE
Sonosite: Windows 2K or XP
EMRs: Windows XP or 7 (usually virtualized through Citrix).
Heck DOS is still around too!
The more specialized equipment (fluoro machines, MRI/CT, etc.) usually
have their own OS although I am seeing C-Arms w/ windows back bones
now a days as well. As the focus is going toward cost saving more and
more generalized HW/SW is being used. After all why re-invent
everything for each device when you can use windows to run the HW,
network, input, etc. and just have the medical device (e.g. ultrasound
probe) act like a peripheral with its own drivers.
Where windows causes an issue for the hospital is in the general
business areas (HR, accounting, administration, etc.).
-Ali
Please can we have some specific instances of Windows causing problems.
Not unqualified people at home or students but real production environments
with qualified support on hand.
I used every version of windows from 1 to 10. yes XP and millennium too
I wrote time and mission critical food distribution related software for the ten
years before I retired in vb and then vb.net (oo) I would have seen just about
every possible bug in windows and in developing applications under it.
Lets hear what others experienced.
Rod