What is the point of Windows updates for software that is not installed?

[ungua]

I run a Dell XPS M1530, the crappiest machine I have ever owned. Among other things, I have recently received my second new harddisk and a new motherboard. Now I am setting up Windows XP again, since this is the OS that I experience to work best over time (based on five years of OpenSuSe, a couple of months Ubuntu and Vista, in addition to growing up with the whole Windows-family).

I wonder: Why would I get an offer of accumulated and just common "security updates" for Internet Explorer 6, when the first thing I do is to remove the thing? I do not have Iexplore, Outlook or whatever, but the updates window keeps popping up. Can I adjust that?

Thank you in advance!
Ungua, with XP Pro SP3

 

[gbhall]

It seems there is really no effective way of convincing Windows that there is no IE of any sort on a PC. What you can do is not allow updates to install automatically, just download automatically. Then when the pop-up happens for permission to install, you uncheck the IE updates, and also mark them 'do not offer these updates again'. Personally, I go further, and just require Windows to tell me if updates are available. I then uncheck those I dont even want to download, also saying don't offer again. And it works.

 

[Broni]

Internet Explorer is a part of Windows, so I'm very curious how you were able to remove it.
How do you go about downloading and installing Windows updates since you "removed" IE?

 

[ungua]

@gbhall, that's exactly what I do, and that is also why I am somewhat annoyed that I do not want to be told about those updates ever again, several times.
@broni, control panel => add or remove software => windows components.

Best regards
ungua