xlsior I have a better idea. Automatic Updates options are greyed out if, and this is just one example, au options are set in group/local policies. Or, or a network with WinServer dishing out group policies...
No group policy that prohibit them is in place -- the vast majority of other workstations loggin in to the same domain have no problems running the updates automatically.
Just don't update XP, except the vital patches. I've never had a problem :o) SP1 and 2 just don't seem appealing to me. Don't fix, what ain't broke.
...Except MS now has a minimum requirement of SP1 to run any security updates on XP, critical or otherwise. If you didn't install any servicepacks, you aren't getting any updates.
(And there are tons -- I just did an XP install, applied SP2, and Windows Update served another 39 critical updates after that.)