Sometimes some applications download some stuff automatically from the web and install it. You don't have a specific control over it. I never get to know where these get downloaded & installed.

Examples include codecs download by media players and Windows updates.

I am looking for something that will interrupt this automatic download and ask me the following:-

Do I want to download it or not

If yes, where do I want to download it (or tell me the default download location)

And then if I want to install it or not

Is there a tweak in windows that can do it?? If not is there a 3rd party application that can do it (preferably freeware)??

(I don't wish to disable the option to download these automatically but rather would like to know where things are actually going)

Thanks

You could set your Windows Updates to ask before downloading. Right-click My Computer, hit properties, goto the Auto. Updates tab, and change to the relevant setting.

Automatic downloading in programs can usually be disabled or tweaked through the program itself.

Updating Windows via the Automatic Updates Service will give you the option of specifying which updates you wish to install.

I personally prefer to disable WUs entirely and get only the necessary ones from 3rd party locations (or tools).

I don't think the question was about Windows Updates, rather it was about Apps in general. The answer is have a Firewall notify you when anything want to go on the web.

Have you considered of installin a firewall and setting it really tight?

Allowing just the nesecary apps and that's it. Then you wont bother if WMP

looks up for codecs or not and Widows update will work

The best tweaking tool is your own .REG file based on the tweaking tools and using RegMon to record what changes they make to the registry. My .REG file is 43 KBs.