Shield with an ! in tray when I go online.

Do you have alerts shut off? Usually there's a bubble that appears above the shield telling you why it is alerting you, altho you can turn the bubbles off so you might not know why the shield is there in 1st place.

updates, which it probably IS. I don't use that option so I have never seen the shield myself.

My Windows Update is set to notify when updates are available. Instead the updates auto started to download with the gold shield appearing in the tray... then shortly afterwards the shield disappeared. Over two days I watched the download slowly progress from 6% to 21% in spurts... then on the third day I decided to stop all activity and the download finished from that point to 100% completion. The install wizard came up at that point and installation was completed.

I find this strange and feel it is a quirk in the Microsoft Update procedure. Likewise I had problems with the October batch of updates.

Just my 2-cents!

Glenn

to alert me, but I choose what I install. The install feature in Auto Update is squirrelly IMO. I have a problem seeing the status, so I just go to Windows Update site and do my thing there.

I also had issues with the October updates; the first issues I have ever had.

First issues I had was those October updates. I think they have a conflict or other problem in one or more of the Critical Updates to XP.

Like you I can manage but it annoying!!

Glenn

forgot to mention I ran currently updated AVG7, Adaware, S&D, Ewido, CW Shredder, and Registry Mechanic Pro. Only problem Adaware found Chitika, some kind of adware, and removed it.

Nothing unusual in Add/Remove or Startups.

A moment after going online this time the shield showed up again. Each time I go online it starts the mystery download where it last left off. It's now at 55% and probably need an hour to complete.

Only possible problem I see in HJT log is:
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{9450AB71-9851-4FD5-B394-53622EBCF36B}: NameServer = 64.136.173.5 64.136.164.46
I Have deleted this using HJT serveral times and each time it comes back in a day or two. But this "possible problem" began about a month ago, where as the shield problem began yesterday.

others are saying, this is the Automatic Updater for Windows Updates. I really don't know anything about that because I have that disabled and I do mine manually.

Appearently managed to messup SERVICES setting for Auto Updates. I changed it to manual as I prefer downloading them myself. Hope thise clears it up.

Thanks everyong for your help.

Have a great day.

One is to go to the Control Panel and double click on the "security Center". When that comes up, change the setting there. You can also right click on "My Computer" and choose "properties". Then go to the "Automatic Updates" tab and change the setting there. One further note on this. The next time that you run Spybot S&D, it will pick up that change so you will have to right click on the Spybot detection when it finds it and choose "exclude this detection from future scans".

Security Center Auto updates button says "Turn on automatic updates" so I assume it's off.

When I open Properties in My Computer the Turn off automatic updates option is greyed out.

turned off where it says Automatic Updates on the Security Center. I don't have any idea why it would be greyed out on the other setting. Are you administrator of the computer? Maybe it's NOT the Window's Updates that are downloading afterall?? I'm going by what the others are saying because, like I said before. I do NOT use Automatic Updates so I have no idea what that shield is SUPPOSED to look like. You should KNOW whether you use auto updates or not unless you have somebody else that uses the computer that does them for you. I'm going to see if Donna is available to look at this, she knows more about Microsoft stuff than I do.

I suspicion this has to do with Microsoft Updates and is a glitch in the update software... he may have to live with it until they fix it. I am experiencing a similiar situation since the October batch of updates and nothing I do to change the method of updating has any effect... still get the auto download and gold icon.

Go figure!

Glenn

But one would expect the software to work as designed and recommended by Microsoft. Some users perfer the automatic updates or at least a notification when updates are available.

Glenn

Start> run> ''services.msc'' (without quotes)> right click on Auto Update> then click on properties, on general tab about halfway down on the dropdown menu, click on manual or disable, apply and ok. I have mine set on Manual and no problem here. I guess you can also try disable.

You can try it and see if it helps, and you can always set it back to where you want it.
Larry

I will try your method but first want to see if there is a fix from Microsoft. I do not necessarily want auto updates but do prefer to receive notification when updates are available so I can install at a time of my choosing.

Thanks again... I appreciate it!

Glenn

until the a few days ago I was unable to download and install Windows updates. Then found a means to download them individually via another site. And since downloading and installing them I've been having this trouble with Automatic updates.

be corrected because it's causing too many users lots of grief. We can always get the updates but it just more trouble and unnecessary things to do.

Best of luck!

Glenn

Did you go to the Control Panel > Security Center.. then under Resources on the left side.. did you ''change the way the Security Center alerts me'' on the very bottom? If you are going to manually download your updates, there should be nothing checked off. Do you show anything in that area?

I believe this is what Roddy was explaining, but perhaps you didn't understand. Or perhaps I didn't understand.

Just double checking you tried everything..
Carol

the automatic updates, NOT the alerts. I do not think that his problem has anything to do with Automatic Updates though. I thought he had a spyware problem right in the beginning but others think it is Windows Updates. Caktus needs to describe this shield better so we ALL know what he actually has a problem with.

Is it a shield that you are seeing (as the one used for the Windows XP SP2 Security Center) or is it a gold triangle with a black exclamation mark inside it (same location in the System Tray)?

Yes, it's like the one in the Security center except it is gold or yellow with an exclemation mark in side it. It nolonger appears, but then I checked the Windows Update site and there are no more udates available.

The Turn off automatic updates option in My Computer Properties is still greyed out so I selected "Notify me but don't automatically download or install them" wich is probably better anyway.

I guess when more updates are available I'll see if it's working out.

Thanks everybody for your help. Have a great day.