Ok, I just updated some other stuff that came in and I saw a flashing on my computer that says errors occurred. Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile for Windows XP x86 (KB982670) There is a red x with a ? mark next to it. Monday, May 21, 2012 Microsoft Update Here is the other one. Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 4 on XP, Server 2003, Vista, Windows 7, Server 2008 x86 (KB2604121) Same red x with ? next to it. Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Automatic Updates Can I go back and try to re-download them again? I don't notice any problems with my computer but I was wondering if I could try it again to see if they succeed. What do you think and how would I go about doing that? Even if I can figure out how to do that, I am waiting for a response from you all before I make a mistake and goof up my computer. Thanks all responses are greatly appreciated. thirdfrt!!!

I use linux also my fave distro is Mepis (dual boot with Ubuntu) but with any MS OS comes IE and with IE comes the patches so as long as it is MS OS it will have IE and therefore needs the patches. Does not really matter if we use firefox and thunderbird as I also do since IE is part of the OS. I too love linux.

FWIW, after I finally got (and successfully installed) my updates for my Windows 7 computer on Thursday, I decided to do the updates for my aunt's computer (HP laptop with XP SP3). I set auto-updates to "notify, but don't install" and it took nearly half an hour for the scan to tell me what updates were needed. And when it was over, it was quite a list of updates to choose from ! But since it took so long for the scan to take place I decided simply to have the updates installed in one big gulp, rather than breaking it up into smaller chunks. (I didn't want to have to go through the whole scan process again.) Well, it turns out that there was a total of...... thirty...two.... updates... installed -- and successfully at that !! :-) Just thought I'd mention this in case anyone gets nervous about installing 8 or 10 updates at once. Apparently, large quantity updates can be done ! Scott (no longer biting my nails....)

MS.Net Framework Assistant seems to have been installed with other MS updates over a year ago, August 2008 in fact. Did it cause anyone grief in the last 14 months? Who knows? Now Firefox has created a blocking warning so there seems little point in trying to remove it. Plus if it is removed and one seeks further updates and patches from MS as we must do it will simply re-install the thing again surely. All programs written by the major players in the computer world today have control of our machines whether we like it or not. Check your start items and they will be listed and running despite the fact it is unnecessary in many cases but these companies (HP, MS, Apple, all printer makers, and many more) are important in their own minds and have a need to rule where ever and when ever possible. Remember the Lexmark fiasco (probably 4 or 5 years ago now) where they included a rootkit along with the software for all their printers so they could track what ever they felt they needed to track? Remember the one way firewall only stopping incoming traffic so all the programmers installed phone home spies to report back on your internet forays? This at a time when 'high speed' certainly was not high speed and they slowed internet access to all our computers. Surely now Firefox is blocking this it becomes a non issue?