Autopatcher Replacement


Recommended Posts

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
Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/594426-autopatcher-replacement/
Share on other sites

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.

  • 2 weeks later...
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Just another reason (aside from many others) not to use Edge. Firefox 153.0b5 DEx64 has a similar feature added recently in prior builds that I will turn off at some point when I get around to it. It's the new "Something looks suspicious" page that pops up here and there. It cleverly hides itself between web pages that I've actually visited; as a result, you know, of selecting a web page and telling the browser where to go. The interesting thing is that it does not produce these warnings from pages that I, as the only intelligent user of the browser in my system, have ever directed the browser to open! What seems to be happening is that the browser looks at all the goofy ad links on a web page I do actually open and selects one that "looks suspicious" and then creates the "something looks suspicious" web page, which is neatly inserted, as mentioned, between web pages my RB ("real brain") has directed the browser to load in a session. The thing is, I usually look at links I am considering to follow before I ask the browser to load them, and in cases I have noticed where the link does indeed look suspicious, most of the time I will choose to not follow the link at all. Doesn't everyone do this or something similar? I am picky about what I voluntarily load... (I don't like links that start off fine, with a site designaiton that seems normal enough but then is followed by indecipherable alphanumeric strings many, many lines long, etc. I tend to reject those because they look suspicious. They may not be, but I don't care... I'll stay with Firefox, of course, if for no other reason than they usually let you turn off the junk you don't like. And because it isn't Edge... But at some point Microsoft will come to realize that putting your bookmarks on the left side is a Good Thing for a lot of people, just as Microsoft discovered when it had the bright idea of nailing the Windows taskbar to the bottom of the screen, when for decades Microsoft browsers had left that placement up to the user. They have finally reversed the obscenity of that decision. Finally.
    • Google was using the old CATPCHAs data to train their LLMs. What is the say they won't use this camera data of users to train their LLM? these companies need some strict regulations!
    • Depends on what you need. Might be a bit clearer on what you plan to do with it. Sort of a waste if you get the newest and greatest, but don't know how to use it.
    • NTLite 2026.06.11200 by Razvan Serea NTLite is a Windows configuration tool that allows you to modify your existing Windows install or an image yet to be deployed, remove Windows components, configure and integrate, speed up the Windows deployment process. Reduce Windows footprint on your RAM and storage drive memory. Remove components of your choice, guarded by compatibility safety mechanisms, which speed up finding that sweet spot. Windows Unattended feature support, providing many commonly used options on a single page for easy setup. Easily integrate a single or multiple drivers, update or language packages. Package integration features smart sorting, enabling you to seamlessly add packages for integration and the tool will apply them in the appropriate order, keeping hotfix compatibility in check. One of the important new features of NTLite (compared to its predecessors) is the ability to modify an already installed the operating system, by removing unnecessary components. Supports Windows 11, 10, 8.1 and 7, x86 and x64, live and image. Server editions of the same versions, excluding support for component removals and feature configuration. ARM64 image support in the alpha stage. Does not support Checked/Debug, Embedded, IoT editions, nor Vista or XP. NTLite 2026.06.11200 changelog: New Secure Boot Migration support: Verification, certificate staging, and boot-manager/sector update across the Image, Updates, Apply, and Create-ISO pages (2023 CA migration, optional 2011 revocation, Anti-rollback, Boot sector choice etc) Secure Boot Host Readiness: Live host Secure Boot migration monitor and Servicing-task control Option under Image page - C:\Windows row, or load the host as the target - Updates - Secure Boot Image: 'Sort mounted images first' option for the image list in Menu-Settings UI: Hover description card for Components and Unattended pages, selectable text and quick access to Compatibility options Command line: Relay commands into the already-running instance Enables controlling already running NTLite via ntlite.exe Use /NewInstance to launch an additional instance using CLI operations (premium) UI: 'New instance' option via main menu instead of a secondary ntlite.exe prompt Apply: Hide individual Apply-page notes with a per-note dismiss (X), critical excluded Settings: 'Unsigned RDP file launch warnings' tweak (RDP client), bypassing the April 2026 security-update prompt on RDP connections Upgrade Image: Live OS and deployed image editing now unlocked on free/test licenses, same licensing as images Image: 'Recompress' option in manual dialog Remove Editions to shrink the WIM in one session Image: SWM part size set inline on the Apply page and image dialogs, split-size popup retired Image: Relative 'Last change' dates; editions grouped by build time to reduce noise Image: 'Forget - Missing' on the Edit-cache menu to mass drop entries whose folder is gone Components: Root groups reorganized - user-facing groups first, system/critical last Components: Show filter options to view components by Template or App-type, since Apps are now merged into groups Presets: Delete confirmation now lists the multi-selected preset names UI: Design update propagated to the rest of the tool UI: Filter and search match words in any order and partially, better results filtering Components Unattended: Input-locale language derives from the user locale, with an independent keyboard picker, enables combinations previously unavailable Unattended: Input-locale now allows for a user value override Unattended: Localization OOBE WinPE now can be copied with the new WinPE Copy OOBE localization toggle, enter locale settings once for both stages Updates: Downloader greys and locks updates the image already carries (hotfix and MSIX) Updates: Resume interrupted update downloads Command line: Many upgrades, see /?, now prints help to the console or redirected output UI-Translation: Finnish language added, also thanks for Chinese Traditional (Matt), French (tistou77), Italian (clarensio), Russian (RDS), Swedish (1FF), Vietnamese (Vu Anh Vu) Fix Components: Containers removal breaking Apps deployment Components: Microsoft Account had leftovers when Easy Migrate is kept Image: Export to an existing WIM improvements, Append renamed to Merge Image: Improved 26H1 live removal support Image: No more 'X:\ not accessible' popup for certain drives during image scan Presets: Manual image refresh picks up presets added/removed outside the app Tweaks: Disabled visual-effect animations no longer return after first logon on a new profile Tweaks: Live Visual Effects toggles (animations, drag full windows, font smoothing) now apply correctly Download: NTLite 2026.06.11200 | 20.5 MB (Free, paid upgrade available) Link: NTLite Home Page | NTLite Features | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Ah. La Fontana De Incontinentia ! Bella ! Bella !
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      BA the Curmudgeon earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Conversation Starter
      rosiecharles earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      KMilenkoski1202 earned a badge
      First Post
    • First Post
      carols23 earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      Tom Willson earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      504
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      257
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      151
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      93
    5. 5
      macoman
      67
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!