University Computer Help Desk

Before You Begin

If you are unable to change the settings for Windows Automatic Updates because they are grayed out, the most likely cause is that the setting was changed by another application.

At Illinois State University, the two most common causes are:

• Cisco NAC agent, which is used by computers on ResNet
• Active Directory group policies, which affect university-owned computers

To be able to change the settings for Windows Automatic Updates, you must delete a few specific registry keys from your computer.

Cisco NAC Agent on ResNet

When you register for ResNet, the high-speed Internet service available in the residence halls, the Cisco NAC agent is installed. Cisco NAC checks your computer to make sure it's up-to-date and also automatically configures Windows Automatic Updates. On some computers, this has the effect of graying out the Windows Automatic Update options so they cannot be changed.

Active Directory Group Policies

If you have an university-owned computer in a campus office that has its Automatic Updates options grayed out, it is probably because of an Active Directory group policy. If you need to change your Automatic Updates settings on an office computer and need assistance, please contact your department's local technical support staff.

Allow Changes to Windows Automatic Updates

To be able to change the settings for Windows Automatic Updates, you must delete specific registry keys from your computer.

Important!
Editing the registry is a potentially dangerous task. Before making changes to the registry, make sure you know what you are doing. If you make a wrong change to your registry, you can prevent your computer or device from functioning. You should always make a backup before making changes to the registry. See 1115: Backing up and restoring registry keys in Windows.

Important!
Before you make any changes to a university-owned computer, please contact your department's technical support staff. The changes below should only be made to a personally-owned computer, such as a student computer on ResNet.

To remove the registry keys to allow the Windows Automatic Updates to be altered, do the following:

1. Do one of the following,
   
   • For Windows XP, click Start > Run.  Type regedit and press Enter.
   • For Windows Vista/7, click Start and type regedit in the Search Programs and Files field. Then right-click on regedit in the programs list and select Run as Administrator.
2. Within the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU.
3. On the right side of the window, locate AUOptions and NoAutoUpdate. Delete both of these registry keys.
4. Navigate to to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\WindowsUpdate
5. On the right side of the window, locate DisableWindowsUpdateAccess and delete it. 
6. Close the Registry Editor.
7. Restart your computer. 

You can now edit your Windows Automatic Updates settings.