I recently got a brand new computer. With XP Pro . I have always used Win2k and ... Win 98. Don't know anything else. I am glad I didn't get a Vista machine because I imagine it would be worse. What's with all these updates that download automatically ? I don't need them probably, I don't want them above all I don't want these annoying messages. I turned off auto updates and get that message my computer is at risk , but it still continues on shutdown I am asked to update, I must have clicked on something this morning because I keep getting a message to restart for updates,I can' t restart because I think then my multi mon setup may not get back on (Matrox TripleHead 2Go) . Is there a way to get rid once and for all of all these messages ? I am more worried about updates messing something than getting a virus. Since I started trading in 2000 , I never updated anything without having to, never downloaded updates for Win 2K except for SP4 which I needed for some application. Never update antivirus, never update firewall (ZA, because that one caused problems for some people on updates) and I hardly ever had a problem. Only thing I update and run once in a while is Spybot S&D. I got one or two nasty virus, the about blank virus and some other thing I solved with some google searches and I surf a lot on all kinds of websites. Actually I think running VERY outdated apllications protects you because the new malwares are not designed to attack those. Now with XP it's not really outdated, maybe some updates are useful. Damn my PC just restarted automatically for these updates ! This has to stop ! And of course my Matrox setup is going tp flake on me. No it worked this time. Anyway, also how do you lock your machine with XP Pro ? I can only sign off and it goes into hibernation, but then it messes up my monitors as well on resume.
Wow, Vista is breathing down your neck and you're just now "upgrading" to XP? Get used to automatic updates and just take them all. You're simply going through the same philosophical angst that long-time XP users went through years ago. BTW, sticking with XP was a good decision. To lock your desktop without logging out, just press the "window" key and the "L" key simultaneously.
You can turn off automatic updates if you want to (try the help topics, I'm running WS2008 at present or I'd give you instructions). As long as you run a decent virus option (antivir would do) and don't frequent porn or warez sites then you don't EVER need another MS update.
You can also select "don't install updates automatically". So it will install and restart only on your command...
XP will keep bugging you to make some sort of choice about Automatic Updates. You can select to be "notified updates are available" with an icon into your system tray. Then, you can download and install when convenient. Most of us find our machines running properly with all of XPs critical updates installed.
Open up 'security center' , on the left hand side under resources click on 'change the way security center alerts me' and untick all boxes.
Whatever you do, do NOT use Vista. Biggest pile of shit since the Yugo. The Yugo was much faster, too.