Autopatcher Replacement


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1) Located a fresh install of xp (Vmware is the easiest)

2) Set automatic updates to download but not install

3) Wait until all 80 some updates have been downloaded and are ready to be installed

4) Copy the c:\windows\softwaredistrubution folder to a the desktop (or your main desktop out of vmware) (if it doesn’t let you, then stop the automatic update service in services.msc

5) Once copied, zip up and make self extracting or just burn the contents of the softwaredistribution folder to a cd

6) Take that cd and put it in a computer with a clean install of xp and no updates.

7) make sure automatic update is set to download updates but not to install them

7) Stop the automatic update service

10) Copy the contents of the cd you just burned to the softwaredistribution folder on the clean pc

11) Turn the automatic update service back on.

12) Wait a min or 2, and it should say “Updates have been downloaded and are ready to be installed”

13) Click it and then choose custom, you should now see all the updates you did on your other machine are now ready to be installed on this machine without having to do any LONG downloading.

Enjoy!

Below is a video of the how I made it all happen

The headset I was using always makes me sound nazzly which I'm not, but it is better than the microphone on the webcam doing the recording.

Also at the end when I get all gritty, I couldn't help it I was just thrilled it worked.

after completing the update at the end of the video I had IE7 and 2 XP updates left at windows update.

Edited by warwagon
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I know i'm using this method from now on, plus the updates installed in about 6 mins compared to 20 mins with autopatcher, because all i have to do is do the vmware thing once, now I have all the updates on cd.

Edited by warwagon

here is what I have so far, for an automatic script minus the part where it copies the files to the softwaredistrubtion folder. What I would like is the script to ask you what drive the files are on. If anyone wants to take a crack at it, go for it! this could be a combined effort

@echo off

cls

echo Stopping the Automatic Update Service

net stop wuauserv

cls

echo deleting contents of the softwaredistrubution folder

rd C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution\authcabs /s /q

rd C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution\datastore /s /q

rd C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution\download /s /q

rd C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution\selfupdate /s /q

del C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution\ /q

cls

echo at this point the files would be transfered to the folder from the cd or thumbstick

pause

cls

echo starting the automatic update service

net start wuauserv

cls

echo all done

exit

would also like to add this so at the end it forces automatic updates to go check for updates and see that it has them

REG DELETE "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update" /v LastWaitTimeout /f

REG DELETE "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update" /v DetectionStartTime /f

Reg Delete "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update" /v NextDetectionTime /f

net start wuauserv

wuauclt /detectnow

Edited by warwagon
software branding as neowin.net possibly?

Or not.

Not that I don't think credit should be given, but at least make it easy to turn off, or leave it off and make it easy to turn on. I wouldn't want work computers to be stuck with non-company brandings - I couldn't use this if it did, and it does sound like a good idea.

I think he's refering to branding the batch file which automates the one time process for clean installs, the batch file could be on the cd and never be saved on the host computer

also sence I announced my new methoid, I have used it on 2 machines, and it has worked great. Though all machines have been XP home and not pro, but you could easily create one for pro too.

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