How to remove Windows updates

14th January 2008, 10:38 pm

Question:

Since I downloaded some recent Microsoft updates, my computer is very jerky - the mouse is a bit challenging, the way internet sites download is slow and kind of weird.

I initially thought that perhaps I had a virus (nope), too many temporary files (all cleared out and still nope), the mouse needed new batteries (optical, and nope), needed to be defragged (nope), etc. I’ve done what I know how to do, and am now at a loss to figure out what might make things work more smoothly.

Any thoughts you might have would be really helpful!

Answer:

0) Before doing anything else, have you rebooted? Do the problems still occur?

1) Can you be more specific about the way the mouse is behaving?

2) “The way Internet sites download is slow and kind of weird”… Can you be more specific? Are they downloading slower than before?

3) Any other symptoms besides the mouse and Internet sites?

4) How old is your PC?

5) What version of Windows are you running?

6) What antivirus software do you use?

Response:

Thank you for your fast response! See my answers below. I also checked to see what recent automatic updates I’d received from Microsoft, which I suspect could be part of the problem, and they are as follows:

MSXML 6.0 Parser

MSXML 4.0 SP2 Parser SDK

MSXML 4.0 SP2 (two versions - KB936181 and KB927978)

0) Yes and yes, several times

1) It’s jerky - like it’s a bit out of control

2) Slower than before, and it’s as if the site is downloading in slices. It’s particularly noticeable if you play a video or streaming media - jerky, like it’s coming slices.

3) Nope

4) Just a year

5) XP

6) Panda 2008, but this didn’t start until well after I’d installed that. Like I said, it started after the most recent Microsoft updates.

Answer:

Well, the timing is interesting. If you noticed the problems only after installing the updates, I’d remove the updates and see if that fixes things. To remove Windows updates, there are two ways to do this:

1) Add / Remove Programs: Use the Add / Remove Programs tool in the Control Panel to remove the updates. Open it, and make sure the “Show Updates” box is checked (it’s located in the upper right of the tool). Scan through the list and see if you can find the updates you’ve mentioned below. Remove them if you see them. Reboot and see if you still have the problem. If you don’t find the updates listed here, you’ll have to use the second option below.

2) In your Windows XP Start Menu, go to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. The System Restore tool will start. Use that to restore your PC to a previous date - you should be able to select to restore to a time before those updates were installed. The tool will allow you to pick from certain times you can restore to. Pick the date and time that’s just before you installed the updates. Click for more information on the System Restore tool.

If neither of these fix the issue or remove the updates, then the problem is not something I can easily troubleshoot over email. There may be anything from hardware problems to network problems to CPU and process problems. To continue the troubleshooting, you’d be best off showing your PC to a local computer geek.

If removing the Windows updates fixes your problem, then we at least know the cause. If you’re really ambitious, you can reinstall those same updates one at a time to determine which one is causing the problem. At that point you can simply not install it, or keep an eye out for an update to the update!

Response:

I’ve fixed it! I uninstalled several of the service pack updates and the problem is gone. I have to say that I’m not surprised since I’ve been through this before. Too bad they can’t work out the bugs before they send them!

Thanks for all your help!

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How to remove Windows updates

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