Disabling Automatic Updates?

[Rhino]

I would like to disable Automatic Updates but this panel is set to do the
updates automatically, the recommended option, and the whole panel is greyed
out so that I can't change the setting. I'm running XP with SP1. (I plan to
install SP2 very soon now, this weekend if possible, so please don't give me
a lecture about that.)

How can I "un-grey" the Automatic Updates panel so that I can turn Automatic
Updates off?

 

[typical computer geek]

are you running as administrator or user

 

[R. McCarty]

By setting Service Start modes for Automatic Updates to Disabled &
Background Intelligent Transfer to Manual.
Click Start, Run (Type) Services.Msc [Enter]
Right Click the Appropriate Entries & change Startup mode - Reboot

 

[KB]

I would like to disable Automatic Updates but this panel is set to do the
updates automatically, the recommended option, and the whole panel is greyed
out so that I can't change the setting. I'm running XP with SP1. (I plan to
install SP2 very soon now, this weekend if possible, so please don't give me
a lecture about that.)

How can I "un-grey" the Automatic Updates panel so that I can turn Automatic
Updates off?

This page has some useful info that might help
http://www.amset.info/windows/auto-updates.asp

Best of luck

 

[PA Bear]

Have you Norton or McAfee Internet Security installed?

 

[Rhino]

Administrator.

are you running as administrator or user

 

[Rick]

I would like to disable Automatic Updates but this panel is set to do the
updates automatically, the recommended option, and the whole panel is greyed
out so that I can't change the setting. I'm running XP with SP1. (I plan to
install SP2 very soon now, this weekend if possible, so please don't give me
a lecture about that.)

How can I "un-grey" the Automatic Updates panel so that I can turn Automatic
Updates off?

Why?

 

[Rhino]

Just my luck; I'd found the Automatic Updates service by poking around and
disabled it but I didn't know about the Background Intelligent Transfer
service. (By the way, I can't set it to Manual so I stopped it.)

How do I "change Startup mode"? I thought that might be shorthand for "turn
Automatic Updates 'off'" but I can't do that yet; everything is still greyed
out, even with the two services stopped.

Rhino

By setting Service Start modes for Automatic Updates to Disabled &
Background Intelligent Transfer to Manual.
Click Start, Run (Type) Services.Msc [Enter]
Right Click the Appropriate Entries & change Startup mode - Reboot

 

[Rhino]

Nope. I have AVG by Grisoft. Do I need to turn it off?

Rhino

 

[Rhino]

Why?

Basically, because other people have told me to do so. Apparently, Automatic
Updates are buggy or flaky or have "known problems", depending on who you
talk to, and it is a better idea to do the updates manually every second
Tuesday of the month, which is when they come out.

Rhino

 

[Rhino]

I took your advice and tried the things suggested in the website with these
notable events:
- only the first of the two HIKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE keys (AUOptions) existed and
I deleted it
- there was no ...\WindowsUpdate key under HIKEY_CURRENT_USER
- there was no ...WindowsUpdate option in the Computer Configuration area of
the Group Policy

I did the other things that were suggested and saved the Group Policy SnapIn
before rebooting.

After rebooting, I still can't change my Automatic Updates setting because
the whole tab is still greyed out.

Rhino

 

[PA Bear]

Prolly not but YMMV. (I was thinking that NIS's or MIS's Script Blocker
might be interfering.)