How to manage the Currently installed programs list in Windows XP Service Pack 2 and in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (884786)

MORE INFORMATION

Description of the Show updates filter feature

Software program vendors can list their program updates in the Currently installed programs list. With Microsoft Windows XP SP2, the Currently installed programs feature can list your currently installed programs plus any program updates that you have installed. To see this list, click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP SP2.

If you install program updates on your computer, and all the updates and installed programs are listed together in the Currently installed programs list, the list can become very crowded. With the Show updates filter feature, you can easily manage the Currently installed programs list.

Note By default, the Show updates filter feature is turned off in Windows XP SP2.

back to top

How to show program updates

If you want to show the program updates that are installed on your computer when you view your currently installed programs, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK.
2. In Change or Remove Programs, click to select the Show updates check box.

back to top

How to hide program updates

If you want to hide the program updates that are installed on your computer when you view your currently installed programs, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK.
2. In Change or Remove Programs, click to clear the Show updates check box.

back to top

How to remove the Show updates filter feature

If you want the Add or Remove Programs feature to function as it did in earlier versions of Windows XP, and you want to remove the check box for the Show updates filter feature, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Remove the Show updates filter feature on a single computer

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

3. With the Policies key selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.
4. Type Uninstall, and then press ENTER.
5. With the Uninstall key selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.
6. Type DontGroupPatches, and then press ENTER.
7. With DontGroupPatches selected, click Modify on the Edit menu.
8. In the Value data text box, type 1, and then click OK.
   
   Note The default value for the DontGroupPatches DWORD value is 0 (zero).

back to top

Method 2: Remove the Show updates filter feature in an enterprise environment

If you are a network administrator in an enterprise environment, you can create a Group Policy object to modify the registry setting for the Show updates filter feature.

back to top