Windows Update is worse than a Virus

I have always been cautious with Windows updates - currently I have Windows XP Pro+SP2 - but yesterday I was away and my son, thinking to be helpful so that updates were down loaded and ready to install (about ten I think), ran the automatic install.
When I got home the system was up and running but:-

Windows search failed after disk 0 of 4
NT Backup would not start on the grounds that Volume Shadow Copy could not open
De-frag would not run "because the backup volume could not be accessed or had been mounted as network disk................. "
I restored the system from an Acronis Image and then after I rebooted the updates were presented again. I looked at them one by one and I could not see why I should install any, except perhaps the malicious software removal tool. All the others were along the lines
"A malicious intruder could access your system and in certain circumstances insert a template which give control over your system .... "
What is the use of this stuff to the average user? I feel that if my system is vulnerable to malicious intruders I ought to stop it there, not just make it more difficult for him.
These updates nearly always cause trouble and if not add masses of code to the system and make it slower. For example the update to SP3 was a huge operation removing and adding large numbers of files, big install problems for most well established SP2 systems and ran the system slower, there was no improvement for existing user (may be useful for new installs I accept) but was it in fact part of Microsoft's death-wish to force users to shell out big bucks and dive into the dark horror of the Vista system ?
Unfortunately I cannot turn off updates altogether because if I do there is a constant nag screen each time I reboot.
I wish that the nag could be removed so that updating is voluntary and can be done intelligently by the user if necessary?

 

What is the nag screen? If it is a reminder that your auto updates is turned off, that nag can be turned off.

Control panel>security center. On the left under resources choose "change the way security center alerts me ". Then deselect the choices you prefer.

 

windows-update-worse-than-virus.

Yes thanks for your help, but I know about the security centre settings.

However the notification can not be turned off entirely. If I disable it I get a "nag" message and icon on the task bar which I do not know how to turn off.
That is what I was asking!

 

Is it in the form of a little yellow shield? You should be able to click on the shield and scroll down on the update window and tell it to not bother you with this update any more. I don't know what exactly it says because I have updates turned off.

If the updates have been downloaded and waiting for you to tell them to install, I think you can find them in C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\downloads. You can delete them there. Backup the files first in case it messes something up. However it didn't bother mine when I did the same thing.

 

windows-update-worse-than-virus.

Bill
Thanks, I get a very obvious red shield with a white cross permanently in the Task bar notification area and I can't hide it. So I leave updates on "notify only" which appears when there are updates and then I reject them and it goes away until there are more

 

I agree, I have had my Automatic Updates turned off since 15 June 2006 and have no regrets. I can't imagine how many hours of grief I have missed.

I get no nag screens or warning messages either.

 

windows-update-worse-than-virus.

Thanks superdude I am comforted by your message. I have now found that I can get rid of the "nag" icon in the notification area of the taskbar by start button\right click\select customise\ select the warning icon, change its status to always hide then selct Save\OK