Automatic Updates requires admin privileges

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gregg Hill
  • Start date Start date
G

Gregg Hill

Hello!

I know that Automatic Updates in XP Pro requires the user to be an admin,
but is there a way to set up automatic updating of critical updates without
the user being an administrator? It seems ludicrous to have such a feature
that cannot be enabled unless we give users local admin rights, which also
allows them to freely install any crap they desire. Can the account used by
the auto update service be changed to allow updating when a regular user is
logged into the system?

Thank you for the help!

Gregg Hill
 
Gregg Hill said:
Hello!

I know that Automatic Updates in XP Pro requires the user to be an admin,
but is there a way to set up automatic updating of critical updates without
the user being an administrator? It seems ludicrous to have such a feature
that cannot be enabled unless we give users local admin rights, which also
allows them to freely install any crap they desire. Can the account used by
the auto update service be changed to allow updating when a regular user is
logged into the system?

Thank you for the help!

Gregg Hill
Click to expand...
If you set Automatic Updates to automatically install, it doesn't matter who
is logged on to the machine. If the machine is in use when the updating
finishes, the user will be notified to save their work for the re-boot.

If you have a fair number of machines to update and you aren't interested in
having each and every one of them connect to the internet to get their
updates, I would suggest you have a look at Software Update Services, which
can be set up to handle a "server" based LAN wide updating program.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/sus/default.mspx

Hope this helps.
 
I have it set to automatically install and it will not allow a regular user
to do it.
 
Tom,

I hadn't gotten a chance to see the computer in question before I made my
post. When I did check it, everything was up to date. It turns out the user
was trying to do a manual Windows Update and was greeted with the screen
that says you must be an administrator. The user assumed she was not getting
updates. Spank me for listening to an end-user's description of a problem
without seeing it myself!

Gregg Hill
 
Back
Top