I have just reformatted my PC after a faulty install of SP3 destroyed enough registry items to make it unworkable. It is an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ and the operating system is Windows XP Home Edition SP2. After the Repair I switched off Automatic Updates while I made sure everything was working as it should. I have left the IE6 default player alone without updating to IE7 as I may later want to attempt to install SP3 again and it will save me having to uninstall it. My main browser is Mozilla Firefox which is also set as the default browser as I only use IE for updates.
When I was sure that my PC was in good order and all Programs, security, Firewall, AV etc was operating correctly I clicked on the Windows Updates shortcut in Start / All Programs. It was very slow to load but after downloading an Active X control and an update to the version of Updates installed I eventually got to the Automatic Update page where I clicked on the "Custom" link. It scanned my PC and the updates of Windows Installer and SP3. I unticked the box for SP3 and installed the Windows Installer 3.1 offered. After install and reboot I returned to Windows Update via the shortcut and clicked on Custom again. It found 101 updates and I again installed them and rebooted my PC. On reboot I again went back to Windows Update but now a minimised IE page appears on my desktop and Firefox opens with the following screen. I checked and if I click on the shortcut to IE6 it opens in IE6 but when I go to the windows updates shortcut I get the following. Can any one tell me how I can stop Firefox from starting and let IE do it?.
Thank you for your interest in obtaining updates from our site.
To use this site, you must be running Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later.
To upgrade to the latest version of the browser, go to the Internet Explorer Downloads website.
If you prefer to use a different web browser, you can obtain updates from the Microsoft Download Center or you can stay up to date with the latest critical and security updates by using Automatic Updates. To turn on Automatic Updates:
1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Depending on which Control Panel view you use, Classic or Category, do one of the following:
* Click System, and then click the Automatic Updates tab.
* Click Performance and Maintenance, click System, and then click the Automatic Updates tab.
3. Click the option that you want. Make sure Automatic Updates is not turned off.