Software Distribution Service 3.0 (KB943460)

I am having problems with my internet freezing and unexpected closing
browsers for the last week after installing the Software Distribution Service
3.0 (KB943460). I tried doing system restore and it says it is unable to
restore because no changes to my computer have been made.

As far as I can tell, Software Distribution Service 3.0 was first installed
by Window Update on my PC (Windows XP) on January 1, 2008. The only problem
I have is that Window Update continues to install it every time I log off
Windows, which leads me to believe that SDS 3.0 is not installed on my
machine. If this update is important to the operation of my machine, how can
I get it installed?

My problem has been solved. After I posted to this thread last night, I went
into Windows update and found where I could email my problem to Microsoft
Windows Update Support and this mornining, I had an email back from them with
detailed instructions to remedy the problem. It took me about 20 minutes to
fix the problem. I highly recommend anyone having a problem with Software
Distribution Service 3.0 to contact Microsoft.

Please, please, tell me the 20-minute solution! I have spent 90 minutes talking to MSN's paid-for support service, with no success. They even suggested deleting and reloading Windows XP and IE6, both of which came preloaded when I bought my computer. When I pointed this out and said I didn't have the discs to reload, MSN told me to complain to the manufacturer or the retailer I bought from four years ago. They don't seem to accep it could be SDS 3.0 at fault

Why did you contact (let alone pay for) MSN Support about your problem? In
fact, what is your problem? Please see this page then post back to this thread with the information we'd need to be able to assist you properly.

What exactly is the problem? Tell us what your problem is and somebody
will try to help you here for free!!

Hi Alex:
The instruction Microsoft Windows Update Support E-mailed me were 2 pages in
length at no cost to me. Folowing are the steps I used to find the page to
write my support request.

Click on "Start"
"All Programs"
"Windows Update"
"Get Help and Support"
"Send a Problem Report"
On the bottom, click "Contact a Support Professional by
E-mail"
Click on "Start E-mail Request"

Describe your problem.
In the process, Microsoft asks for permission to extract info from your
computer in order to determine a solution.

Hi there! It would be really useful if you could cut and paste the solution. Like many others out there, I am having this problem and the only way I can email MS support is by first paying $60. Which is obsene concsidering it is their error I am trying to fix!

Thanks - Nancy

OK, cancel that - I've found out how to get the free email-support.

The KB article associated with the update details this issue.

How do you get the fix from Zone Alarm?

Easy solution for everyone. Uninstall it and dont allow Microsoft to install
updates again without permission:

Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > make sure show updates is ticked
and sort by date you will find the offending "fix" which is causing everybody
these problems - unistall it.

Then don't allow microsoft access to intall without permission in Security
Settings tab select to notify before installing updates.

Final step. Wait for Microsoft to fix this annoying problem and release yet
another fix to fix the fix before allowing any more of their updates. Visit
the Microsoft website to decide what if any updates to install.

It stopped my internet from connecting and then kindly deleted my previous
restore points this "fix/update" - Many people would call it otherwise if it
was from another software company and installed without permission as it did
on my PC. My PC was previously set to only install updates if i allow so I am
very dubious about this "update" added to the fact it also seems to remove
the system restore points in some cases.

Seems the problem is commonplace with XP and with computers using Zonealarm
Firewall as i was notified by them that there was a problem.

Thanks Zone Alarm.

Well done Microsoft for releasing such good software and having no
information or admission regards this cock up on your own website.

Not so. I've just spent an hour trying to get software distribution service (kb943460) off my friends computer. He's running xp service pack 2 and has never heard of zone alarm. I discontinued automatic updates, but can't get rid of what already on there. Every system restore all the way back to October has got that d!@# software distribution service on it and the system restore WILL NOT restore.

i've got this problem , the update presents as an outlook security update and doesn't install, etc.
but i don't have zone alarm, i've kaspersky is 2009 !
What's the 20 mins solution?
Pleaaaaaase!

I've just encountered this problem. After an automatic update by
Microsoft, I can no longer connect to the Internet. The usual startup
address appears briefly in a Window, then disappears without anything
happening.

Firstly, the problem seems to go back many years (see various threads
concerning Software Distribution Service 2.0). It seems that Microsoft
have a solution, yet they have never made it public. When I try to
contact them by email, it transpires that they want to charge me 46
pounds for fixing their own bug. Well, I wasn't born yesterday ...

Secondly, it would be a public service if the person who claims to have
received a satisfactory solution from Microsoft were to post it in full
here so that everyone can benefit from it.

I have attempted to fix this pestilential problem by uninstalling the
whole Service Pack 3 and de-activating the automatic Microsoft updates,
but only time will tell if this works - I understand that even without
your permission, Microsoft can creep into your computer in the small
hours of the morning and infect it with what can only be described as
"malware".

Finally, would the person who keeps insisting that this is not a
Microsoft problem please desist? I've never even heard of the software
that he claims is responsable, let alone have it installed. No, this is
yet another case of a known problem that Micros**t refuse to fix.

Nonsense.

Start a free Windows Update support incident request:
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/de...spx?gprid=6527

For home users, NO-CHARGE (!!!) support is available by calling
1-866-PCSAFETY in the United States and in Canada or by contacting your
local Microsoft subsidiary. There is no-charge for support calls that are
associated with security updates. When you call, clearly state that your
problem is related to a Security Update and cite the update's KB number
(e.g., KB999999).

If your problem relates to a Cumulative Security Update for IE, call the
above number and ask to be transferred to the "Consumer IE queue" (which is
47830).

Support for Windows Update:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/wusupport

For more information about how to contact your local Microsoft subsidiary
for security update support issues, visit the International Support Web
site: http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx

For enterprise customers, support for security updates is available through
your usual support contacts.

PS: To avoid confusion, always begin a new thread about your specific
problems. State your IE version and full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3;
Vista SP2) in your first post.

Well, Mr PA Bear, "Nonsense" is an extremely impolite way to respond t
someone posting here for the first time.

If my belief that Microsoft have never made public a solution to thi
problem is nonsense, then why don't you simply provide a link to th
published solution?

As to the question of free technical support by telephone, I live i
France, and don't want to have to try to discuss technical problems i
French with my "local Microsoft subsidiary". I repeat that when
followed the procedure for contacting Microsoft by email, there was
substantial charge involved. Thank you for providing the link tha
apparently leads to free email support, although it is not clear to m
how to get there by the normal route.

In the meantime, it seems that uninstalling SDS 3.0 and de-activatin
automatic Microsoft updates has worked, at least for the moment. Since
have already wasted far too much time on a problem that (since it ha
beeen known to Microsoft for many years) I should never have had in th
first place, my next step will be to replace Internet Explorer with som
other browser that is less destructive.

P.S. I don't understand why I should have started a new thread, sinc
this one is exactly on the topic of the problem I encountered.

Because that's how it works here.

PS: To keep track of things, it helps immensely if you quote all of the
previous message(s) in your replies to the newsgroup, too.