Quite a number of programs automatically update themselves. During 
installation, the more professional programs will ask you if you want 
automatic updates. The unprofessional ones don't ask. In fact McAfee & 
Microsoft do automatic updates if you allow it.

You could go through all the programs on your computer and verify if 
each has a setting for automatic updates and then deactivate the 
automatic functions as you desire. Another way is to be very limiting 
with you firewall as to which programs can call home without asking you. 
This method can be very annoying as the programs will not take the hint 
and stop trying.

Tom Mayer

Robert Citkowitz wrote:
> Every so often my dialup gets bogged down by an unknown file transfer. 
> Sometimes I am later informed that something has been updated, which 
> is reassuring, but usually I don't know what has been happening.
> I have an incoming/outgoing software firewall (preloaded McAfee), but 
> I still want to know what is being updated, if something is going out 
> to someone, especially if the someone was able to bypass the firewall, 
> who is writing to my hard drive.
> Is there some way to identify the site to which I am connected, and 
> what is going in/out?
> Rob
>               
>

                  Visit our website regularly for FAQs,
               articles, how-to's, tech tips and much more
                          http://freepctech.com