Confusing error messages...

I get this error message [Error number: 0x8DDD0004] trying to use Windows
Update at work where they have everything tied down so tight that you can't
possibly hurt yourself or the company (never mind that you can't do anything
useful either). Anyhow, I get this message fragment from Microsoft: 'Internet
Explorer (Add-ons Disabled) mode only prevents the use of ActiveX controls,
including those used by the Microsoft Update website.'

and I say to my self, "does that sentence even make sense?" Maybe they meant
"Internet Explorer Add-Ons Disabled Only Mode?" Or maybe "Interenet Explorer
Only Mode" ( not sure why Add-ons Disabled is in parenthesis but capitalized
). Also, 'Only' seems to conflict with the word 'including' in the same
sentence. Who writes this stuff? Regardless I don't see any mechanism for
disabling add-ons except on an individual basis...I'm sure I will figure it
out eventually but that won't clear up the error messages from Microsoft.
They will still be confusing as they have been.

Please state your IE version and full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3;
Vista SP2) when posting to this newsgroup.

Is Automatic Updates enabled?

Assuming the machine belongs to you, not your employer, do you encounter the
same error when attempting to access Windows Update at home or elsewhere?

ActiveX controls may not load as expected in Internet Explorer due to
defense in depth changes introduced in cumulative security update 896688
(MS05-052):
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909889

Is Google Toolbar installed?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002

bsync wrote:
> I get this error message [Error number: 0x8DDD0004] trying to use Windows
> Update at work where they have everything tied down so tight that you
> can't
> possibly hurt yourself or the company (never mind that you can't do
> anything
> useful either). Anyhow, I get this message fragment from Microsoft:
> 'Internet Explorer (Add-ons Disabled) mode only prevents the use of
> ActiveX
> controls, including those used by the Microsoft Update website.'
>
> and I say to my self, "does that sentence even make sense?" Maybe they
> meant
> "Internet Explorer Add-Ons Disabled Only Mode?" Or maybe "Interenet
> Explorer
> Only Mode" ( not sure why Add-ons Disabled is in parenthesis but
> capitalized
> ). Also, 'Only' seems to conflict with the word 'including' in the same
> sentence. Who writes this stuff? Regardless I don't see any mechanism for
> disabling add-ons except on an individual basis...I'm sure I will figure
> it
> out eventually but that won't clear up the error messages from Microsoft.
> They will still be confusing as they have been.

"bsync" wrote:

> I get this error message [Error number: 0x8DDD0004] trying to use Windows
> Update at work where they have everything tied down so tight that you can't
> possibly hurt yourself or the company (never mind that you can't do anything
> useful either). Anyhow, I get this message fragment from Microsoft: 'Internet
> Explorer (Add-ons Disabled) mode only prevents the use of ActiveX controls,
> including those used by the Microsoft Update website.'
>
> and I say to my self, "does that sentence even make sense?" Maybe they meant
> "Internet Explorer Add-Ons Disabled Only Mode?" Or maybe "Interenet Explorer
> Only Mode" ( not sure why Add-ons Disabled is in parenthesis but capitalized
> ). Also, 'Only' seems to conflict with the word 'including' in the same
> sentence. Who writes this stuff? Regardless I don't see any mechanism for
> disabling add-ons except on an individual basis...I'm sure I will figure it
> out eventually but that won't clear up the error messages from Microsoft.
> They will still be confusing as they have been.

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:

> Please state your IE version and full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3;
> Vista SP2) when posting to this newsgroup.
>
> Is Automatic Updates enabled?
>
> Assuming the machine belongs to you, not your employer, do you encounter the
> same error when attempting to access Windows Update at home or elsewhere?
>
> ActiveX controls may not load as expected in Internet Explorer due to
> defense in depth changes introduced in cumulative security update 896688
> (MS05-052):
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909889
>
> Is Google Toolbar installed?
> --
> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
>
> bsync wrote:
> > I get this error message [Error number: 0x8DDD0004] trying to use Windows
> > Update at work where they have everything tied down so tight that you
> > can't
> > possibly hurt yourself or the company (never mind that you can't do
> > anything
> > useful either). Anyhow, I get this message fragment from Microsoft:
> > 'Internet Explorer (Add-ons Disabled) mode only prevents the use of
> > ActiveX
> > controls, including those used by the Microsoft Update website.'
> >
> > and I say to my self, "does that sentence even make sense?" Maybe they
> > meant
> > "Internet Explorer Add-Ons Disabled Only Mode?" Or maybe "Interenet
> > Explorer
> > Only Mode" ( not sure why Add-ons Disabled is in parenthesis but
> > capitalized
> > ). Also, 'Only' seems to conflict with the word 'including' in the same
> > sentence. Who writes this stuff? Regardless I don't see any mechanism for
> > disabling add-ons except on an individual basis...I'm sure I will figure
> > it
> > out eventually but that won't clear up the error messages from Microsoft.
> > They will still be confusing as they have been.
>
>