“Looking for manageable Windows updates even without an internet connection? Our offline update 3.0 script collection downloads the entire body of updates for Windows 2000, XP or Server 2003 from Microsoft’s servers in one fell swoop and then uses them to create patch packages on CD, DVD or USB stick. Those in turn allow you to update as many PCs as desired.”
What does this do different then AutoPatcher?
Edited 2007-01-11 17:41
This script will download all the latest patches. AutoPatcher depends on new releases, somewhat similar to a Service Pack but updated much more often.
This is sooo much better than the one I created for our enterprise. Basically I did a fresh XP install with SP2, then did a Windows Update, noted down all the updates then manually downloaded them. Wrote three batch files – 1st to install the security updates, 2nd to install the hotfixes and the 3rd to install the hotfixes. The 1st when finished copied the 2nd.bat to machine to run on start up, and this did the same with the 3rd one then deleted itself out of the start up folder. I was pretty chuffed with it, but this kicks the ass out of what I did. Thanks for letting us know about it! Its brilliant!
Or, you could have made a slipstream CD with service pack 2 and any patches already included…
My bad, 1st to do Hotfixes, 2nd was Security Fixes and 3rd was Updates
pac
So is this a way to bypass WGA?
WGA was part of the “upgrade” MS rolled out I think last year. If you do a fresh install an roll all the updates you probably will end up with that annoying thing anyway (if your Windows license has some “sharp edges”). When you go to Windows Update there is a way to prevent WGA installation but you will loose some options on new updates.
The good thing about the subject is that you don’t need to be part of MS enterprise programs to roll out the update of a local network from a local repository.
Once downloaded, you could use nLite to do the job but this new approach is more automated, but I guess nLite has more options and uses.
Thanks so much for this.
I’ll stick to Autopatcher, it has other handy apps and tweaks.
I guess it’s got its use in some cases. But with MS WSUS being freely available, it’s pretty easy to slap it on an older server. Some folks might even find it useful at home.
Anyone installing Windows fresh from a CD or who acquires a PC with a preinstalled instance of Windows is in a tricky situation: to protect the machine against the various dangers of the internet, one must first install all current security updates to plug the countless holes in Windows and Internet Explorer. To fetch a copy of the updates, however, Microsoft requires that your computer be connected to the internet.
Geez, this isn’t that complicated. Just go out and get yourself a $30 router with a built-in firewall, especially if you’ve got two or more machines, these things come in handy. This will be more than enough protection which will allow you to go online and download the updates without getting nailed by a malicious worm. Or else, you can slipstream SP2 into your install CD.
Alternatively, you can install a softwre firewall before going online, assuming you’ve got one lying around, which you probably do if you’re savvy enough to be using this util.
If the firewall, Hardware or software will stop you being effected by any attacks during the time taken to update, why do you need the updates?
Edited 2007-01-14 21:52