AutoPatcher no longer allowed

By Steven P.
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Grand Master

Denis W. Veteran

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Posted
They were making a profit off the cds/dvds they sold, thus they were reselling Microsoft code and making a profit.

I'm guessing if they hadn't made the CDs and SOLD them, they probably wouldn't have drawn ire (or, at least not yet). How is Microsoft not allowing an unlicensed 3rd party to resell their code "pulling crap"? If you resold Citrix hotfixes (for a profit, no less) on CD, would it not be OK if Citrix forced you to stop?

Shipping/cost of CDs != free.

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Grand Master

+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹

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Get an Internet connection and just download the updates in the background... autopatcher isnt really needed.

Not so good for users on low-bandwidth connections. All of the updates contained in AutoPatcher come to ~ 500MB. Over a 56k connection this would take a long time to download, and would not be reusable. With AutoPatcher you can burn it to CD or put it on a flash drive and update multiple computers.

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Twistyd-Morticia

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Not so good for users on low-bandwidth connections. All of the updates contained in AutoPatcher come to ~ 500MB. Over a 56k connection this would take a long time to download, and would not be reusable. With AutoPatcher you can burn it to CD or put it on a flash drive and update multiple computers.

I had not even tried it yet :pinch: pfft, our ISP tends to throttle us since they got took over, legal Acceptable Use Policy, reguardless of what your downloading. As a mum of 3 teenage kids who are total gamers (me too ;) ) then this would have saved on bandwidth, time and make sure we are fully patched, esp. with repeated reformatting.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Coolme

Posted
Posted (edited)
I got this new official link where you can dowload all updates in one ISO image tha you can burn then or mount it and extract updates to add to a slipstream version of XP (now this part i don't know if it legal)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913086/en-us

Are these images only cumulative by month, or do they contain all updates of a windows version since release?

Edited by Coolme
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Grand Master

+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹

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Are these images only cumulative by month, or do they contain all updates of a windows version since release?

Only for each month, but in every language. Waste of bandwidth if you're only updating one locale

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Neowinian

Whiznot

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Posted

There is no way I am going to use Microsoft's ISOs. Autopatcher is alive and well. The last version of APUP (Autopatcher Updater) downloads all the English X86 patches from Microsoft and then lets me install the ones I want in the same manner as previously. Goodbye Microsoft. So long Neowin.

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Grand Master

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Yeah but autopatcher.com download is not available it seems.

See the link in my signature - the download is available from the AutoPatcher forums ;)

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Neowinian

sheenart

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I, too, am extremely sorry to hear about MS's putting the quietus on Auto Patcher. I'm a firm believer in clean installs, and Auto Patcher has made that easier for me. Now what? Good grief.

One more thing: I've heard that Vista will not allow the operator to do a clean install. Does anyone know if this is accurate information? Thanks

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Grand Master

+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹

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I, too, am extremely sorry to hear about MS's putting the quietus on Auto Patcher. I'm a firm believer in clean installs, and Auto Patcher has made that easier for me. Now what? Good grief.

One more thing: I've heard that Vista will not allow the operator to do a clean install. Does anyone know if this is accurate information? Thanks

You can continue to use AutoPatcher, just with a different way of getting it. See the AP forums for more info...

As far as clean installs of Vista go, I'm pretty sure you can install it as many times as you want, subject to the usual activation hassle. (I don't use Vista, however so I might be off on that one...)

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Neowinian

eyes only

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Posted

It's WGA and that's all it is. If you say why not put a WGA validation in Autopatcher then someone needs the code. Microsuck won't give that out or else it would be used as a keygen. The issue of malicious code never enters into it. :shiftyninja:

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Neowinian

sheenart

Posted
Posted
You can continue to use AutoPatcher, just with a different way of getting it. See the AP forums for more info...

As far as clean installs of Vista go, I'm pretty sure you can install it as many times as you want, subject to the usual activation hassle. (I don't use Vista, however so I might be off on that one...)

Thanks for the info. I don't use Vista, either, and don't want to. I'm sticking with XP until hell freezes over. Then, I'm thinking about ditching MS altogether, and going to Ubuntu

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noormanbel

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Posted

.

