[SoDak]

So, for those people foolish enough to enable Automatic Update, does this mean their systems are routinely and regularly examined by MS?

[glorgau]

Read the license. Microsoft can do whatever they want to the contents of your computer. If they deem it in violation of the license, they can wipe it with no liability on their part.

[Terpfen]

No. Automatic Updates bypasses the WGA authentication: of course, you'll only get security patches with Automatic Updates.

[AntiGuv]

I don't have Auto Update enabled, but I had to validate this evening it placed a Browser Help Object on the system, evidently in place of the original Windows XP registration, and the BHO is dependent on a "legitcheckcontrol.dll" file. I had to give it permission to do that. My guess is that all it does from now on is confirm the presence of the BHO.

[LibWhacker]

Sure sounds like it, doesn't it?

[AntiGuv]

That should read: when I had to validate this evening..

[squirt-gun]

They way to do this is to have two hard drives with the windows system on drive A and everything else on drive B.

Then just disconnect drive B during the "interrogation"and downloading on drive A.

End of worry about Microsoft spying.

[Dick Vomer]

how do you disable "automatic updates"?