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Written by Sandy Berger
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For the most part Windows Updates are good things. They are usually updates and patches that Microsoft rolls out to keep your computer safer. Occasionally, however, Microsoft uses Windows Updates to send you things that you don't want - like internet Explorer 8 or an update that screws up your computer. And Microsoft keeps trying to install the update over and over again. So you have to keep saying "No" over and over again or in some cases you have to uninstall the update over and over again.
There is, however, a way to tell Microsoft that you don't want a certain update and to make them stop bugging you about it. It is called "hiding" an update.
If you are using Windows Vista, to hide an update:
1. Click on the Start button. Then type in "Windows Update" (or Choose Windows Update from the Control Panel)
2. Click the View available updates link. It is below the Install updates button.
3. Right-click on the update you wish to hide
4. Click Hide update
5. If Windows asks you to Confirm that you want to do this. Click Okay.
If you decide later that you want to install the update, just repeat this process choosing Restore update instead of Hide update.
If you are using Windows XP, to hide an update, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click All Programs, and then click either Windows Update or Microsoft
Update. This will take you to the Microsoft Update website. (If it asks you to install Active X, follow the installation directions.)
2. Windows will check for the updates. This may take a few minutes.
3. Click Custom.
4. Click to clear the check box that is next to the update that you want to hide.
5. Expand the update that you want to hide, and then click the Don't show this update
again check box.
6. Click Review and install updates, which you will find near the top of the page.
Whenever you return to this Windows Update area, it will always show that you have hidden an update. If you want to unhide it, click the restore update(s) now link.
Hiding updates also comes in handy when a certain update screws up your computer. You may not think that this happens often, but it does. For instance about two weeks ago, Microsoft did an automatic update to my computer. When I got up in the morning, my computer screen did not look like it did when I left it the night before. Instead it was back at the Windows desktop with a message saying that the computer had been restarted because Microsoft had performed an update.
Everything seemed okay until I tried to use Microsoft Word and found that I could no longer highlight any text. I used the System Restore (Windows button - All Programs -- Accessories - System Tools - System Restore to remove the update. This solved the problem, but low and behold, Microsoft reinstalled the same updates the next day.
The same symptoms occurred. So I did the System Restore again, then I hid the update. Sometimes, it can be difficult to tell which update is the trouble-maker. In this case, it was easy. It was the only Microsoft Office update that had installed.
To be fair to Microsoft, I must say that the same update installed on several of my other computers with no ill effects, but for some unknown reason, it just didn't work on my main computer.
Luckily, now I don't have to worry about it anymore.
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