1st Don't install it. Second hit Ctrl-alt-del and delete something like wupdat from the list every time you boot. lastly - edit the registry to disable it permanently. Check winguides.com for more registry info.

The previous answer says "don't install it"... Windows Update is always installed with Windows XP because it's part of it; you can't remove it. I am assuming that this question is really asking "how do I turn off automatic Windows Updates in Windows XP?". That's very easy to do, and it doesn't require ending any processes every time your computer boots up or editing the registry. Simply right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop, click Properties, click the Automatic Updates tab, then uncheck the box at the top. Click OK to save your changes. You can even go a step further and disable the Windows Update service: click Start, click Setttings, click Control Panel, double-click on Administrative Tools, double-click on Services, right-click on the Automatic Updates service, click Properties, set the Startup Type to "Disabled", then click OK to save your changes. You won't be bothered by automatic Windows Updates anymore, but you still need to make sure that you periodically go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and download the latest critical updates for your system. Did you know that the Blaster worm incident back in August 2003 could have been prevented if people had kept their Windows 2000/XP PCs up-to-date and downloaded the fix for the security hole that the worm exploited? Along with the latest Windows Updates for your system, you should also download the latest updates for your antivirus program and software firewall (hopefully you have those things, they're necessary to keep your system secure) on a regular basis. Every week or two is my personal rule.

To Disable Windows Update (WindowsXP) Right click on MyComputer, click on Properties, then go to automatic updates then click on Turn off Automatic Updates Then Hit Apply.

To use Microsoft Update instead of Windows Update, follow these steps: 1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate (http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate) 2. Click Start Now. 3. On the Review the license agreement page, click Continue. 4. Click Install. Note You may not be prompted to install the Microsoft Update software if this software is already available on the computer. After you successfully install the software, a Microsoft Update shortcut is added to the All Programs menu on the Start menu. Hope it helps you.

The default setting in Windows XP is to have XP scan for updates automatically. If you follow a specific routine for your updates or if your connection doesn’t effectively support having this feature run automatically, disable it as follows: [Control Panel] [Performance and Maintenance] [System] select [Automatic Updates]