If Automatic Updates service is set to manual....

[ps24eva]

If I set the Automatic Updates service to manual, does the Windows update website still work?

I know that Automatic Updates service must be turned on to access the website (it seems wierd that the Automatic Updates service must be on, even though you are manually installing updates. Thats microsoft for you).

[KJxp]

Not for me (on XP Home SP2). Going to WindowsUpdate starts the service, but I get this error anyway:

[Error number: 0x8DDD0018]

The site cannot continue because one or more of these Windows services is not running:

Automatic Updates (allows the site to find, download and install high-priority updates for your computer)

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) (helps updates download more quickly and without problems if the download process is interrupted)

Event Log (keeps a record of updating activities to help with troubleshooting, if needed)

Change it back to Automatic, and WU works.

[ps24eva]

yeah this is exactly the answer I was looking for.

Does everyone agree that in spite of setting automatic updates to manual, the windows update site will not work?

[godan]

yes it wont work, infact all wu checks for when it first loads is that it is set to auto, the service could be stopped but as long as it is set to auto it will pass the check, as a side note BITS can be on manual but not disabled.

[williechew]

I have BITS set to AUTOMATIC and STARTED.

When Media Center Guide Update runs it

changes BITS from AUTOMATIC to MANUAL

but leaves it still RUNNING.

So the next time I re-boot BITS since it

is now set to MANUAL, does not START,

so the next attempt of the Media Center

Guide Update fails because BITS is not

STARTED. Should the Media Guide Update

cause BITS to START, or is there

something else I need to do so I do not

have to start BITS everytime before

Media Center Guide Update runs?

Edited February 21, 2007 by williechew