Auto-update

[stoutfellow]

I seem to have given permission, at some point, for some program to auto-update, without checking for permission. I don't much mind that, unless the process starts interfering with my own websurfing, which this one has begun to do. Is there any way for me to identify which program it is and revoke the permission?

Comments

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Can you look in My Computer and the Add or Remove Programs option?

There should be a Set Access Program and Defaults Option.

That is, in MS, if you have MicroSoft etc.

Love, C.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

I checked that, but found nothing useful, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure I know what's going on, and I'm undecided as to what (if anything) to do about it.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

If you're using a good firewall it should be able to tell you which programs are trying to access the internet. Once you know which program is involved, you can either change its settings (preferable) to not do that or tell the firewall to block its attempts to connect. If you don't have a decent software firewall currently, I recommend the free version of ZoneAlarm for most people.

If you're using a newer version of Windows, the Task Manager will tell you what processes are running, but most automatic updates load in the background when you start Windows so that most likely won't necessarily help you figure which one is causing a problem at any given time even assuming you know enough to sort out all the things that are listed there.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

I have the pay version of ZoneAlarm. I'm pretty sure that the offending program is either Firefox or ZoneAlarm itself.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

Firefox checks for updates when it starts. To get to the setting for what to do when it finds one, go to the Tools menu, choose "options" then select the "advanced" button and the "update" tab within "advanced". You should see the choice to either ask or download without asking. Firefox updates aren't all that common so if this is causing a problem very often, it is probably something else.

If you're using the version of ZoneAlarm that includes anti-virus and assorted other stuff in addition to the firewall, I'd consider that a serious possibility. Virus definitions need updating almost every day and it is normally desirable for that to happen automatically. I don't remember for sure whether ZA's AV program lets you choose a time for doing updates, but that's a fairly common option in AV programs. If you have a firewall only version, the updater for that shouldn't be an issue more than once in a while. There are some other variations on what comes with paid versions of ZA too.