How to Remove Win XP SP3 Download & keep it from installing?

I have a Toshiba Satellite tha tbelongs to my aging (75 y.o.) mom. It's
running Win XP Media Center Edition with SP 2. A few month ago she began
complaining that her PC was having trouble connecting to AOL (v 9.1) and when
I finally got a chance to check the machine and analyze the cause I narrowed
it down to some sort of conflict that arises Between AOL and windows as soon
as XP SP3 is installed on Her machine. Once that happens her ability to
reliably login to AOL vanishes and AOL email is just about the ONLY thing she
uses the machine for!

That amazed me -- in fact, I honestly didn't believe it until I had wiped
the machine and reinstalled all the original software TWICE and watched
Everything work flawlessly until XP SP3 was pushed down to her machine by
Windows update. Each time that occurred, the problem of program aborts and
GPFs during AOL logins came right back again. I've seen it happen three times
now. So I KNOW the installation of XP SP3 is the definitely cause of this
very weird problem.

So yesterday I went back again and wiped the drive yet again. ANd I
reinstalled all her original software and then I allowed the first set of
windows updates to download and install. However, as soon as that first set
of updates was installed, I disabled the automatic update feature and
reconfigured it to NOT download but only to offer each update and let ME
decide which ones I would and would not take.

That didn't really work as advertised. Instead, it still on and downloaded
the updates and then offered them to be installed. Once I realized it was
still downloading the updates despite having explicit instructions to the
contrary, I immediately went back to the windows updates site and tried to
head-off the Service Pack 3 update and disable it before it got downloaded.

But that approach failed too because I was unable to BLOCK the download and
HIDE it befor ethe blasted thing had already been downloaded to Her machine
and is now waiting for Mom or somoeone else to accidentally press the wrong
button when turning off Her machine and thus screw up Her system for the 4th
time.

I need to know how to completely remove that downloaded (but not yet
installed) update from her machine and then block it from being downloaded so
that it never gets presented again.

I have successfully used the "hide" feature before to precent other updates
from installing. And I'm assuming I'll be able to do the same thing for the
XP SP3 update once I figure out how to remove this kiss-of-death download
from her PC.

Two Questions:

1. Can anyone tell me how to remove the downloaded XP SP3 from mom's PC
before she or someone else accidentally pulls the pin from that grenade?

2. How can I completely prevent this download from ever being offered to Her
machine again?

Thanks!

Here's the answer to my questions. I found this information (provided by a
user named TaurArian) at
http://forums.techarena.in/windows-update/974313.htm. I then tried it on my
system and it worked! This procedure should work to remove ANY downloaded
Windows update and prevent it from installing.

I modified it slightly in my case by going to

start / control panel / performance and maintenance / system [Automatic
Updates]

and disabling ALL automatic Windows updates before I started this process.


HIDE WINDOWS UPDATE

To hide an update, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click either Windows Update
or Microsoft Update.
2. Click Custom.
3. Click to clear the check box that is next to the update that you want to
hide.
4. Expand the update that you want to hide, and then click the "Don't show
this update again" check box.
5. Click Review and install updates.


REMOVE WINDOWS UPDATE DOWNLOADS FROM THE TEMPORARY FOLDER (it's usually
named \windows\SoftwareDistribution):


STOP THE AUTOMATIC UPDATES SERVICE

1. Click Start, Choose Run.
2. In the Run box, type services.msc.
3. Click OK.
4. Right-click the Automatic Updates service.
5. Click Stop.

Stopping the service will take a moment.


DELETE THE CONTENTS OF THE DOWNLOAD FOLDER

1. Click Start. Choose Run.
2. In the Run box, type %windir%\SoftwareDistribution (usually %windir% is
"\windows")
3. Click OK.
4. Open the Download folder.
5. Delete all contents of the Download folder.
6. Close the window.


RESTART THE AUTOMATIC UPDATES SERVICE

1. Click Start. Choose Run.
2. In the Run box, type services.msc.
3. Click OK.
4. Right-click the Automatic Updates service.
5. Click Start.

Starting the service will take a moment.

By deleting the contents of the Download folder - you have removed any
downloaded updates that were pending.

You can now confirm the downloaded updates have been disabled by going to
the Start / Turn Off screen. You should find NO windows updates listed as
waiting for installation there.

Congrats! You're done.

Thanks a bunch, TaurArian!

NB: Computers running WinXP SP2 will NOT be offered any further critical
security updates, Automatic Updates will cease to function, and Windows
Update website will not be available after 12 April 2010 until and unless
SP3 is installed.

A dutiful son would not want his mom's computer to be unpatched for the next
5 years, would he?

