Group Policy Does Not Disable All Windows Update Components

If the Group Policy setting that disables Windows Update functionality is enabled, the Windows Update link is removed from the Start menu, but Device Manager and Printer wizards still provide access to the Microsoft Windows Update Web site.

This problem can occur because the Device Manager and Printer wizards components do not abide by the Group Policy setting that is available to an administrator to disable Windows Update.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.

For additional information about how to install Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 hotfixes at the same time, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The following procedure describes how to enable the policy setting that disables Windows Update functionality:

1. Click Start, click Run, type mmc, and then press ENTER to create a new Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
2. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
3. Click Add, double-click the Group Policy item, click Finish, click Close, and then click OK.
4. Expand the "Local Computer Policy," and then double-click the following items:
   • User Configuration
   • Administrative Templates
   • Control Panel
   • Add/Remove Programs
5. Double-click Hide the "Add programs from Microsoft".
6. Click Enabled, and then click OK.
7. Double-click the following items:
   • User Configuration
   • Administrative Templates
   • Start Menu & Taskbar
8. Double-click Disable and remove links to Windows Update Properties.
9. Click Enabled, and then click OK.
10. Close the MMC window. Note that this automatically saves changed settings.