I 've downloaded and started apup (latest version, hash checked OK) three times now, but three times it stopped downloading along the line and was stuck (waited minutes).

It doesn't work for me like this; it does not backtrack and retake the last (crashed) download and after 2 retries, it should then skip that patch leaving an error message in an update-run-LOG file ... and go on to the next download in the list.

Now I 've got a lot of files (not even all of them), from which I am installing the 'Critical' XP patches by hand ...

I crave for the Autopatcher days; AP worked just fine !

.

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noormanbel

Posted
Posted

.

After I 'exited' apup and restarted it, it didn't check or verify which files had already been downloaded in the previous session(s) ...

Could this be remedied ?

Then you would be able, maybe, to get all the needed files from M$ in 2, 3 or 4 runs of apup and you could make progress.

When I restarted for the 2nd time, I removed the ticks for the Office products and the DirectX, to lessen the total download volume.

This way I tried to get the necessary files in maybe 3 or 4 blocks of data; that didn't work either.

.

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Grand Master

+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹

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It's WGA and that's all it is. If you say why not put a WGA validation in Autopatcher then someone needs the code. Microsuck won't give that out or else it would be used as a keygen. The issue of malicious code never enters into it. :shiftyninja:

WGA was included in AutoPatcher, albeit optional. Antonis talked to a Microsoft contact just after WGA was released and they had no problems with it. Obviously something changed but I doubt it was WGA.

I 've downloaded and started apup (latest version, hash checked OK) three times now, but three times it stopped downloading along the line and was stuck (waited minutes).

It doesn't work for me like this; it does not backtrack and retake the last (crashed) download and after 2 retries, it should then skip that patch leaving an error message in an update-run-LOG file ... and go on to the next download in the list.

Now I 've got a lot of files (not even all of them), from which I am installing the 'Critical' XP patches by hand ...

I crave for the Autopatcher days; AP worked just fine !

After I 'exited' apup and restarted it, it didn't check or verify which files had already been downloaded in the previous session(s) ...

Could this be remedied ?

Then you would be able, maybe, to get all the needed files from M$ in 2, 3 or 4 runs of apup and you could make progress.

When I restarted for the 2nd time, I removed the ticks for the Office products and the DirectX, to lessen the total download volume.

This way I tried to get the necessary files in maybe 3 or 4 blocks of data; that didn't work either.

The best place for these posts is the AutoPatcher forum, not here.

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Neowinian

P H A N T O M

Posted
Posted

We all know that Microsoft is once again lying under the guise of possibilities. Malicious code, Firefox ....pffffff

How and when users collect and use updates/patches from microsoft or other sources and how users decide to store/package them is a human right and nothing to do with Microsoft

There are hundreds of thousands of sites around the world where we can download microsoft patches/patches/packages/redistributles and smaller repackaged ms software etc. None of the sites are partners or related to Microsoft in any way. Does microsoft chase,scare,threaten them. I don't think so. The fact remains that AP is such a good product and Microsoft know it, and we all have no doubt it is the WGA banner that MS are truly stumbling with here

Microsofts "Legal Team" can use complex terms and words and confuse us with mish mash of reasons that are BULL but it wont keep developers and TEAMS like Autopatcher from continuing to package and place the same Autopatching packages maybe under different names, and different partner distributors/mirrors around the world

There is a network of servers and mirrors around the world and microsoft cant hope to play BIG BROTHER and control and bully everyone into submission to legal rubbish and scare tactics. MS is way out of line once again

All Microsoft will achieve is forcing this work like AP underground.

OR.......... Is microsoft thinking of stealing AP and/or its code for itself...........hmmmm

I hope the TEAM is able to move forward after a rethink of strategy

All the best

I had a call from Microsoft Legal this morning and they have told me that we are no longer allowed to endorse AutoPatcher on Neowin.

Microsoft will only allow updates to be downloaded from its own servers.

AutoPatcher started in 2003 and has been redistributed in some of the worlds best computer magazine cover CD/DVD's. I have no explanation for why Microsoft allowed it to continue unchecked for 4 years before making this decision.

