spybot vs windows update?

[rjrhouston]

I have been having issues with windows update... the installations fail when I run them... I was on the phone with microsoft (for 4 hours) and they decided spybot was the problem... we removed from add/remove on the control panel... when we did it said somethings would need to be removed manually... went back and update would still not install... so microsoft tech support said I need to gt help to remove Spybot completely... because he thinks it is preventing the updates from installing...

would spybot prevent updates from installing?

how do I make sure spybot is completely removed... so I can tell the microsoft that it is or is not the problem when they call me back...

thanks
:blink:

[PepiMK]

what it tells you that remains are backups of data removed with Spybot-S&D - the quarantine. Nothing that could block anything. In fact, telling you to uninstall was kind of counterproductive - uninstalling would not undo the immunization which can be done only in the software itself. Kind of like asking you to delete all Microsoft Word documents before reinstalling Office :laugh:

If TeaTimer was not running, there was no active part of Spybot that could conflict with the updates (and TeaTimer would tell you if it blocked anything); and the passive parts (immunization) should neither. There was a time with an older TeaTimer version where it would not release files when it was still scanning, but that would not have happened in 1.6 and would also happen just sporadically.

What has been left when uninstalling was the files in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Spybot - Search & Destroy\ (which OS do you have? On Vista its C:\Users\All Users\Spybot - Search & Destroy\, on 9x its yet different).

[rjrhouston]

the tea timer was on today when I was talking to them...
I had updated and installed spybot yesterday... which I told him...
along with the fact that I was unable to install the updates before that...

I guess since he could not figure out any other reason the updates would not install he decided it must be spybot because it asked a couple times if it should allow the changes to the registry....

I am running on XP Home Edition

thanks
:hair:

[Greyfox]

rjrhouston,

I don't know whether this is relevant in your case but over the last few weeks, maybe a month, Microsoft have made some changes to the software needed to get updates automatically or manually from Windows updates. The latest of these changes becomes evident if you try to manually update using the Tools->Windows Update in Internet Explorer.

During the process of "Checking if your computer has the latest version of window updating software for use with the website..." a dialogue appears asking you if you want to download "Windows Update, Publisher Microsoft Windows Component Publisher" together with the usual warnings and two buttons, install and Don't install, giving you the choice of accepting or rejecting this item.

The only real choice you are being given is to either accept the item, or not use the update site, and if you do click on Don't install, the dialogue disappears and the computer will simply remain at that point for a very long time before finally giving up and displaying a "The website has encountered as problem...". Accept the download and it will then download and install the change, then get on with the normal download process.

It might be worth you trying a manual update as above, as this may also affect automatic updates. I have never experienced any problems with Spybot preventing the Microsoft updates on XP-Home and XP-Pro SP2 and SP3 PC's.

Edit: It might be a good idea to turn off Teatimer whilst you are doing the updates.