Windows and Stealth Updates

[#1]

Never knew they existed until recently, Seems even If you have selected for "check for updates but let me choose whether to download and  Install them"
Or "download updates automatically and choose whether to install them" Amongst a few other settings that unknown to you updates will Install without further warning to you, So strange reboots you may have experienced etc could be down to this. The only sure way to avoid these "Stealth updates" Is to turn off the update checker altogether and manually check for them yourself.
See this link and scroll down the page to required updates   http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/v6/vistaprivacy.aspx?ln=en-us

[#2]

Yes they are updates to the update service that are required before the update service can check for required updates

[#3]

Bloody crazy alright. Now switched them off altogether.

[#4]

Quote from: Strat

Yes they are updates to the update service that are required before the update service can check for required updates

Thanks for updating us with that information.

[#5]

[#6]

Quote from: Steve

Bloody crazy alright. Now switched them off altogether.

You may be damned if you don't, as well as damned if you do.  Microsoft is constantly discovering flaws in its software which are rapidly exploited by computer viruses so if you forget to manually download and install the necessary updates to patch these flaws you leave yourself open to attack.

[#7]

If your computer is connected to the internet, you are far better off accepting the updates than not, far far better off.

[#8]

Yes I was just thinking that after I switched them off, Will switch them back on as so far, Touch wood, I've never really had much problems with windows updates.

[#9]

If I accepted all M$'s updates for my laptop, the HD would be full.
So I haven't accepted any for the last 12 months+ (the updater is turned off).
The world hasn't ended.

[#10]

How do you know... you may have just downloaded a virus which fools you into thinking the world has not ended, when in fact it has....
Windows updates do have a mind of their own at times.. I have mine set to download and inform me when they are ready to install... While this does not stop M$ installing stuff automatically at least I get a chance to decide some of the time.
The one thing I really hate is when you shut the PC down and it says their are updates available yet no indication was shown on the task bar.  Grrrr.
As for the updates filling your disk up... I just delete all the old backup folders in the Windows directory and only keep the last 20 or so. Who wants to go back and remove updates that were for SP1 & 2 anyway?

[#11]

Quote from: Peter

The one thing I really hate is when you shut the PC down and it says their are updates available yet no indication was shown on the task bar.  Grrrr.

The one circumstance I am aware of when that happens is if the logged in user does not have local admin rights. I found this quite recently - no shield (this was XP) in the system tray, logged out and logged in as a user with admin rights and the shield appeared.