An error occurs while trying to enable Automatic Updates using the Windows Security Center applet

Copyright © 2008 Ramesh Srinivasan
Error messages , Scripts

Symptoms

When you click the Turn on Automatic Updates button in the Windows Security center applet, the following error message may appear:

We're sorry. The Security Center could not change your Automatic Updates settings. To try changing the settings yourself, go to System in Control Panel. On the Automatic Updates tab, select Automatic (recommended), and then click OK.

Cause

This happens if one of the following services are not started:

Automatic Updates
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)

Another possibility is that the Automatic Update Policies might be enabled.

Resolution

Download the vbscript available at the bottom of this page and save to Desktop. Double-click to run the file. The script enables both the above services, and removes the Automatic Update restrictions automatically.

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