xp- not able to get updates automatically

achtunglady

Hi, can anyone help me before i have no hair left!! I have xp home edition sp1. I went to the update site to download any updates that i need. On one occasion it came up that automatic updates wasnt switched on so i did this by (*)clicking run and services.msc, then i clicked on automatic updates, this was disabled so i put it to automatic clicked apply then clicked the start button, then i clicked on the BITS and put that to manual as they say on the update page and then i went to the event log and put that to automatic clicked apply. Ok i thought, so went back and tried to get a express download, and it said it was scanning the computer to see what updates i needed, the green progress bar was moving but after about 10 mins, nothing, so i try and come out of it but the screen is frozen, i try control+alt+delete but nothing happens, so i switched it off manually.

Started up again, the automatic updates was disabled so i went through it again from point (*) above
in all i have done this about 9 times and its really P-ing me off. On the microsoft update page theres an icon to turn auto updates on, it was red with a cross so i clicked on it and set it to auto update at 10.00, clicked ok and it turned from red to green, then it turned back to red, so i double checked in the services.msc and it was disabled!!!!! GRRRRRRRR :mad: so i went thru that step again, what am i doing wrong?? I am not computer literate, so please be gentle with me Thanks in advance. I had ME before and it worked fine,automatically updating without any of this muck about.

Nikolai

I Think you probably need to download sp2 before anything else

Browntoa

try this

http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/muoptdefault.aspx?ln=en&returnurl=http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

you can order a SP2 CD but it costs £6

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx

superscaper

Yes the automatic updates feature I think was a feature of sp2. You definitely should go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and install from there to at least get service pack 2.

Browntoa

file here that may cure it

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_winupd_netpolicy.htm


xp_winupd_netpolicy.vbs - Removes Policy Setting that disables Windows Update
© Doug Knox - 3/22/2002
If you receive the following error:
Access Denied

Network policy settings prevent you from using Windows Update to download and install updates on your computer.

If you believe you have received this message in error, please check with your system administrator.
The following will undo the restriction in XP Home or Pro Edition. To use: Download the xp_winupd_netpolicy.vbs file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). In Windows Explorer, locate the script you just downloaded and double click it. The script will modify the System Registry and notify you when its done. This script can be viewed in Notepad or any text editor, as to the specific function of the script and how it works.

Browntoa

if not then look at this, I suspect this is the best one to attempt

http://wiki.castlecops.com/Windows_Update_Fix

For Windows XP SP2 and SP1 Systems Only

Keeping current with Windows Updates is critical to maintaining your system's overall security. If you find you are unable to download updates automatically or manually from the Windows Update Website, then chances are our Windows Update Fix may remedy that problem. The Fix consists of a few preparation steps and a DOS script that you can download and run, to automatically correct the most common problems associated with being unable to download Windows Updates.


WINDOWS UPDATE TROUBLESHOOTING FIX

Preliminary Recommendations,


1. Ensure following conditons are met:

• You are signed on with an XP User Account that has Administrative privledges
• You are using Internet Explorer or a browser that supports activeX downloads
• Verify that time and date settings for your computer are correct - Click Start->Click Control Panel->Click Date and Time

2. Enable Javascript and Disable Script Blocking Programs


Since Windows Updates is script dependent, any preventative programs which employ script blocking or restrict javascript should be disabled. The automated fix will adjust Internet Explorer's javascript settings, so that it is enabled for the windows update sites only.


It is important that you have the most current Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on your system. The current JRE version is Java Runtime Environment Version 5.0 Update 8.
Older versions of the Sun Java Platform are know to contain Critical Vulnerabilities which are corrected by the current version.

• Determine what Java version you have installed on your system by doing the following

1. Click Start-> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs
2. Check the listings under JRE or J2SE Runtime Environment for your Java Version
3. Alternatively, you can check the Java version you have installed by clicking here

• If you need to update your version of the Sun Java Platform (JRE):

1. First, remove any older versions of the Sun Java Platform from the Add/Remove Programs screen as they are known to contain security vulnerabilities.
2. Reboot your system
3. Download a new version at the Sun Microsystem's website by selecting the Windows (Offline Installation) option.
4. Verify that the current version installed properly by clicking here

Now it is very important, that you turn off any script blocking applications you may have running such as Norton Script blocking.


3. Disable Blocking Programs
Many popular programs, even some security applications used to protect you, can actually interfere with the ability to obtain Windows Updates. The following programs have been associated with such issues, and you should check to see if you have any of them running/installed on your system:
Download Accelerator Download Accelerator Plus GetRight Browser Blaster Pop-up blocker BitTorrent PC-cillin - WebTrap component eMule Surfin Guard Pro Sygate Personal Firewall Norton Internet Security Freedom Firewall Zone Alarm Firewall
If you are using one of the above programs, please do the following:

1. If if the interfering program is a firewall, enable the built-in WIndows Firewall (ICF):
   • Click start->Control Panel->Security Center->Windows Firewall and Check the 'automatic' circle next to the green shield icon to turn ON the WIndows Firewall.
   • Temporarily turn off your resident firewall program which can usually be accomplished by right-clicking it's icon in the system tray and selecting the appropriate action to disable it. For example, if you have the ZoneAlarm firewall, click "Shutdown ZoneAlarm".
   • After Windows Updates is complete, re-enable the your resident firewall by clicking start->All Programs->navigate and open your resident firewall program, then reactivate it. This will automatically disable the Windows Firewall.
2. Next, temporarily disable any of the other blocking programs listed above. If you are using any other Spam/Popup/Ad Blocker programs which are not on the list, disable them, as well. Also, disable any download accelerator software.
   • Disabling can usually be accomplished by right-clicking the program's system tray icon and selecting the disable/shutdown option.
   • After Windows Updates is complete, you may re-enable all disabled programs.

4. Disable registry monitoring/blocking software

If you use a registry monitoring program, you must disable it before running the automated fix. Some popular programs which do that are Adwatch, TeaTimer, and Windows Defender / Microsoft Antispyware. Please follow these directions to Temporarily Disable Real Time Monitoring Programs
To return to this page after the disabling, just click Malware Prevention (in bottom template) --> Windows Updates --> Windows Update Fix

You have now finished all the preparatory steps and are ready to run the automated fix.


The automated fix (WUFix) performs the following functions:
Clears out the proxy cache, places Windows Update sites in the Trusted Zone, places Windows Update sites in the exception list of IE Popup Blocker, starts all dependent services, registers required DLLS, empties the Windows Update temporary folder (with backup), renames the catroot2 folder, retains update history and Event log, and deletes BITS pending download queue.

Automated Windows Update Fix

• Download WUFix.zip and unzip to your desktop.
• Double-Click WUFix.bat to run fix.

You will see a window open and commands processing. When the window closes the fix will have completed.

devizes18193

you can also try downloading frim windiz for your updates ,but you 'll ned to use some thing like firefox or oprea etc not ie ,then when your uptodate try setting the auto update

mitchg

You may also want to try this site it has a list of updates etc

http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/index.html

hope you have it all sorted out now

achtunglady

Thanks for your help, i managed to do it, but it still wont update automatically, not a problem i'll just do it manually.