Every time I shutdown Windows XP SP3, Windows prompts me to install security updates. For the last umpteen times it has installed exactly 7 lenghty updates.
Are these the same updates over and over? That wouldn’t be too efficient :smack:
If they are not the same seven updates, why not just update all 154,679 at once and get it over with?
Since Windows powers down the PC automatically after the updating has completed, this would not seem like such a big issue, but I wait around to power off the power strip to same some “ghost” electricity. Is that dumb?
Shutting down the power by power strip or unplugging ( better ) can save you from some types of lightning strikes or other unwanted power surges.
I have surge protector & battery back up and still, if major lighting is in the close area, I pull the plugs
I have had delicate stuff damaged by the EMP from a big bolt that hit just outside the window in the yard. There is no perfect protection for anything.
Change the default to no automatic updates ( or ‘Notify & let you chose’ ) and check daily for new ones and only install if they are really new. It is your computer, you be the boss, not windows.
Okay, I have changed “automatic updates” to “Notify and Let me Choose” but it keeps asking me to download the same dang seven updates everytime. This is better because I can tell which ones they are asking me to download and I can choose “cancel,” but anyway to set this up so it only provides new updates?
These updates may be prerequisites for additional updates. This problem is often caused by a corrupt download.
There are ways to clear the update cache, but the easiest way to resolve it is to go to support.microsoft.com and search for the patch using the KB number you see next to each patch. You should see a link to download and install the patch manually.
Okay, I could not find a patch for KB979909 at support.microsoft.com. Can you please explain (step by step please–I’m not very good at this) how to clear the update cache?
I had this problem recently. Windows would download six or so updates to various Office apps, the installs would fail, so it would try again the next time. It wasn’t until I blundered onto a screen that let me review the updates and click the “ignore this” button next to them that they finally went away.
They probably aren’t installing properly for some reason, and the update server keeps offering them to you because it doesn’t see them installed.
If you go to Start / Microsoft Update (could also be Windows Update if you don’t have the unified updater), you’ll get a screen where one of the options in the left-hand column is “Review your update history” The list of updates should have green checkmarks next to them. For any that have the red X, click on the X and it will give you a failure code and a couple generic “self-help option” links.
If you write down the update number and error code, and search for something like “KB2310138 Error Code: 0x80070670” you may find something relevant to your situation, or post back here.
This happened to me about 2 years ago. The problem could be your AV. My update dealt with Auto-run and my AV interpreted the update as possible malware activity. The solution was to find the update on Microsoft, download it, restart the computer in safe mode and install it manually. This allowed the update to be installed properly.
Okay, I restarted in safe mode but found no icons in the tray. I tried Microsoft Update and got through a few prompts but it blew up before I could really do anything. Then I restarted in safe mode with network but got the same thing.
I just don’t now how to install the updates in safe mode.
If you could guide me step-by-step I would really appreciate it.
Okay I searched on the Error Code with the update number and followed that path, but that did not seem to resolve the issue. What’s weird is that update history indicates I have successfully updated these same seven updates at least 10 times today, but each with a different “KB” number.
Windows XP Security Update for .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1 on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x86 (KB2518864) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x86 (KB2539631) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x86 (KB2572073) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 Update for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x86 (KB982524) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1 on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x86 (KB2418241) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows XP (KB2508272) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP (KB2586448) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Update for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x86 (KB982168) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 Security Update for Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP x86 (KB979909) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Update Rollup for ActiveX Killbits for Windows XP (KB2562937) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates
For example, “Windows XP Security Update for .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1 on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x86 (KB2518864) Sunday, November 27, 2011 Automatic Updates,” if you go to the Microsoft Download Centerand search for it, you’d get this:
Choose, the x86 file option and save it to your desktop or in a file you can access. Restart the computer in safe mode (You don’t need network). Double-click on the file and it should install.
You can search for the other updates at the Update Center. However, you may have to type it in as paste wasn’t working for me.
However, after doing a search on Microsoft. some of the updates are over a year old. KB979909 and above file are from 2010. You may want to find the chronological order of the updates and install them that way.
I forgot to add that I would install each update individually. As in: download file, restart in safe mode, install the file, restart to regular XP, repeat.
Next, after downloading the one security update in the link to the desktop and installing it under safe mode and then re-booting, should I then expect not to be prompted to install that same update again that I had just installed under safe mode?
Because it’s still prompting me to install that same update again that I had just installed under safe mode.
We’re getting beyond my level of expertise. When I had NET Framework damaged by a malware attack, I was told the only solution was a complete re-installation in case other parts of Windows were damaged or corrupted. If none of the programs that use NET Framework are having problems, you could follow the advice above about ignoring the update prompts.
However, if you decide to re-install, back up all your data ( I recommend Thumb/flash drives over DVDs). If you don’t feel comfortable doing it, call around and ask for prices for Windows XP re-installation. Most small computer shops do it for under $100, whereas places such as Best Buy charge $200, and will make sure it’s updated (Although you may have to update items such as JAVA and Flash player yourself).
When I’ve had to sort this on a customer’s computer in the past I ended up using the removal tool and re-installing all the .net components… and their updates… and the updates of the updates…
