Trouble with Windows Update

HELP!!!!!!
I installed IE8 and ran into serious problems with freezing, slowness, etc.
so I uninstalled it and got IE7 back. Since then for over a week and a half
I keep on getting the message that there are updates to download and install
but when I go to Windows Update nothing happens. Then my antivirus program
tells me I am not protected because updates for XP have not been downloaded
and installed. Some times I get the download icon on my notification bar and
when I click it, I get all these items that need to be downloaded. However,
when I click to start the download, the icon disappears and nothing gets
downloaded. If I go to see the update history the items appear with failed
status. This process takes hours since the computer freezes in the process
for periods of time and I get nowhere.

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

Please state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3; Vista SP2) when
posting to this newsgroup.

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
What third-party firewall (if any)? Were any of these applications running
in the background when you installed and/or uninstalled IE8?

Has a Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this machine
(e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought it)?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002

YO wrote:
> HELP!!!!!!
> I installed IE8 and ran into serious problems with freezing, slowness,
> etc.
> so I uninstalled it and got IE7 back. Since then for over a week and a
> half
> I keep on getting the message that there are updates to download and
> install
> but when I go to Windows Update nothing happens. Then my antivirus
> program
> tells me I am not protected because updates for XP have not been
> downloaded
> and installed. Some times I get the download icon on my notification bar
> and when I click it, I get all these items that need to be downloaded.
> However, when I click to start the download, the icon disappears and
> nothing gets downloaded. If I go to see the update history the items
> appear with failed status. This process takes hours since the computer
> freezes in the process for periods of time and I get nowhere.
>
> PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!