Instructions To Stop An Auto Update In Windows XP

The Windows operating systems include a tool to update the operating system automatically. This feature was included from the Windows 98 version of the OS. By default, this updates tool searches and downloads the latest updates from the Microsoft server. This feature of the Windows OS makes sure that you receive the latest security patches and other updates to ensure that your computer is safeguarded against viruses and malwares. This also helps to improve the performance of your PC.

Instructions on using the Auto Updates feature are provided in the Microsoft support web site. Instructing the Windows OS to let you know of the available updates without installing them automatically allows you to have a control over the Automatic Updates and helps you to prevent interruptions and distractions. The steps to turn off the Automatic Update feature are discussed in this article. You may also refer the Windows XP help module to know further.

To Stop An Update

• Go to the notification area in the task. You will be able to locate the Windows Automatic Update icon here. Click on this icon while the update is in process.
• You will be able to see a Pause button. Click on this button. This will pause the installation of that particular update.
• Click on the icon again when you are ready to continue with the installation of the update. Select the Resume button to continue with the update.

To Turn Off Automatic Updates

• Click on the Start button on the bottom left corner of the desktop window. From the Start menu, select Run.
• In the Run window, type sysdm.cpl and press the Enter button.
• From the window that opens, click on the Automatic Updates tab and from the available options, select Turn Off Automatic Updates. After doing the above steps, click on the OK button to save the changes that you have made.

This will turn off the Automatic Updates feature of your computer. You may follow the steps again to turn on the feature if you wish to do so later. If you are not clear with any of the steps discussed above, you can always contact the Windows XP help and support team. The technician will guide you through the process of turning off the Automatic Updates feature. He can also take the remote access of your computer and do the steps for you.

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Boost Your System Performance By Optimizing Virtual Memory

Whenever your system runs out of memory, there will be a drag in its performance. In such a situation, you can allocate some extra space that can be used as temporary system memory.

This temporary space that you allocate can be termed as virtual memory. Virtual memory is a feature of an operating system that enables a process to use a memory (RAM) address space that is independent of other processes running in the same system, and use a space that is larger than the actual amount of RAM present, temporarily relegating some contents from the RAM to a disk, with little or no overhead.

All your processed data initially gets stored in the RAM for easy access.  But what if your Random access memory is full or is insufficient? This is when the Virtual Memory tool comes handy. Allocate some amount of space from your hard disk drive manually to optimize the virtual memory usage in Windows XP. The following Windows XP helpguidelines will let you optimize your computer performance by increasing the virtual memory space.

 Instructions

• Go to the Start menu and click on the Run command.
• Type in sysdm.cpl into the Search type field. Press OK or hit the Enter key. This will open up the System Properties window.
• Now launch the Control Panel window from the Start menu. Switch the Control Panel view to the grid view by clicking on the Switch to classic view icon. You will find this icon on the top left corner of your Control Panel window.
• Locate the icon System and double-click to open it.
• This will open the System Properties window. Now click on the Advanced tab and further click on Settings button under the Performance section. You will now get the Performance Options window. Click on the Advanced tab and press the Change button in the Virtual Memory area.
• Custom set the virtual memory settings in the disk drive. Choose the option Custom Size and set the amount of memory (virtual memory space) in megabyte figures in the space next to Initial Size and Maximum Size.
• Click on the Set button to let the changes take effect and press OK to exit the window. 

Try the above settings and fix your XP issues. For more assistance, feel free to contact our Windows XP help team.

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