Tip: Wean her off AOL.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
www.banthecheck.com


Dutiful_Son wrote:
> Here's the answer to my questions. I found this information (provided by a
> user named TaurArian) at
> http://forums.techarena.in/windows-update/974313.htm. I then tried it on
> my
> system and it worked! This procedure should work to remove ANY downloaded
> Windows update and prevent it from installing.
>
> I modified it slightly in my case by going to
>
> start / control panel / performance and maintenance / system [Automatic
> Updates]
>
> and disabling ALL automatic Windows updates before I started this process.
>
>
> HIDE WINDOWS UPDATE
>
> To hide an update, follow these steps:
>
> 1. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click either Windows
> Update
> or Microsoft Update.
> 2. Click Custom.
> 3. Click to clear the check box that is next to the update that you want
> to
> hide.
> 4. Expand the update that you want to hide, and then click the "Don't show
> this update again" check box.
> 5. Click Review and install updates.
>
>
> REMOVE WINDOWS UPDATE DOWNLOADS FROM THE TEMPORARY FOLDER (it's usually
> named \windows\SoftwareDistribution):
>
>
> STOP THE AUTOMATIC UPDATES SERVICE
>
> 1. Click Start, Choose Run.
> 2. In the Run box, type services.msc.
> 3. Click OK.
> 4. Right-click the Automatic Updates service.
> 5. Click Stop.
>
> Stopping the service will take a moment.
>
>
> DELETE THE CONTENTS OF THE DOWNLOAD FOLDER
>
> 1. Click Start. Choose Run.
> 2. In the Run box, type %windir%\SoftwareDistribution (usually %windir% is
> "\windows")
> 3. Click OK.
> 4. Open the Download folder.
> 5. Delete all contents of the Download folder.
> 6. Close the window.
>
>
> RESTART THE AUTOMATIC UPDATES SERVICE
>
> 1. Click Start. Choose Run.
> 2. In the Run box, type services.msc.
> 3. Click OK.
> 4. Right-click the Automatic Updates service.
> 5. Click Start.
>
> Starting the service will take a moment.
>
> By deleting the contents of the Download folder - you have removed any
> downloaded updates that were pending.
>
> You can now confirm the downloaded updates have been disabled by going to
> the Start / Turn Off screen. You should find NO windows updates listed as
> waiting for installation there.
>
> Congrats! You're done.
>
> Thanks a bunch, TaurArian!

"Dutiful_Son" wrote:

> I have a Toshiba Satellite tha tbelongs to my aging (75 y.o.) mom. It's
> running Win XP Media Center Edition with SP 2. A few month ago she began
> complaining that her PC was having trouble connecting to AOL (v 9.1) and when
> I finally got a chance to check the machine and analyze the cause I narrowed
> it down to some sort of conflict that arises Between AOL and windows as soon
> as XP SP3 is installed on Her machine. Once that happens her ability to
> reliably login to AOL vanishes and AOL email is just about the ONLY thing she
> uses the machine for!
>
> That amazed me -- in fact, I honestly didn't believe it until I had wiped
> the machine and reinstalled all the original software TWICE and watched
> Everything work flawlessly until XP SP3 was pushed down to her machine by
> Windows update. Each time that occurred, the problem of program aborts and
> GPFs during AOL logins came right back again. I've seen it happen three times
> now. So I KNOW the installation of XP SP3 is the definitely cause of this
> very weird problem.
>
> So yesterday I went back again and wiped the drive yet again. ANd I
> reinstalled all her original software and then I allowed the first set of
> windows updates to download and install. However, as soon as that first set
> of updates was installed, I disabled the automatic update feature and
> reconfigured it to NOT download but only to offer each update and let ME
> decide which ones I would and would not take.
>
> That didn't really work as advertised. Instead, it still on and downloaded
> the updates and then offered them to be installed. Once I realized it was
> still downloading the updates despite having explicit instructions to the
> contrary, I immediately went back to the windows updates site and tried to
> head-off the Service Pack 3 update and disable it before it got downloaded.
>
> But that approach failed too because I was unable to BLOCK the download and
> HIDE it befor ethe blasted thing had already been downloaded to Her machine
> and is now waiting for Mom or somoeone else to accidentally press the wrong
> button when turning off Her machine and thus screw up Her system for the 4th
> time.
>
> I need to know how to completely remove that downloaded (but not yet
> installed) update from her machine and then block it from being downloaded so
> that it never gets presented again.
>
> I have successfully used the "hide" feature before to precent other updates
> from installing. And I'm assuming I'll be able to do the same thing for the
> XP SP3 update once I figure out how to remove this kiss-of-death download
> from her PC.
>
> Two Questions:
>
> 1. Can anyone tell me how to remove the downloaded XP SP3 from mom's PC
> before she or someone else accidentally pulls the pin from that grenade?
>
> 2. How can I completely prevent this download from ever being offered to Her
> machine again?
>
> Thanks!
>
>