I think it must be to do with one of the updates MS pushed out that I installed today (since other BBC users are experiencing similar). Trouble is I have tried removing the patches installed today but most of them don't have an uninstall option and having removed all those I can it makes no difference.
What is worrying is that I can't get to Windows Update any more so I can't even manually check for new updates.
-Carol Haynes
I realize that this is just a workaround and not a fix, but what you could do is this:
* Install
Ad Muncher. This program is primarily for filtering ads in any program that connects to the web, but it has a couple of other features as well and one of them is what we're after. See, the same way that this program lets you filter ads in *any* program that connects to the internet, it also lets you change the user agent for any program. It's not freeware, but you can trial it without nags or anything for 30 days, and I'm sure either MS or BBC will fix it within that time-frame.
* After installing Ad Muncher, open the settings dialogue and go to the "Options" tab, and in the second tab level select "Advanced" and fill it out like this:
This should allow you to access Windows Update without problems again