Windows XP Pro
When I click on the shutdown icon, there’s always that shield on it, with the notation that one update must download before the computer turns off. This has happened nonstop for the last 10-15 times. (No such thing with my laptop.)
Can you help me correct this?
I assume you’ve downloaded and installed the update, right?
Yes. It’s automatic (for my computer ineptitude, that is)… I wouldn’t know how not to install it. 
Whenever I have had trouble with updates, I go to the MS site and download them directly.
Every so often, for some reason, with the automatic updating, something goes amiss and it tells me I have an update waiting or it’s not installed, when I know it is.
Going directly to Microsoft.com and downloading the update from there seems to correct the error
The easiest way to stop all that nonsense is to turn off automatic updates. Go to:
START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL. Then double click on AUTOMATIC UPDATES. This will bring up a bunch of options, one of which you can choose. I picked the “turn off automatic updates”. This shuts up the nanny that Microsoft out in your computer, and you won’t have to install a bunch of stuff on an almost daily basis. I usually check for automatic updates every month or so, and install them all in a big bunch.
Every once in a while, Windows being what it is, it will grumble about automatic updates being off, and predict all sorts of disasters. Just ignore this.
The update in question is failing for some reason. It fails to install so doesn’t “brand” your machine with a success flag. When your machine comes back up MS update goes and looks to see if there are any updates available and tries to download the failed one again… Repeat to fade.
You can go to your Security Centre in Control Panel and change the automatic setting for Windows update so you can see what Update is trying to install. Once you know that you can go and find it on the windows site and try to run it manually. You may get a meaningful error(let’s be positive for a second) then that you can use to fix the problem or log a call with MS about it.
Ahh yes, sorry. Security Center is a Vista thing. Atomatic Updates is what you should be looking for in there.
I went to microsoft.com and found 5 updates which I downloaded and installed.
Afterwards, I hit START. TURN OFF COMPUTER, amd there was that shield again on the TurnOff icon.
Hey Joey!
Now I see how I can turn off the computer without installing the update. Just click on the appropriate text.
Color me stupid.
And then I went to Control Panel, turned offAutomatic Updates, and then hit START. TurnOff Computer and voila!! no shield on the turnoff icon!!!
Ty Ty Ty
There was an Office 2003 update the other week which gave me the same symptoms. I googled for the number of it, and it was a knows problem with that particular update. Of course, I don’t remember the number (or “KB article”). Perhaps if you still have the information…
I highly recommend not to turn off Automatic Updates. It’s one of the cornerstones for safe environment, together with updated anti virus software, firewall (builtin is good enough), and a little common sense.
It is very unusual that updates cause any problems with Windows these days.
I turned 'autoupates back on and the shield showed up again. Turned 'em off and the shield disappeared.
I’ll let it be for awhile. But thank you for your concern, Wakinyan.
What you can do is simply disable that particular update. Click Start | Microsoft Update, then click Custom, go to the particular update, and disable / hide it.
Thank you, Quartz.
Playing poker online at the monet but as soon as I go broke or we hit the break, I’ll do it. (Preferably the latter. )
Bingo!
There were two downloads:
XML Core Sevices 4.0 service pack - which I installed
A .NET thing which I suspect is for Programmers, which I hid. Comments, Quartz?
The Shield is gone!
Thank you very much!
Actually, if I can reactivate this one…
I had the same issue - that there was one service update that just wouldn’t install. Specifically, it was an Internet Explorer security update which wouldn’t work because somewhere along the line my IE got corrupted. I typically use Opera, so I’ve just been killing the IE updates that come through, but there are some pages that don’t play well with other browsers.
Add to this the fact that my laptop’s several years old and I can’t find the Windows install disc. I tried re-installing IE, but MS just tries to patch the bloody thing instead, fails, and goes back to one-update-to-install hell.
Does anyone know how I can re-install IE from scratch without finding the Windows Install disc or checking over to the Pirate Bay?
Which version is it? Supposedly you can uninstall seven and get six back by doing this. After that you could probably update to seven or eight again. In theory.
It’s XP and IE7. Thanks, though - I’ll give that a try tonight.