It’s the AnnoyWare that’s crappy, not the question, though YMMV.
This is an annoyance that’s been plaguing me for about a year and a half, so I figured maybe I should finally get the danged thing solved. When I’m on the internet, IE, all by itself, checks for “Critical Updates.” I finds them, of course, since they seem to find new critical bugs every other day and since I haven’t bothered to install any of them for over a year. A little popup box then informs me that these Critical Updates exist and that if I don’t install them RIGHT NOW, Bad Things will happen, like, I don’t know, maybe my first born son will be given a surprise splenectomy. Now the really fun thing about this is that I have two options: install the crap or postpone the notice for 24 hours. Yep, you guessed it. I’ve been getting this bloody message every day for over a year.
What really irritates me is that I don’t even use IE! I use Netscape exclusively when I’m at home. But that’s a Pit subject.
Anyway, I’ve found the checkbox in the Options menu of IE where you can supposedly disable “Automatically Check for IE Updates.” I’ve unchecked this box. I’ve checked the box. Nothing. This option is totally and completely ignored. I’ve even gone to look at the damn updates now and then. They nearly always are things like “Download this to cure a bug where someone dialing in from Western Albania with WordPerfect 2.7 installed on their J drive may be able to see what grade you got on your third grade math test. 17.8 GB file.” I once got so frustrated that I even downloaded all the updates. On the third try, after my connection kept getting timed out, I got them all on my machine. When the first one started installing, I got an error message and my computer crashed. Needless to say, I haven’t tried since then.
I supposed I could try to uninstall IE, but I hear from various sources <coughlawsuitcough> that this isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. Besides, with my luck, I’d succeed in erasing every IE file on my system except the one that looks for critical updates.
So can anyone please please tell me how to make this damn thing stop?? I’m not sure which version of IE it is - it’s my home computer and I’m at work - but it came with my computer when I bought it a year and a half ago.
I just uninstalled that Critical Update crud and it took forever. They bury it deep and it’s installed 5 ways, none the regular ways.
How I got rid of it, exactly, I forget, but it involves uninstalling more than one program, including the scheduler, and then searching for files and deleting the remainder manually. Then deleting the folders and links and task tray icon and desktop glued-on icon.
Seems every MS product does that stuff, burying itself deep where you can’t see it.
I just uninstalled Windows Media Player v.7, too, because it was buggy and skipped playing things that worked before.
It made me check off every single file I wanted deleted-no “just get rid of it all” box to check. Then ominous warnings about shared files. When I finally got v.6.4 back, it immediately begged me to upgrade. Not again. One painful install is enough, thanks.
I had the same problem when I installed the latest version of IE a few weeks ago.
If I recall correctly, I went back to the Microsoft site and searched around until I found out how to do this. Sorry I can’t be more specific.
I believe this “feature” is the critical update notification for all Window system software, and you should be able to find some information at the Windows update site (where you select updates to download). On my system, to get there, I click on start, then click on “Windows Update” on the pop-up menu.
WARNING: My memory is fairly cloudy on the removal procedure itself, so I can’t swear this is how I fixed it. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
With that in mind, here’s what I remember: to remove it, go into settings, bring up add/delete programs, and delete “critial update notification.”
Smeghead, I am talking from memory here as I have IE5 now but I recall when I installed IE4, several times, it would put a key in the register that would start a program that would do that. hit Ctrl-alt-del and check to see if you have Loadwc.exe running. I remember one of the steps of installing IE4 was going into the register and getting rid of this key:
HKey-Local Machine / Software / Microsoft / Windows / Current Version / Run :: Loadwc.exe
You are one patient man. I am more satisfied with IE but I try to correct things before they get on my nerves.
Critical update notification is not a part of IE, but is bundled with it and so was probably installed at the same time. It installs itself (on my system anyway) in two separate “flavors” (WULOADER.EXE and WUCRTUPD.EXE in the Windows\system\ directory) that re-install each other at startup if one was removed.
It can be disabled on a per-session basis by bringing up the task scheduler and choosing “stop using task scheduler” from the “advanced” menu.
I was once able to temporarily remove it by deleting both files and removing all references to them in the registry, but it came back with the next MS app installed. Since then I just quit the scheduler each session. It’s less hassle.
Not sure about this, but you might be able to blast it out (along with all kinds of other crap like that memory-chomping, tattling RealPlayer garbage) by using msconfig.
Go to Start -> Run. Type in msconfig and enter. The “Startup” tab can edit the registry for you when it comes to startup programs.
I have my system seriously lobotomized for speed. Right now, everything works fine with these programs only allowed to start up: System Tray, and two instances of LoadPowerProfile. I have no idea what my Power Profile is, but things get mighty flaky if I rip 'em out.
It would appear as if anything else is crap, but the real crap is FindFast (which slows everything down), Realtray (which slows your Internet connection by telling realplayer.com everything you’ve ever done online–without telling you), and SchedulingAgent, to which your Critical Updates might be tied. I probably don’t need to remind you that messing with your registry, even through this GUI version, can shorten your lifespan by driving your computer insane. Back up your registry.
The funny thing is Critical Updates used to ask you if you want to remove it after you told it to go to hell a couple of times. I noticed that one system I care for wouldn’t. That was because I had updated the Critical Updates. The new version’s latest “feature” is that it never goes away. Thanks, Bill. Hope you burn your nose on that C-note you’re using to light your Cuban right now.
I, for one, have Critical Updates installed and I’m very pleased with it. I always stay current, so there’s no huge mega-download for me to do.
Many of those Critical Updates have to do with security. That’s something I really don’t want to be lax about.
My only complaint about this “net-maintained” software is that if my hard disk ever crashes, I’ll have to install my software from scratch and THEN do a kazillion updates. This applies to the basic Windows program and also all of the Office 2000 programs (which are covered by Office Update – which is separate from Windows Update).
I wish it was possible to buy Windows 98.1 or something like that, which incorporated all the updates. But I guess it’s a trade-off: Windows Updates is a free service, so I can hardly complain about the price.
Anyone see the ‘big brother’ factor here?? Every time you launch your browser it does this check and hardly anyone can stop it. I know all the literature says that NO INFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO MICROSOFT but how hard would it be for them to start sending your personal info to Microsoft and for you to be able to do NOTHING about it. I work in software development and I’m not going into the whole Microsoft is a monopoly thing but this pisses me off.
According to the main man (the Mayor) of a leading web company (porncity.net)
80% of SURFERS use IE,
Whilst,
80% of WEBMASTERS use NS,
FYI …
(the URL for this info is on an adult webmaster BBS, and therefore not included here)
If you want a newer version of IE or Netscape, consider buying a mag like Maximum PC or whatever. Very often browsers and other utilities are included on the CD that comes with them. That is what I did before I got my big fat internet pipe
I just have to laugh at the juxtaposition of “leading web company” and “porncity.net” Not that I doubt it rakes in quite a few dollars, but still.
Also, I refuse to believe that 80% of webmasters use NS–or at least NS for Windows. They likely use Mosaic or Opera (I think Opera has a Linux/Unix version).
