Add or Remove Programs Filter in Server 2003 SP1

What does the filter for Add or Remove Programs do?
Thefilter for Add or Remove Programs provides a means for the user to select whether or not updates, such as security
updates downloaded from the Microsoft Web site,are displayed under the Currently installed programs list.
Who does this feature apply to?
Add or Remove Programs can be used by any user with Administrator credentials on thelocal computer. Although some
applications can beinstalled or removed by non-administrators, most do requireadministrativecredentials.
What existing functionality is changing in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1?
Filtering out updates from the Change or Remove Programs list
Detailed description
The Change or Remove Programs list in Add or Remove Programs displays installed programs that the user can change or
remove.This listalso shows updates to Windows or other programs that have been installed.
In Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, the user is ableto choose whether to show or hide updates for Windows and other
programs in this view. A new Show updates check boxappears abovethelist, which enables the user to toggle between
showing or hiding installed updates.
Why is this change important?
Softwarevendors arecreating moresoftware updates and releasing them morefrequently than ever before.Thesefrequent
updates help to increasethereliability and security of user’s systems. However, by showing every updatein the Change or
Remove Programs list in Add or Remove Programs, thelist of installed programs is overwhelmed by thelist of installed
updates. A new option to filter out the updates from thelistand only show installed programs makes this listeasier for users
to read.
What works differently?
By default, Change or Remove Programs will not show installed updates to Windows.To seethe updates that have been
installed,you can select the Show Updates check boxat thetop of thelist.
Any program can takeadvantage of this feature by marking their updates so that they are hidden when appropriate.Windows
programs that were written beforetherelease of Windows XP Service Pack 2 will beshown regardless of thefilter option
selection.Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 will also always beshown in thelist
How do I resolve these issues?
To turn off thefilter feature on a singlecomputer, usethefollowing procedure.
To turn off filter for Add or Remove Programs
1. Open the Registry Editor by clicking Start, then clicking Run, typing regedit,and pressing Enter.
2. Navigateto thefollowing registry key: \\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
\Uninstall
3. Select the DontGroupPatches key.
4. By default, the DWORD valueis equal to 0. Changethe DWORD valueto 1 to disablethefilter feature.
Caution
Incorrectly editing theregistry may severely damageyour system. Before making changes to theregistry,you should back
up any valued data on thecomputer.
In an enterpriseenvironment,you can createa Group Policy object to modify theregistry setting that controls thefilter feature
to make Add or Remove Programs work as it did previously.
What settings are added or changed in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1?
Filter for Add or Removed Programs Settings
Setting Name Location Previous Default Value Default Value Possible Values
DontGroupPatches HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\
Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\
Policies\Uninstall
N/A REG_DWORD:0 REG_DWORD:1
Do I need to change my code to work with Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1?
Programs do not need to changein order to continueto work with thefilter for Add or Remove Programs. If a program is
not changed to usethe new feature, it will continue working as it did previously.
A program can takeadvantage of the new filtering option by marking its updates so that they are not shown by default. Details
on how to mark programs as updates areavailable on MSDN in “Working with Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel
Application” which is located on the Microsoft Web siteat http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=35318