Xp updates usually address security holes in Xp which are numerous! All you need is a good antivirus and a firewall, spyware cleaner. IMHO you should turn off auto updates! Keep checking my website should be on-line soon. http://drpcdr.ca Tweak XP Right Click My Computer >Properties >System Restore Tab >Settings >Slide to Minimum (200MB) >OK >Auto Updates Tab >Turn Off Auto Updates >Apply >OK >Remote Tab >Uncheck Remote Asisstance and Remote Desktop >Apply >OK Start >Control Panel >Admin Tools >Services >Automatic Updates >Startup Type >Change to Disabled >Service Status >Click Stop >Apply >OK >Error Reporting >Startup Type >Change to Disabled >Service Status >Click Stop >Apply >OK >Messenger >Startup Type >Change to Disabled >Service Status >Click Stop >Apply >OK >Remote Desktop Help >Startup Type >Change to Disabled >Service Status >Click Stop >Apply >OK >Remote Registry >Startup Type >Change to Disabled >Service Status >Click Stop >Apply >OK >Task Scheduler >Startup Type >Change to Disabled >Service Status >Click Stop >Apply >OK >Telnet >Startup Type >Change to Disabled >Service Status >Click Stop >Apply >OK Start >Control Panel >Network Connections >Right Click Connection >Advanced >Checkmark Protect my computer by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet >OK Chris --- GeneralStuff <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > For the first time, since I've had Win XP Home, a > window popped up saying it > was doing an 'automatic update', and it took a > little while to run. I'm a > little nervous about anything that my computer does > on its own. I looked in > "Help" to see exactly what was going on and it said > it was doing updates in > the program relative to security. I got the > impression this would be a good > idea, because otherwise I could be sitting with a > 'hole' in my system for a > long time before I thought to check for any needed > updates. I left it as > is, but now I'm wondering if there are drawbacks to > letting my system do > automatic updates. Any comments? --Carol Hanson > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > I don't like Microsoft having unsupervised access to > my computer either. After they "fixed" Internet > Explorer so it wouldn't copy some embedded images to > the the clipboard (putting "links to the original > images" there instead), I went to msconfig - > services and turned off "Automatic Updates." When I > tried to do it within the software, MS kept turning > it back on. > > The long answer: MS is already putting precursors > of the old (and controversial) "Palladium" nee > "Longhorn," nee "Vista on machines." A copy/paste > that I did weekly from my bank suddenly stopped > working and research pinned it down to IE now > failing to place these items on the clipboard - this > embedded image failure is across all applications > that you attempt to paste an IE image into. Some > images still copy and you can copy the image > separately as opposed to embedded, but you get the > link, not the actual image. This change with IE > forces you to allow Word unfettered access to "phone > home" if you want to paste images from the internet > into Word and then view them later. The ultimate > goal is to allow vendors, including MS, to have > remote access, whenever you run their software, to > be able to remotely disable software on your PC and > delete the files it created from your PC if they > think you might have "pirated" something. The > government of course, wants in on this access too. > It it Orwell scary! > > I reformatted and reinstalled a clean copy of XP > SP1. I installed one update that I identified and > downloaded myself related to NTFS file deletions. I > won't use SP2 or any other update unless it is > something I particularly want. I have not been able > to find a previous copy of IE that worked with my > bank images (before SP1). I have both hardware and > software firewalls, anti-virus that also checks my > web pages for worms & such before presenting them to > me, ad/spy ware immunization & prevention monitoring > & periodic scanning (never finds any). I have > disabled some dangerous things such as Messenger, > UPnP, DCOM, etc. and closed ports used by Task > Scheduler etc. (I do my tasks on demand). Any > folders that contain personal data are encrypted > with 256 AES and a 12 char-dig-symb random password > that I have memorized. Any software that uses > sensitive data (Roboform, MSMoney, TreePad, etc) are > also passworded with this password. Online scans > say my ports are completely stealthed (invisible to > pings from hackers). I have been happy with this > with no problems for a couple of years now and don't > intend to let MS mess with it. I will switch to > Apple before I allow Longhorn, Vista, the FritzChip > or any of MS's attempts to gain control of my PC to > happen. After the first time MS tried this (then > called "Palladium") in 2003 and started an uproar, > they are being VERY careful about what they say > about Vista and are hiding their ultimate agenda > very well. They even formed a consortium/cartel > with Intel, HP, IBM & AMD to try to spread the blame > in case it blows up in their face again. > "NGSCB (nee Palladium) is the ultimate "phone home." > You still pay for the PC in your home, but you no > longer control it - or your files." > > A "Games Explorer," designed to list all the games > stored on a user's computer, also will be part of > Vista Beta 1. > > A feature called "Network Location Awareness > Service" is designed to collect network information, > "such as the DNS suffix of your computer, bandwidth > availability, and intranet connectivity," and make > this information available through an application > programming interface to applications that may > require this information. > > "When Microsoft Corp. distributes the preview > release of Longhorn at the WinHEC at the end of this > month, it will look quite different from the early > Longhorn bits it distributed at the same show a year > ago. > > Unlike last year's Longhorn Windows Hardware > Engineering Conference preview build, this year's > will include the first pieces of Microsoft's > built-in Windows "security" system (again, don't > interpret this as security FOR YOU). > > That system-originally code-named "Palladium," (and > more recently, "Next-Generation 'Secure' Computing > Base," or NGSCB)-has been one of the most > controversial of the planned Longhorn components, > since Microsoft first detailed it in 2003. > > The nexus was slated to provide a set of APIs that > would enable sealed storage (that you and I can't > get to to disable their access) and other > foundations for "trusted-computing". > > The goal for NGSCB was "to marry hardware (the fritz > chip) and software to gain better security (again > NOT security FOR YOU)," said Jim Allchin, > Microsoft's group vice president for platforms. (my > note: this is to make sure you can't "tamper" with > their ability to have remote access to your PC, or > so you cannot reformat your PC and install another > operating system on it.). > > That continues to be Microsoft's ultimate goal for > NGSCB, Allchin said. But the Redmond software vendor > is planning a longer and different route to achieve > that end, he acknowledged. > > To read more about Longhorn, go to eWEEK.com's > special report Longhorn, Windows' New Frontier." > > http://www.drmwatch.com/special/article.php/3529586 > > > > Vista has one good item that I know of: Beginning > with next year's release of Windows Vista Microsoft > plans to move device drivers out of the kernel and > onto the user level. At least this one vector of > attack will be shut down on systems running Vista > code or later. > > > > However, I think my system is already well protected > as it is now and I keep data backups and C partition > images that can be restored in the extreme case that > something ever fails me. I'd like this feature, but > not enough to turn over control of my PC to MS. > > > > Microsoft actually has teams of volunteers out on > forums trying to "sell" us on Vista. I don't do > ANYTHING with music on my PC and I purchase all my > software (that isn't free), but I find the entire > idea of Palladium/Vista - you buy your PC, but > others control it - abhorrent and downright scary! > > > > Anna Summers > > The NOSPIN Group has added a new feature on > our website, > web based bulletinboard for questions and > answers: > Visit our sister website at > http://nospin.com > http://drpcdr.ca Tel 416 398 DRPC 71 Sentinel Rd Toronto, ON, M3J 1T1 [log in to unmask] __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL – Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com PCBUILD's List Owners: Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]> Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>