Re: Automatic updates becoming compulsory?

[X-post to WU NG]

Always state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3) when posting to
this newsgroup, please.

1. Start | Settings | Control Panel | Automatic Updates: Is the Automatic
option enabled here or is the Notify Only option?

2. If you find the setting to be Automatic, change it to Notify Only, reboot
and look again: Is it back to Automatic?

3. What anti-virus application or security suite is installed? What
anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)? What third-party firewall
(if any)?

4. Has a Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on the machine?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

spamlet wrote:
> I have noticed of late, a tendency for automatic updates to just start up
> on
> their own without any warning. On a laptop with little space, I recently
> had to pull the plug pdq to stop service pack three loading without so
> much
> as a by your leave.
>
> Then today I turn on my pc (XPPro) and instantly the little shield appears
> telling me it's downloading updates, with no indication of what or why.
> Again, luckily, I have a wireless connection and can instantly pull the
> usb
> dongle...
>
> I always have my machines set to inform me of updates and only allow those
> that I particularly want. Now I find that the pc has been reset to
> completely automatic without any action on my part (and with no other
> users
> currently).
>
> How can this happen, and how can I prevent this rather alarming behaviour
> in
> future?

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:e4KDGq$...
> [X-post to WU NG]
>
> Always state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3) when posting to
> this newsgroup, please.
>
> 1. Start | Settings | Control Panel | Automatic Updates: Is the Automatic
> option enabled here or is the Notify Only option?
>
> 2. If you find the setting to be Automatic, change it to Notify Only,
> reboot and look again: Is it back to Automatic?
>
> 3. What anti-virus application or security suite is installed? What
> anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)? What third-party
> firewall (if any)?
>
> 4. Has a Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on the machine?
> --
> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
> AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
> DTS-L http://dts-l.net/
>
> spamlet wrote:
>> I have noticed of late, a tendency for automatic updates to just start up
>> on
>> their own without any warning. On a laptop with little space, I recently
>> had to pull the plug pdq to stop service pack three loading without so
>> much
>> as a by your leave.
>>
>> Then today I turn on my pc (XPPro) and instantly the little shield
>> appears
>> telling me it's downloading updates, with no indication of what or why.
>> Again, luckily, I have a wireless connection and can instantly pull the
>> usb
>> dongle...
>>
>> I always have my machines set to inform me of updates and only allow
>> those
>> that I particularly want. Now I find that the pc has been reset to
>> completely automatic without any action on my part (and with no other
>> users
>> currently).
>>
>> How can this happen, and how can I prevent this rather alarming behaviour
>> in
>> future?
>
Another thing that can be done, is to disable the Automatic Update
service. This also disables manual updates, so you'll have to restart
the service before updating, then disable it after updates are installed.

Norton will complain if Windows automatic update is turned off, and
if you press the Fix button it will turn it back on. However, Norton
has a setting to ignore the automatic update status.