Exorcising IE

[Kulindahr]

For quite a while, if I had Firefox open when I went to MS Updates, it opened a window in Firefox. The last two times, it automatically uses IE.

Anyone know why, or how to exile IE so it stops bothering me?

 

[Corny]

As far as I know the MS Update does not work with Firefox at all. There are extensions which can use the IE engine to render websites in a Firefox tab, but imho this is a bit silly.

If you just use the automatic update service, you will not need a browser for the updates at all (You can set it to just notify you about new updates, and you can then choose which to install and when).

 

[sheep]

Resistance is futile. Just open your wallet and be a team player. And don't even consider Safari 4. It is far too fast.
S. Ballmer

 

[Kulindahr]

As far as I know the MS Update does not work with Firefox at all. There are extensions which can use the IE engine to render websites in a Firefox tab, but imho this is a bit silly.

If you just use the automatic update service, you will not need a browser for the updates at all (You can set it to just notify you about new updates, and you can then choose which to install and when).

Oh, I would love to use the automatic update service -- except that for some reason it's disabled.

Microsoft won't talk to me about it without charging an obscene amount for a phone conversation, and none of the computer techs I know has a clue... it's just disabled, and tells me I can't enable it.

 

[Kulindahr]

Resistance is futile. Just open your wallet and be a team player. And don't even consider Safari 4. It is far too fast.
S. Ballmer

I had to look that one up.

Let me guess: this version will be free, but when there are problems, you'll have to pay to get the patches....

 

[Corny]

it's just disabled, and tells me I can't enable it.

I suppose the service is not running and Windoze cannot start it?
Check anyway
start ->run->Services.msc
Look for "Automatic update", it might be present but disabled (if it would be just stopped Windows should be able to start it)

If you cannot start or find it, try this:
start->run->regsvr32 wuaueng.dll
Check if the services is startable/running now.

If that didn't help MS has a few more things you can do:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;883614

Also found this:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/aupolicy.htm
But that sounds unlikely to me.

[edit]

Let me guess: this version will be free, but when there are problems, you'll have to pay to get the patches...

Just read that if you are an iPod touch owner, you need to pay for the 3.0 update. Pay for a security update on your mp3player ... ONLY apple can be so bold to pull this one off.

 

[sheep]

[edit]

Just read that if you are an iPod touch owner, you need to pay for the 3.0 update. Pay for a security update on your mp3player ... ONLY apple can be so bold to pull this one off.

3.0 for the iPod/iPhone isn't a security update. It has about 100 changes to make the devices perform more functions better. The reason Apple has to charge a nominal sum for the iPod's new system is contained in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act signed into law by G.W. Bush to help make America less competitive with the rest of the world. It is also the reason why Apple has to account for 1/8th of their iPhone revenue per quarter for 2 years. Their is no charge for the phone as it is under a contract with a supplier such as AT&T, T-mobile etc depending on where you live.

 

[Corny]

^ I am not sure what the economical/law stuff is about - but it still IS a software update. And far away from a new OS.
If you show me how iPod touch users can iron out those bugs WITHOUT paying for it, I might revoke that statement, otherwise my position doesn't change a thing.
And why the heck does this law only apply to apple please? Almost any other software/hardware company offers this kind of update for free to everyone.

 

[sheep]

^ I am not sure what the economical/law stuff is about - but it still IS a software update. And far away from a new OS.
If you show me how iPod touch users can iron out those bugs WITHOUT paying for it, I might revoke that statement, otherwise my position doesn't change a thing.
And why the heck does this law only apply to apple please? Almost any other software/hardware company offers this kind of update for free to everyone.

It applies to all American Companies. Bug fixes have been free. Google Sarbanes-Oxley and get back to me when you are finished. I understand that MSFT will be charging for Vista SP3 aka Windows 7

 

[Corny]

one could interpret it like that, but whatever you see or not see in windows 7 - vista bugfixes still will be free.

i just read the long german wikipedia article on the law, and still don't see it's connection on charging money for bugfixes.

 

[Kulindahr]

I suppose the service is not running and Windoze cannot start it?
Check anyway
start ->run->Services.msc
Look for "Automatic update", it might be present but disabled (if it would be just stopped Windows should be able to start it)

If you cannot start or find it, try this:
start->run->regsvr32 wuaueng.dll
Check if the services is startable/running now.

The first approach: it showed that the service was "started". Just for kicks, I reversed that, then put it back to "started".
No joy.

The second: it said the process was run successfully.
No joy.

On to these, I guess.

If that didn't help MS has a few more things you can do:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;883614

Also found this:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/aupolicy.htm
But that sounds unlikely to me.

 

[Kulindahr]

^
Third approach: no help.

So on the last one:
The first part applied somewhat; one of the entries it said to delete was there, and I deleted it. Then there was this:

* Navigate to this location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ WindowsUpdate


There's no such location....


OTOH, when I go to Control Panel, the Automatic Updates box isn't grayed out any more!

 

[sheep]

i just read the long german wikipedia article on the law, and still don't see it's connection on charging money for bugfixes.

I re-iterate System 3 for iPhone/iPod is not a bug fix. For more insight into the reasoning for the charge I found this on the internet for you. The article was written in 2007.

Is Sarbanes-Oxley Forcing Apple To Charge You To Upgrade Your WiFi?
from the say-what-now? dept

Well, here's a weird one. It's no secret that Sarbanes-Oxley is a law with lots of problems. It's become a huge pain for businesses, forcing all sorts of useless, but expensive, procedures to be put in place that have little (if anything) to do with protecting investors from being taken in by unscrupulous companies. It's been a huge net loss to the economy, and has scared away plenty of companies from the public markets. While that may have held some "bubble euphoria" in check by keeping investment opportunities away from the public, the net result is bad for the overall economy. Last week, there was lots of talk about Jim Clark's decision to quit Shutterfly while blaming Sarbanes-Oxley for limiting what he could do at the company. Now comes the latest odd SOX complaint. Apparently Apple is forcing Mac owners to pay an extra $5 to unlock next generation features of WiFi that were bundled with recent machines. In order to unlock the pre-standard 802.11n features, you have to pay $5, with Apple saying that they cannot be seen as "giving away an unadvertised new feature of an already sold product without enduring some onerous accounting measures." The thinking, basically is that they would be unfairly recognizing the revenue early, since they hadn't completely delivered the product. The alternative would be to not recognize all the revenue ahead of time, but that presents other problems, and could even be more costly. Thus, consumers get the fun of having to pay extra to upgrade. Yet another fun unexpected consequence from excessive meddling from politicians.
end of article

Maybe Obama can fix this one as well.

Knowing Corny, I suspect there will be nothing in the world that will change his mind.

 

[Corny]

Valid arguments or new viewpoints always will be able to change my mind
The quoted part about that law is interesting, I see the reasoning (that law IS weird) but I still don't get why only apple seems to to this.
But even with the law aside. I could NOT get those bugs fixed on my iPod Touch without paying for the new version. And even if you let it be a complete new version where a payment for it is justified - I still can not get those bugs fixed, forcing me into the only available option - buying the new version.