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> XP Pro SP3
>
> I have "Automatic Updates" set to download automatically, but let me choose
> when to install.
>
> It's still doing the downloads, but recently, it's stopped informing me of
> the fact, and is not presenting the icon in the system tray to let me
> examine the list and install when and what I want.
>
> Instead, I'm presented with an option to install at shutdown, but without
> any ability to examine what's being installed.
>
> How can I restore the previous behavior?
>
>
>
I observed the same phenomenon at the last "patch day" with 7 updates in
sum. There was heavy download activity at my dsl-router, the yellow icon
disappeared and update installation was only offered at shutdown.
I cancelled shutdown and looked into windowsupdate.log. There I saw the
reason for that behaviour: 2 of the 7 updates were paused "due to
regulation" (the well known wait state due to heavy traffic on the
download site). The standard reaction of wupdate is: try later, except
shutdown:at shutdown install all updates, which have been downloaded
until now. You can wait too, or do, what I do under these conditions:
Use explicitly wupdate with IE. Normally you will see all updates,
inclusive the yet downloaded, but they will be skipped. The missing ones
will be downloaded and installed. Attention: during that process the
yellow icon will reappear and telling, that updates could be installed !
But because you ARE installing these updates from the website, ignore
the yellow icon ! It will disappear from itself after the installation
with IE is complete.

Bernd