I turn off all auto updates. Some software (Thunderbird and Firefox, for example) is allowed to tell me there's an update available. I'll download it if I think I need it.
I reckon that in most cases, if it works, updates are more likely to break it than improve it.
Most of the MS updates are to fix ever-more-obscure security issues. With a proper firewall and virus protection etc, I'm not too bothered about the holes in MS's stuff.