I asked the representative if Windows Genuine Advantage had anything to do with it and he categorically told me this was not the case, he added that Windows Update for pre-Vista versions of Windows can now be accessed using Firefox and that the concern at Microsoft had more to do with the possible malicious code that could be redistributed with certified Microsoft updates.

We have no grounds to challenge the decision by Microsoft.

I'd like to thank the whole AutoPatcher team for their continued work, unfortunately none of the team is online, but they have been contacted via the AutoPatcher.com website by Microsoft Legal.

The AutoPatcher forums have been disabled for guests and members.

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Neowinian

pcbugfixer

Posted
Posted (edited)

I usually do not say much (ha ha) however in this instance of the crap excuses that MS are implying or using to stop AutoPatcher - "IT IS. IN MY OPINION, SIMPLY A MATER OF AROGANT AND DICTORIAL CONTROL"

Where else but in the USA can you get control of a generic word such as 'windows" which has been part of the English Dictionary way before Bill Gates was born, and virtually control it's use or similar wordage?s, and get away with it, feeding their frenzy and arrogance.

Where once MS gave service, they no longer do. Just phone their help desk and listed to the ?Big Brother? asking you questions to fill their databases with personal information that has nothing to do with any issue. Why do they need my D.O.B. or personal address to fix a problem, which is caused by them (the codes in programs), or the errors in their update dBase.

Registering a Product does no more than place you on the respective customer(s) dBase and because you (we) do not read the fine print, now allows them to email Spam you with all the Propaganda Bull they want to. Mind you, registered or not, you still wait in the queue like everyone else to get Help or Support needing to go through the Jungle of novice help desk persons (due to MS high Help Desk staff turn over) and get bombarded with Draw Bridges and needing to cross Crocodile infested Moats, before you get to even the 2nd level support Novices.

With my MS experiences since 1979 and OS knowledge since the early days MS DOS to the current Vista (heap of garbage ? has the same recurring or similar errors we have experienced since Win 95, 98, ME. NT3.x W2K, XP etc. reminiscent to the repetitive IE errors scenario(s) in IE 5, 6 and 7) Try talking to a Help Desk person who has only worked for MS for 6 month.

All the MS Operating Systems have had 100,000's of errors which are known to MS, yet they have us believe that it is our Hardware or the Users fault when things go wrong, and have the hide to ask for a fee to troubleshoot the issues.

In addition, many times has the Windows Installer 3.1 and Windows or Microsoft Update?s WindowsUpdateAgent made mistakes or fouled up an installation, corrupting the customers PC XP installation, to which they have no answers or fixes or deny that they are aware of any issues relating to these stuff ups.

Now I say this:

AutoPatcher has saved, by its functional installation ability, many of my customer systems which due to the MS Installer or fouled Windows Automatic or Custom Updater(s) prevented the system from re-booting or Booting up correctly.

When Microsoft has failed to repair or fix the issues and errors caused by their updaters or Installer that otherwise would have meant a complete format and re-installation with loss of data, AutoPatcher ?Saved the Day.? Then again, if they fixed all the code errors, they would not generate the extra $Billions from their Support Service.

Three cheers for AutoPatcher, Hip Hip ? Hurrah / Hip Hip ? Hurrah / - Hip Hip ? Hurrah / Hip Hip ? Hurrah / Hip Hip ? Hurrah / - Hip Hip ? Hurrah / Hip Hip ? Hurrah / Hip Hip ? Hurrah / - Hip Hip ? Hurrah ???????. Op?s that?s more than three.

Keep up the good work ? need anything? PM me please - and sent me the link to get the latest updater and info." - Thanks

"Use People Power - It's Bigger than any Corporation in the World."

Edited by pcbugfixer
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Neowinian

terryf

Posted
Posted
Lets hope MS come up with there own solution for it I vaguely remember before XP SP2 they did a security rollup where several updates where in the one download.

I think it would be nice if they offered this every now and then a single download that has all the updates in it after SP2 perhaps they could have it make you register the PC after you have ran the updates on it making it possible to update peoples PC?s for them when they are on dial up etc.

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