Windows XP Updates Not Loaded

[The Fulwell]

My PC has been trying to install 5 Windows XP security updates for a few weeks but has failed everytime (after the initial few failures, it tried to install them on shut down).

I've 'Googled' the problem but haven't found a cure - I've disabled the automatic updates for the time being as the problem seemed to be slowing down my internet browsing.

It might be linked with another problem - I recently bought a new mobile phone and downloaded the PC Suite for it. The drivers installed no problem on my daughter's laptop and my old PC, but no joy on my main PC. I kept getting a message to the effect that the drivers had been unsuccessfully installed so your hardware might not work. Now it says it cannot find the necessary drivers and doesn't give me the usual option to install them using the internet.

I regularly run full scans on Adaware and McAfee antivirus gear, and run Crapcleaner most days but that hasn't fettled the problem.

Any ideas on how to sort this out would be much appreciated, apart from formatting the fucker as that would be a last resort

I'll be out for the next couple of hours, so I'll not be able to respond to any questions that you may need to ask.

Cheers in advance.

[DonkeyScabs]

I have had similar problems. Auto update wants to apply fixes for MS Office, but won't do it successfully. I've tried everything documented on the web. Now I just ignore the prompt. XP updates are no longer sent out AFAIK now.