You may not be enthralled at having to restart your computer at certain times due to Windows Updates, but at times it’s just bloody necessary. So when a Windows user got in touch with Microsoft concerning a Windows Update issue on his Samsung laptop a Microsoft MVP investigated the problem.

It seems that Samsung hasn’t exactly been playing fair. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., as part of their SW Update software, included the program Disable_Windowsupdate.exe. This effectively disables Windows Updates, and even if you find the problem and tend to it the next time you turn on your computer Windows Update will be disabled once again.

As the Microsoft analyst puts it, “SW Update is your typical OEM updating software that will update your Samsung drivers, the bloatware that came on your Samsung machine, etc. The only difference between other OEM updating software is, Samsung’s disables WU.” We suggest you read the dialogue between the Samsung help desk and the analyst.

It’s not really clear at the moment why Samsung would do such a thing, something that could prove harmful for users if, for instance, a vital security patch didn’t come your way. Perhaps Samsung just wants to get more of its own software and third-party software on your laptop. But to do this and put users at risk? It seems a little unethical. Disabling Windows Update has been an enterprize that we usually associate with malware, not the makers of the devices we expect to protect us from malware.

Even though the updates might not have been working together congruently, Samsung might not have taken the right steps to fix the problem. The companies need to work together. Folks need their updates.

The message from the Microsoft analyst, “IMO, upload/report this as malware to Microsoft/MSRC, etc, because that’s exactly what it is. Why would you ever disable WU in such a fashion (or in general), in a way a generic user cannot control, leaving them vulnerable?”

Samsung has yet to comment on the issue.

Photo credit: Cloudzilla via Flickr