Hate Windows Update (and Microsoft’s sneaky practices like installing “windows Genuine Advantage” spyware) as much as I do? Here are a couple of alternatives:
Shavlik NetChk Protect is now available for a one year free trial for anyone with a valid email address. It’s a powerful app designed for enterprise network environments, enabling sysadmins to maintain their networked Windows computers easily, effectively and safely. And it is designed to update many more softwares than just Microsoft offerings.
And you can download it and use it for a year for free.
Not too shabby.
If that’s too big a deal for you, BigFix can maintain your Microsoft products very, very effectively for free, freeing you from dependence on Microsoft’s cranky, unreliable and sneaky Windows Update procedure. And BigFix is free.
One of my Win2K comps had had problems for months installing certain security updates via Microsoft’s automatic update facility (or even directly from MessySoft using various download/install techniques). BigFix just handled it.
Either app is a Very Good thing, IMO. Give ’em a shot if you want to loosen the apron strings.
Of course, if ya wanna CUT the MessySoft apron strings, Ubuntu Linux 6.06 is super cool, capable, secure and easily updated, and most people have little need for anything that doesn’t come in the default install.
*heh*