Updated without my permission

I have XP Service Pack 2. I have Windows Updates set at "Notify me but don't
automatically download or install them." But yesterday I saw a message when
I was about to turn off my computer that updates were ready to install, and
another message after I turned it off that they were being installed. I
wonder if I overtax my computer because I often have 6 or 8 or sometimes
more windows open. Could this cause a problem like this? Or what could it
be?

Larry wrote:
> I have XP Service Pack 2. I have Windows Updates set at "Notify me
> but don't automatically download or install them." But yesterday I
> saw a message when I was about to turn off my computer that updates
> were ready to install, and another message after I turned it off
> that they were being installed. I wonder if I overtax my computer
> because I often have 6 or 8 or sometimes more windows open. Could
> this cause a problem like this? Or what could it be?

You gave it permission.
It is a matter of you paying attention when you did so.

If you have set Automatic Updates (as you state) to download and notify -
then when you go to turn off your computer (properly shutdown/restart) one
of the options (possibly default) is to "Install Updates and Shutdown". If
you do not modify this selection (in other words - you make the selection
and continue turning off/restarting your computer without watching what you
are doing) you have - in fact - chosen to install updates and shutdown the
computer.

The option to "Install Updates and Shutdown" only comes about when you have
Automatic Updates set the way you have and it has downloaded and is ready to
install (it has probably had a notification in the taskbar for some time at
this point.)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Shenan Stanley wrote:
> Larry wrote:
>> I have XP Service Pack 2. I have Windows Updates set at "Notify me
>> but don't automatically download or install them." But yesterday I
>> saw a message when I was about to turn off my computer that updates
>> were ready to install, and another message after I turned it off
>> that they were being installed. I wonder if I overtax my computer
>> because I often have 6 or 8 or sometimes more windows open. Could
>> this cause a problem like this? Or what could it be?
>
> You gave it permission.
> It is a matter of you paying attention when you did so.
>
> If you have set Automatic Updates (as you state) to download and notify -
> then when you go to turn off your computer (properly shutdown/restart) one
> of the options (possibly default) is to "Install Updates and Shutdown". If
> you do not modify this selection (in other words - you make the selection
> and continue turning off/restarting your computer without watching what you
> are doing) you have - in fact - chosen to install updates and shutdown the
> computer.
>
> The option to "Install Updates and Shutdown" only comes about when you have
> Automatic Updates set the way you have and it has downloaded and is ready to
> install (it has probably had a notification in the taskbar for some time at
> this point.)
>
Thanks for your response, Shenan. I don't have my Windows Updates set to
"download and notify," as you read it, but to "Notify me
but don't automatically download or install them." I checked both the
Security Center and "Properties" in "My Computer," when I again turned
on the computer, and this was confirmed in both. That is what is so
screwy about this. Yes, as you said, I had "chosen to install updates
and shutdown the computer," but with my update settings they never
should have been downloaded.

Has anybody ever heard of anything like this or have an idea what might
cause it?