downloading XP updates

[mastermiaow]

I have been helping a friend with an XP computer. When she goes online I see that updates start downloading automatically. If she is online for only 5 minutes updates are up to 20%. Next time she goes online will updates start at 20% or from 0%??

Also there is no automatic updates icon in control panel, emr has told me that this because service pack 1 has not yet been downloaded. Is it true that until she has automatic updates icon in control panel there is no way to control downloading of updates?

[NooNoo]

Automatic updates was thoroughly revamped in sp1.

As for whether the download resumes depends on whether the download can be resumed. If its a load of files its doing at the same time, the measure is for all files, so windows will check how many its already got and skip forward to the ones that still need downloading.

[Stalemate]

You may want to help her out even more by downloading and burning to CD the Update Rollup 1 for Windows XP (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=826939 (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=826939)). That will save her a lot of time.

Don't download the 2.8Mb Express Install thingy from the page above), go for the administrator package (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d531bf00-d7be-48e3-abcc-961602bd72c2&DisplayLang=en).

SP1 must already be deployed.

Afterwards, visiting the Windows Update site will be much faster for her.