Removing Items from Apple Software Update

A challenge of Apple Software Update is that it attempts to install Updates and New Software that may not wanted by the end user or company. The following are instructions on a way to remove items from the list.

This article applies to Apple Software Update 2.1.3 for Windows, but may apply to other versions.

When Apple Software Update is executed, a window similar to the one below is shown.

Ignoring Update Manually

1. Open Apple Software Update
2. Select the Update or New Software item(s)
3. Select the Tools menu item
4. Select Ignore Selected Updates

Ignoring Update via Automation

Ignoring updates can be implemented using different methods, such a Group Policy Preference or logon script. Visibility of items in the Updates and New Software lists above is controlled by entering update keys into a registry key in the current user registry hive. Update keys for an Update or New Software can be found by viewing an Apple Software Update catalog.

Apple Software Update catalog for Mac URL
http://swscan.apple.com/content/catalogs/index.sucatalog

Apple Software Update catalog for Windows URL
http://swscan.apple.com/content/catalogs/others/index-windows-1.sucatalog

NOTE: These links only contain current update keys.

To export a full list of update keys using PowerShell (to block all updates) (Windows)

1. Download the sucatalog
2. In PowerShell, run the following:
   
   NOTE: The list of update keys will be in the clipboard.

This is what the Safari 5 item looks like in the index-windows-1.sucatalog; showing update key (041-3083) and MSI (Safari.msi).

These update keys can be entered into the following registry key:

Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Apple Inc.\Apple Software Update
ValueType: REG_MULTI_SZ
Value: Update_Ignore_List
Data: <AppleSoftwareUpdateKeys>

NOTE: This key cannot be transposed to a per-system entry in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Update keys can be entered manually into the registry or via a form of automation, such as the following:

Once the registry value is present and Apple Software Update is executed, a window similar to the one below is shown:

 

32-bit vs 64-bit WMI Registry Calls (StdRegProv)

NOTES

• This article is mainly aimed at VBScript. PowerShell may have the same challenges
• This article uses registry locations/values for an application and not a Microsoft-supplied registry locations/values. This is because Microsoft appears to have copied all of their registry locations/values to both 32-bit and 64-bit registry locations.

Using the StdRegProv class to manipulate registry information is common among many system administrators. The addition of new architectures, such as 64-bit, introduces the need to evaluate past coding models.

A base connection to the StdRegProv class only connects to the architecture from which its being called. Without specifying the connection architecture, values are read/written based on the architecture calling the StdRegProv.

• Using the StdRegProv class, without specifying the connection architecture, to make a remote registry call using a 32-bit shell will only have access to 32-bit registry information.
• Using the StdRegProv class, without specifying the connection architecture, to make a remote registry call using a 64-bit shell will only have access to 64-bit registry information.
• Using the StdRegProv class with specifying the connection architecture, to make a remote registry call using a 32-bit or 64-bit shell will have access to the architecture specified by the connection.

A WMI registry call using the StdRegProv class without specifying the connection architecture would look like this:
A WMI registry call using the StdRegProv class with specifying the connection architecture would look like this: