How to turn off the Windows Update feature in Windows XP

This article explains how to turn off the Windows Update feature in Microsoft Windows XP.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To turn off the Windows Update feature, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
3. Right-click Image File Execution Options, point to New, and then click Key.
4. Type wupdmgr.exe to name the new subkey.
5. Right-click wupdmgr.exe, point to New, and then click String Value.
6. Type Debugger to name the new string value.
7. Double-click Debugger, type ntsd -- in the Value date box, and then click OK.
8. Quit Registry Editor.

After you follow these steps, you cannot click Windows Update in the Start menu or use the wupdmgr command to start Windows Update. However, you can still update Windows by visiting the following Microsoft Web site: