Which Google Updater is the one that I should allow to run?

Question

My machine has 5 Google updaters running:

• Service: Google Update Service (gupdate)

  Keeps your Google software up to date. If this service is disabled or stopped, your Google software will not be kept up to date, meaning security vulnerabilities that may arise cannot be fixed and features may not work. This service uninstalls itself when there is no Google software using it.

  C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe /svc
  

• Service: Google Update Service (gupdatem)

  Keeps your Google software up to date. If this service is disabled or stopped, your Google software will not be kept up to date, meaning security vulnerabilities that may arise cannot be fixed and features may not work. This service uninstalls itself when there is no Google software using it.

  C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe /medsvc
  

• Service: Google Updater Service

  C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Common\Google Updater\GoogleUpdaterService.exe
  

• Scheduled Task: GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore

  Keeps your Google software up to date. If this task is disabled or stopped, your Google software will not be kept up to date, meaning security vulnerabilities that may arise cannot be fixed and features may not work. This task uninstalls itself when there is no Google software using it.

  • Runs at logon of any user

  • Runs daily at 10:08 AM

      C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe /C
    

• Scheduled Task: GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA

  Keeps your Google software up to date. If this task is disabled or stopped, your Google software will not be kept up to date, meaning security vulnerabilities that may arise cannot be fixed and features may not work. This task uninstalls itself when there is no Google software using it.

  • Runs every hour

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe /ua /installsource scheduler
    

Now obviously Google doesn't need all these items running at the same time; some are going to be legacy duplicates.

Which one is the current, true, preferred, Google updater?

Would the real Google updater please stand up,
please stand up, please stand up.

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My setup:

• Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
• Chrome
• one interactive user account

Solution 1

After installing Chrome in a fresh VM and checking autoruns, these are the only entries created:

Services are no longer registered. But Google takes updating still very seriously.

Here are the two tasks listed in the Task Scheduler:

The upper task points to:

C:\Users\Oliver\AppData\Local\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe /c

The lower task points to:

C:\Users\Oliver\AppData\Local\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe /ua /installsource scheduler

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And the legacy services can be deleted from the machine using Microsoft's sc command line tool from an elevated command prompt:

C:\Windows\system32>sc delete gupdate
[SC] DeleteService SUCCESS

C:\Windows\system32>sc delete gupdatem
[SC] DeleteService SUCCESS

C:\Windows\system32>sc delete gusvc
[SC] DeleteService SUCCESS

Solution 2

For computer security I used a product call Deep Freeze. I keep my Windows 7 C drive frozen except when I want to make a change to my system about monthly. Since my C drive is frozen, every time I reboot my computer the C Drive is returned to it original state removing unwanted junk including viruses, cookies, etc. All documents and data files are kept on other disk drives.

I have found the Google Update Task Machine UA very annoying. It has been costing me 15 seconds every 10 minutes. I have a very fast and powerful desktop Dell PC and have been wondering for a week now what devious software was stopping work for 15 seconds every 10 minutes like clock work. Today I discovered it was the Google Updater. My solution to this problem is:

• [Control Panel] / [Administrative Tools] / [Services]
• Rt-Click on Startup Type and change it to Disable for the following:
• Google Software Updater
• Google Update Service (Gupdate)
• Google Update Service (gupdatem)
• [Control Panel] / [Amdinistrative Tools] / [Task Scheduler]
• [Task Scheduler Library]
• Rt-Click on these two top records:
• GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore
• GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA Now I am back in control of my fast computer without interruptions every 10 minutes.

Turning off automatic updates for other software packages has been generally less annoying than Google Updates.

PS. I removed Google Drive and the Firefox Browser before I discovered the real problem was Google Updates. Hope this helps others save hours of frustration trying to regaining control of their computers.

Comments

[iglvzx]

So we can provide an accurate answer: Which operating system? How many user accounts? Which Google software do you currently use?

[Fopedush]

One might argue that because you did not explicitly approve of these tasks and processes, none of them should be allowed to run. As far as I'm aware, the scheduled task exists only to restore the update .exe to startup status if the user manually disables it. Since it exists purely to subvert your will as the user, I suggest getting rid of it.

[Ashiro]

Great response. Disappointed that among software vendors even Google doesn't realize they are guests on my computer and should clean up after themselves when they leave.

[DavidPostill]

Please read the question again carefully. Your answer does not answer the original question, which was which updater should be allowed to run (from a choice of 5)

[DPM]

Google is notorious for launching shiny, sloppily put together, half-baked products. If there's company that I expect not to give a damn, it's google.

[Sajuuk]

@rkagerer still the old saying goes: 'if you are not sure what is the product when consuming a "free" product, you are the product.'