Problems with Windows XP updates

[Sticks]

This morning, two days in a row, my desktop PC with Windows XP service pack 2 informed me it had downloaded important security updates from microsoft.

These have come in between 05:30 and 06:10 British Summer Time and they take about half an hour to download, especially when I wanted to leave for work earlier.

Yesterday it seemed to be one long Office 2003 update, which did not ask me to reboot. This morning it was 24 Office 2003 updates, (of which number 18 and 21 failed to install) and it told me I had to reboot to bring these security updates on stream. Instead I closed down, as I was running late. If I could have left earlier I could have walked to work, but ended up having to take the bus.

Here at work, a co-worker say their machine has been consistantly slow and trying to run updates on shutdown and keeps stopping because an update fails.

I know the June security update has been released as a webmail site I used has announced it, and my laptop, which runs Vista home basic, this morning did the seven downloads on shut down this morning around 04:26 BST

Has anyone alse been experiencing any issues with constant downloading of windows updates or is it just us

Am seriously considering using the laptop tomorrow morning if this is an issue with constant downloading by the XP machine

[Moose]

Yeah, that's really annoying when that happens. Unless your system administrator has disabled your ability to do so in order to push the patches, you can select custom install, unselect the patch that's failing, and there's supposed to be an option there that lets you tell it to stop trying to install this patch.

You might have to use your start menu option to go to Windows Update instead, you can explicitly reject patches by finding the patch (usually in the critical updates section), unselecting the patch ticky box, expanding the patch listing to see the text, then selecting the "never remind me again about this one" ticky box. It'll go away.

[Acolyte]

In Windows XP, <Start> <Control Panel> <Security Center> click on <Automatic Updates> under 'Manage Security Settings for:' & choose <Download Updates but let me choose when to Install them> & the problem goes away.

Just make sure all your programs are shut then click the Updates icon on the task bar & install them when you're heading off to get dinner or something...

[grant hutchison]

I dropped into this thread expecting it to relate to Service Pack 3 for XP, which appears to interact catastrophically with Norton products: I whiled away a few hours fixing my registry after installing.
Useful information on that problem here (http://forums.microsoft.com/technet/showpost.aspx?postid=3302530&siteid=17&sb=0&d=1&at=7&ft=11&tf=0&pageid=1). Norton appear to have come up with a LiveUpdate solution which should be installed before attempting to install SP3.

Grant Hutchison

[Chuck]

I never had these problems with my TRS-80.

I'm still using a Windows 2000 computer that I bought in 2002. I'm afraid to buy a new one because I don't know what will still run and what won't. I'm more afraid of security updates than I am of virusus.

[jja]

Here at work, a co-worker say their machine has been consistantly slow and trying to run updates on shutdown and keeps stopping because an update fails...

Has anyone alse been experiencing any issues with constant downloading of windows updates or is it just us

If the same update is being downloaded over and over, it's failing to install properly.

I would start by running checkdisk. To do this, go to start, run, then enter "chkdsk /r" (without the quotes). A command window will pop up and ask if chkdsk can run at next system start. Type "y". Next, restart the machine. It may take up to an hour to do this scan.

Next, download Dial A Fix (http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Dial-a-fix), a Windows repair utility. Use the "Flush Software Distribution" button; this will delete downloaded update files, some of which may be corrupted. (You can tell it to keep the update history.) Then check the "Fix Windows Update" option and hit "Go."

If all this fails, your best bet is to identify the failing update (Windows Update will usually say which one has failed) and Google its identifying number to find other solutions.

I never had these problems with my TRS-80.

To the best of my knowledge, you can't get a Trash-80 on the Internet. %?)

I'm still using a Windows 2000 computer that I bought in 2002. I'm afraid to buy a new one because I don't know what will still run and what won't. I'm more afraid of security updates than I am of virusus.

I'm still using Win 2k here; I just never had a reason to upgrade.

That said, I do follow through on the updates. You can always uninstall an update. Uninstalling malware is usually much more difficult.

[JustAFriend]

Unless you like banging your head against the wall:

A) NEVER let your computer update automatically.

B) NEVER install updates or 'fixes' until others have had several months to be the guinea pigs.

They don't call it 'being on the bleeding edge' for nothing!!!

[Veeger]

Unless you like banging your head against the wall:

A) NEVER let your computer update automatically.

B) NEVER install updates or 'fixes' until others have had several months to be the guinea pigs.

They don't call it 'being on the bleeding edge' for nothing!!!

I don't agree with this advice as many updates are in anticipation of known threats. The average user does not bother to read the details on the individual patches. Often they are not applicable to your system and not always required but the average user may not be able to discern the difference. I leave update on at home and have no issues. At the office our IT deparment controls updates after thorough testing. As a result, we are still using IE 6, and so far behind on updates and security patches, I have had more viruses and malware on work PC than my home PC, including some very nasty trojans that are nearly impossible to kill.