Advice Request Is the Windows 10 app Microsoft Update Health Tools legitimate?

[silversurfer]

Source: Is the Windows 10 app Microsoft Update Health Tools legitimate? - gHacks Tech News

The Microsoft Update Health Tools application may be listed as an installed application on devices running Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system.

You may see it listed in the Settings application under Apps & Features, and also in the classic Programs and Features listing of the Control Panel.

The application is not listed in the Start Menu or linked on the desktop or taskbar. Some administrators and users may wonder about the purpose of the Microsoft Update Health Tools application, especially since it is not installed manually by users of the system.

Is Microsoft Update Health Tools a legitimate application?
The short answer: yes, the program is legitimate. It has been created by Microsoft.

How does it end up on Windows 10 devices?
The application is pushed to Windows 10 devices via system updates, on most systems via Windows Updates, but it can also be installed manually via the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

The update in question has the ID KB4023057. Its support page refers to it as "Update for Windows 10 Update Service components", and labels it as an update for all major versions of the Windows 10 operating system.

Reports about the application go back to mid-2020 when users started to post questions about the functionality of the Microsoft Update Health Tools application on various forums and sites, including Microsoft's own Community and Docs sites.

Microsoft provides the following information about the update:

This update includes files and resources that address issues that affect the update processes in Windows 10 that may prevent important Windows updates from being installed. These improvements help make sure that updates are installed seamlessly on your device, and they help improve the reliability and security of devices that are running Windows 10.

In other words: the update, and the Microsoft Update Health Tools application it installs, is designed to resolve updating issues on Windows 10 devices.

Microsoft lists a handful of issues that may be resolved with the help of the update:

• Network settings may be reset.
• Registry keys may be cleaned up that "may be preventing updates from being installed successfully".
• Repair disabled or corrupted components of the Windows 10 operating system.
• Free up disk space to ensure that there is enough space for the update to be downloaded and installed successfully.
• Reset the Windows Update database to repair problems.

Read more below:

Is the Windows 10 app Microsoft Update Health Tools legitimate? - gHacks Tech News

Find out whether the Microsoft Update Health Tools application is a legitimate program on Windows 10 devices, and what its purpose is.

www.ghacks.net

 

[Digmor Crusher]

So in other words it would probably be a good idea to keep it as it may come in handy one dark and forlorn night.

 

[simmerskool]

So in other words it would probably be a good idea to keep it as it may come in handy one dark and forlorn night.

well yes, probably, but... I'd like to know more. I got an "alert" from one of my security layers that this was blocked from executing!!? Normally windows updates are not blocked, and I wasn't doing a win update. My win10 was more less idle, I didn't execute it, I think the parent was Windows Installer wanting to install updhealthtools.msi from \windows\temp\..\ This was today, Monday 23 Jan 2023 at 16h58. Today is not an MS update day. System shows it was already installed 09 Jan. After the block event, I looked at windows\temp\ dir, it was empty. Just seems somewhat irregular, or not...?? I see this thread dates back to Mar 2021. Hope someone is still watching this thread.

 

[Zero Knowledge]

Another useless Windows tool and probably another way to backdoor your system. Fast forward 5 years and we will see people abusing the service/software.

I really would like a Windows without .NET runtime, Visual C++ and all the other miscellaneous crap you need that needs constant patching.

 

[simmerskool]

Another useless Windows tool and probably another way to backdoor your system. Fast forward 5 years and we will see people abusing the service/software.

I really would like a Windows without .NET runtime, Visual C++ and all the other miscellaneous crap you need that needs constant patching.

"...perhaps another way to backdoor your system" -- I had the same thought. But can't be, right?