[paullyboy]

Annoying AOL 'Critical Update' popup keeps re-appearing/re-generating on the desktop. Automatic Updates is set 'off', so it's apparently coming from the registry at startup. Removing the notice from AOL Notification Update History in taskbar does nothing. It simply re-generates and reappears every 2nd or 3rd logon.

I found the anotify.exe application at 2 AOL locations and in the registry. Wondering if it is the culprit, and if it is critical or can be safely deleted? Frustrating. Thanks in advance.

Best, Paul

[DigeratiPrime]

Automatic Updates is a Windows XP system service and has nothing to do with AOL.

Try removing the autostart entries with Sysinternals Autoruns (freeware)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb963902.aspx

Why are you using AOL?

[paullyboy]

DigeratiPrime, on Jan 30 2009, 12:42 AM, said:

Automatic Updates is a Windows XP system service and has nothing to do with AOL.

Try removing the autostart entries with Sysinternals Autoruns (freeware)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb963902.aspx

Why are you using AOL?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thanks for the reply. Last things first. Still with AOL for 2 reasons: Finance is a free software that allows me to track investments quickly in real time. It's about the only worthwhile non-email related thing in AOL. Also, I'm moving over to Gmail, and have to make about a gazillion notifications of change of e-address. No other reasons really.

I've been thru the autostart menu with CCleaner, AVG and msconfig(not to mention the registry), and can't find a specific application for the problem. AOL (AOL quickstart) is a single startup entry, and disabling it just for the 'update' problem is not worth the risk of screwing up AOL(yet again).

Will Sysinternals Autoruns auto-remove the entire startup menu, or is it basically the same thing as CCleaner (a user list)? Thanks.

NEVER MIND. I downloaded/ran the above program. What a great and thorough item!! Unfortunately it looks like that 'update' popup might be part of the AOL source code or cryptically attached somewhere in the Registry where I'll never find it. Oh well...

Best, Paul

This post has been edited by paullyboy: 30 January 2009 - 10:37 AM