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Nonstop updates messages at shutdown

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MauryS

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May 11, 2009, 5:20:14 PM5/11/09
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For several weeks now I have had a message that updates are available when I
go to shut down my machine. But I don't see an update notice in the system
tray. The shutdown message appears even if I check immediately after starting
the computer. It always says it is installing 1 update of 1. I'm on Win XP
sp3 and have McAfee running and both McAfee and Windows are set for automatic
updates. I'm seeing no other indication of problems. Anyone have an idea of
what's up?
Thanks

PA Bear [MS MVP]

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May 11, 2009, 6:14:25 PM5/11/09
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[crossposted to Windows Update newsgroup]

Assuming you have NOT recently reinstalled WinXP & then installed SP3
manually:

Example: You've configured Automatic Updates (AU) to the Notify Only setting
and have approved the download of multiple updates. Time passes but the AU
icon telling you that updates have downloaded and are ready to be installed
never appears. You go to shutdown only to find that the normal TURN OFF
button has been replaced with INSTALL UPDATES AND TURN OFF COMPUTER.

Explanation: AU's "Updates are ready to be installed" prompt will only
appear if all of the updates you've approved have downloaded. In this case,
only some of them have. (No, you really can't tell which ones have download
and which haven't, unfortunately...at least not without examine your
WindowsUpdate.log.)

If you examine your WindowsUpdate.log, you'll most likely see numerous
"Update is not allowed to download due to regulation" entries. This means
the update servers are swamped and aren't available for AU to use (cf.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910340). This can happen when multiple,
huge updates are released at the same time (e.g., Office 2007 SP2, IE8, and
numerous other Office updates were released a week ago) and millions of
computers are trying to download/install them via AU.

Workarounds:

1. Use the INSTALL UPDATES & SHUTDOWN option to install the updates which
have downloaded, then wait for the others to download later.

2. Leave you computer running (preferably with Power Options configured to
put the computer in Hibernation after a certain length of time) and wait for
AU to download the rest of the updates & prompt you to install them.

3. Install the updates manually via Windows/Microsoft Update website.
Understand that by doing so, you're pushing all the other Automatic Updates
users further back in the queue (which may explain, at least in part, why
Automatic Updates hasn't brought them in for you yet).

[The above was recently posted in a reply to a similar, related thread in
WinXP General newsgroup:
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg/44d6dd69077c6965]
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002

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