SHA-2 code KB4474419.

[Oldschool297]

Is there anyway to install this to Vista?

 

[Vistaar]

Yes, the versions earmarked for Windows Server 2008 (not R2) can be manually installed on Vista without any special tricks. I’m a little curious why you would want to, since software requiring SHA-2 generally does not support Vista (but I believe there are some exceptions, e.g. the last version of Webroot that supported Vista). If you never installed any Server 2008 updates on Vista before, be advised that KB4474419 would change your Windows build from 6.0.6002 to 6003, which might potentially affect some installed software, although hardly any issues have ever been reported except with Avast/AVG antivirus products. (If you use one of those, I can elaborate.)

Microsoft Update Catalog

 

[Oldschool297]

I tried to install HWinfo and got a message about that update. Can't install program otherwise.

 

[lmacri]

I tried to install HWinfo and got a message about that update. Can't install program otherwise.

Hi Oldschool279:

Is your Windows Vista Ultimate OS 32-bit or 64-bit, and is this the exact error message you see?



As far as I know HWiNFO is compatible with Win XP to Win 11 so I'm not sure why it would not install on a computer with a Vista SP2 OS patched to end-of-support (11-Apr-2017) that does not normally support SHA-2 code signing. Some HWiNFO users with 64-bit OSs have reported seeing errors about SHA-2 compatibility during installation (see developer Martin Malik's 07-Sep-2019 post in the HWiNFO thread Doesn't support SHA256, needs KB3033929, all components didn't install, program still won't run) but as far as I know this only happens on 64-bit Win 7 SP1 computers that have not been patched to end-of-support (14-Jan-2020) and do not have KB4474419 installed to add SHA-2 code-signing support.

I'd suggest trying the Portable version of HWiNFO that does not require installation and see if it runs correctly. Download the current hwi_760.zip file from the official download page at Free Download HWiNFO Sofware | Installer & Portable for Windows, DOS and save it to a removable USB stick (e.g., inside a folder you created like D:\HWiNFO where you can easily find it). Then unzip hwi_760.zip and double-click to run the appropriate executable (HWiNFO32.exe if your USB stick is plugged into a computer with a 32-bit OS; HWiNFO64.exe for a 64-bit OS). Note: If you don't have a USB stick then download and unzip hwi_760.zip in your personal Downloads folder. Portable programs do not require installation and usually run correctly from any location except the Windows desktop.

If the portable edition of HWiNFO doesn't run correctly then post a screenshot of your error (if different from the image above) and let us know if you have installed any updates released after April 2017 that might be causing a problem now, like the KB4499180 released in May 2019 to patch the vulnerability for the BlueKeep (CVE-2019-0708) exploit? If KB4499180 is installed then this patch will also change the build of your Vista OS shown in System Information from 6.0.6002.xxxxx (Build 2) to 6.0.6003.xxxxx (Build 3), just like any other Win Server 2008 update released after April 2019. See the Windows Server 2008 support article Build Number Changing to 6003 in Windows Server 2008 for more information, which notes that there could be issues with applications or scripts that are "dependent on the version string '6002' as an identifier for 'Windows Vista SP2' ".

 

[Vistaar]

You might also want to search Installed Updates to see if KB2763674 was ever installed (a Vista SP2 update from 2013), but I agree that a portable version of the software might work without KB4474419.

 

[Volume Z]

Can't install program otherwise.

If the error is actually about SHA-2 and not strictly KB4474419, try KB4039648, KB4056448, KB4056564 or KB4090450, all of which retain build 6.0.6002.

 

[wither 3]

In Windows update, do you have it set to "Never check for updates"? If not, do so. I just downloaded and installed HWI_760 without issue. I do have 6003 but the best I can determine is that I don't have the 447............. update installed.

 

[Vistaar]

Thank you for testing wither3! I believe you only installed one Server 2008 update (the BlueKeep patch that was highly recommended in 2019), so it is not KB4474419 or any other Server 2008 update that allowed you to install the software that the OP wants. It must be KB2763674 that I mentioned in post #5: You have it but the OP does not. I’ll go ahead and post a link:

Microsoft Update Catalog

 

[wither 3]

I did a search for the 276 update in my Windows History and didn't find it. I also did a visual check and didn't find it. I don't have any hidden updates. Perhaps that 276 update was superceded by another. I'm pretty sure I installed that blue keep update but didn't look for it.

Edit: I checked and I do have the blue keep update.

See post 13 for correction of this post.

 

[wither 3]

In post 4, there is discussion about downloding hwi as a .zip file. I got my .exe file from here- HWiNFO - Free System Information, Monitoring and Diagnostics

 

[Vistaar]

I did a search for the 276 update in my Windows History and didn't find it. I also did a visual check and didn't find it. I don't have any hidden updates. Perhaps that 276 update was superceded by another.

Assuming you really don’t have KB2763674, that shoots down a perfectly good theory. The correct place to “search” is called “Installed Updates.” Windows Update was definitely still working when you reinstalled Vista in April 2019, but it might be that you never set Windows Update to give you Recommended updates in the same way as Important updates (in which case you might not have any Platform Update components either). No, KB2763674 was not superseded by another update.

An interesting question is whether you installed exactly the same software that Oldschool279 attempted to install. This reunion has been nice, but some feedback from Oldschool279 is needed before this thread grows any longer.

 

[lmacri]

I did a search for the 276 update in my Windows History and didn't find it....

Hi wither 3:

As Vistaar noted in post # 11, check your installed updates at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features | View Installed Update, and make sure you search for the full KB number in the search box (i.e., for "KB2763674" and not a partial string like "2763674"). From my 32-bit Vista SP2 machine *** , which shows this patch was installed on 09-Jan-2013:



*** Patched to end of support (11-Apr-2017) plus the five out-of-band emergency security updates released for Vista SP2 in June 2017 that are described in More Shadow Brokers Exploits Patched June 2017 for Win XP and Vista and still on Build 6002.

 

[wither 3]

Thanks Vistaar- I was looking in View Update History, When I look in Installed Updates, I do have the 276 update but not the 447.

I wonder if this Chinese Google browser has any effect on the signature issues.

 

[Vistaar]

Thanks for checking again wither 3! In that case, Oldschool279 should definitely search Installed Updates to see if he has KB2763674 before he contemplates installation of KB4474419, following Imacri’s instructions in post #12. Although the update was first released in 2013, the Catalog now shows “Last Updated 5/30/2017”:

Microsoft Update Catalog

 

[wither 3]

I wonder where he is on this.

 

[Vistaar]

I wonder where he is on this.

I would imagine that he installed KB4474419 soon after posting, since that was his only question.

 

[wither 3]

I was hoping he would let us know.

 

[Volume Z]

as far as I know this only happens on 64-bit Win 7 SP1 computers that have not been patched to end-of-support (14-Jan-2020) and do not have KB4474419 installed to add SHA-2 code-signing support.

I was actually able to verify this and like most of the time, the issue can be fixed short of installing 4474419.

 

[erpster4]

Although the update was first released in 2013, the Catalog now shows “Last Updated 5/30/2017”:

Microsoft Update Catalog

that is due to a windows update / ms update catalog "metadata" change (a change on microsoft's end)
the actual KB2763674 Vista patches themselves have not changed since 2013