Thankfully, Microsoft have made it much easier to disable Automatic Updates on a computer running Windows XP. Follow these simple steps, and you shall no longer be nagged to Do The Right Thing.
- Log in under a Computer Administrator account.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Open the System applet.*
- Select the 'Automatic Updates' tab.
- Under 'Notification Settings', select "Turn off automatic updating. I want to update my computer manually."
- Click OK.
Windows Update will no longer pester you to update your computer. It is, of course, a very good idea to ensure you do update regularly, in order to avoid the nasty little exploits that worm authors love.
* Alternatively, right-click upon My Computer and select Properties. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, do as wertperch suggests, and press your Windows key+Pause/Break.