The Windows update shield is not appearing for a friend of mine.

It popped up for me but not my firend. She has it set to auto update. What could be causing this She has not seen the yellow sheild for a few months. She also had a FP in Avast a few months ago and she was able to restore it do you think that could be causing it

 

Hello,
does windows update work if you run it manually?
Are all the needed services started?

automatic updates
background intelligent transfer
event log

 

I believe the update shield also needs the security center to be running.

 

If the computer is set for automatic updates and installation, I would think you would not see the shield - that's the way it is on my computer (XP all updates). Updates are processed automatically in background and the shield never appears.

Am I missing something here?

 

Nope do`t think you are. Bet you hit it right on the head.

I had assumed by the question that the updates were at least set to prompt.

 

The yellow shield appears when I turn on my computer next to the tray but it keeps disappearing. Do you think I should be ok? Is this normal?

 

What are your windows update settings? I'm guessing you are set to receive and install updates automatically, which is what many people do including myself. (You can go to security center and review your update settings.) So the icon appears and then disappears after a current update is automatically downloaded and installed.

You can go to update.microsoft.com and click on "review update history". If you see a long history of updates, you're probably functioning normally.

 

Ok. What should I do in order to update the windows update? Is there another way to update it instead of clicking on the yellow shield? Because the yellow shield disappears quickly everytime so I can't even click on it and I think it said 0%. What did you do in order to update yours?

 

http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

Go here to update windows.

 

What's the difference between that link and by going to control panel-windows updates? Which one do you think would be easier? If I go to control panel-windows update or by going to that link that you posted above, would the yellow shield still show up again next time when there's another update? I still don't know why it appears for a second and then it disappears.

 

Go to your Start Menu > Programs >Windows Update

You'll goto the microsoft website where you'll see if there is any updates available for your computer.

 

Sooflymami -

I think we're all mixing up two isues here:

* What are your current windows update settings?

* How does a user check for windows updates? (This is something you wouldn't normally have to do IF you are set to download and install updates automatically.)

So, can you tell us what your update settings are? If you don't know how to find them, tell us if you are running vista or xp, so we can tell you how to do it step by step.

 

As others have asked, is your Windows Update configured to download and install automatically? If yes, then go to the Windows Update link as mentioned and look at your update history and see if an update is failing for each and every time that you have started your PC when the tray icon appeared and disappeared. If the answer to all of the above is yes, then reasearch the failed update to see why it could be failing or if you even need the update or not. If you don't need the update then you can hide/exclude it from Windows Update.

If your Windows Update is configured to download and notify, when you shutdown your PC you should be seeing the warning to install updates if any even though the tray icon is not present in the system tray although it should be. If that's the case, then you can open Security Center and disable auto updates, close Security Center, re-open security center and re-enable auto updates. Most of the time this will fix the tray icon appearing problem.

 

I'm not sure what the update settings are and I don't know how to find them but I think it's set as automatic because the yellow shield used to come up and say the updates are ready for my computer but instead it disappears but i want the icon to stay instead of disappearing.

I'm using Windows XP

 

If I go there by going to Start Menu-Programs-Windows Update, would the yellow shield still appear next time when there's an update if I install it that way? I still want it to show whenever theres an update so I know.
Or If I go to Windows update by going to control panel and then Windows update on the left side, would it affect anything that way?

 

Right-click My Computer > Properties > select Automatic Updates tab

philby

 

No, but if the update requires a reboot the tray icon will appear briefly in the sys tray whilst desktop is loading up

If you want it to show if there's an update, go to Control Panel>Security Center>Automatic Updates and set it to "Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them". Before doing that, I would select "Turn off Automatic Updates" and allow the red warning shield icon to appear in the systray and then select "Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them" which can fix the icon problem.

 

Would the yellow shield still appear next time when there's an update even if I install the new updates by going to control panel>windows updates and update it from there if it's already set as "Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them"? But i cannot find where it says download updates for me but let me choose when to install them. It just says "On" next to automatic updates in security center.

Also, I'm currently afraid of scanning on avast antivirus..if they detect FP and after moving the detected files to the virus chest, would the yellow shield stop appearing when i turn on my computer if I do that?

 

I've enclosed a picture of how to find that. The picture is XP, but I don't imagine Vistas' will be much different.
After you select where I've written "click here" (with the red rectangle) the window at the foreground of the picture will open. Make the selection you want where I've indicated in bold type.

Once they are downloaded and installed, there should be no yellow shield, whether you go to MSdonwnload to get them, or install them via the internal updater.

If you select one of the two options I have indicated in the picture, the yellow shield will appear each time updates are available, for you to then action. It will disappear when updates are complete. (NB some updates require a restart.)

Depends on what is incorrectly flagged; that is, what the FP actually is. It's unlikely. But if I remember correctly you've had one episode with FP's that was a bit of a problem. Which is why any detection is worth investigating properly before quarantining or deleting.
"Google" the name, (the file name and the detection name), ask here, or ask at the Avast forum.

 

how come i should choose "notify me but dont automatically download or install them" instead of "download updates for me but let me choose when to install them"? i thought i was supposed to choose that one. so the first step is going to control panel and then click where it says security center in order to get your screen shot? and then what are the steps in order to get those that's on the screen shot? And should i do that before going to control panel > windows updates or after? or would that way install the new updates thats on the screen shot? I'm confused.

And I've had FP and since that I been afraid to scan. Is it still ok and would be safe to keep those FP files in virus chest just for incase? Even if those files are still in the virus chest, would it be ok to scan and won't going to affect anything? So when they detect a file, I shouldn't click move to chest? Keep that virus detected pop up on the screen and go to virustotal.com and put the name of the file or something?

 

He said choose one of the two. If you choose "Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them." it just means you see the yellow shield as updates are downloaded and until you decide to install themand that sounds like what you want.

Simply do as Philby suggested above to acess these options: right-click "My Computer", select "properties", and select the "Automatic Updates" tab.

You can acess it either way, Philby's or Tarq57's.

 

The above is correct. Windows gives you so many choices! (It's possibly part of the reason some users prefer other OS.)

Choosing "notify me but don't automatically download and install them" is appropriate if you are bandwidth limited (say, on dial up, or with quite a low cap to your monthly allowance) and there are updates you know from past experience that you may not want to install.
Choosing "download updates but let me choose when to install them" is appropriate when you know you are likely to want to install most or all updates offered, but you want control over when your computer is partly tied up with the installation and restart procedure. (You should always be prompted for restart, rather than just having it happen with no warning, but I don't know for sure about that.)
And choosing the last option, automatic, it will all just happen in the background, and if you see the yellow shield, it's just briefly, and of little consequence (as has been happening for you, and you don't seem to like it.)

(Do you mind if I ask why you don't like it? It's after all the crux of the thread.)

So I would suggest that second option is more likely to be appropriate for you.

 

I do like the yellow shield..the part that I don't like is because it disappears. I want the yellow shield to stay until I have the new update installed.

 

If it isn't a FP that they detect and if it's an infection, do you think it shouldn't affect anything and the yellow shield should still appear when there's new update?

 

Go ahead and change to the suggested setting, then.
Be advised, though, that at times during the installation process, the shield will disappear.
You'll see what I mean next patch Tuesday. It's no biggie.