I now present to you, an Autopatcher Replacement

[Sn00pY]

Hmm. What exactly is the point in this? I have to download them and make my own .exe/.zip whatever to use it... Where is the benefit ?

It's easier for me to (a) have it cached on ISA for a deployment (b) WSUS © SUS ... even if you want me to go to (d) let Windows Update download and install.

I want to know what the advantage of this is? and the fact you want some sort of recgonition for writing a little bit of code (sic) and using Rich's code is hilarious.

[Panacik]

and using Rich's code is hilarious.

You mean that in a good or bad way? :s

[+Warwagon MVC]

Hmm. What exactly is the point in this? I have to download them and make my own .exe/.zip whatever to use it... Where is the benefit ?

It's easier for me to (a) have it cached on ISA for a deployment (b) WSUS ? SUS ... even if you want me to go to (d) let Windows Update download and install.

I want to know what the advantage of this is? and the fact you want some sort of recgonition for writing a little bit of code (sic) and using Rich's code is hilarious.

If you were in a business then yes, I can setting up a WSUS would be a much better solution. But if you are a computer technician that goes to peoples homes for computer repair, then this works very well indeed. As you do not have to sit and wait for the updates to download. You just run the script, it extracts the files to where they need to go, and in about 3 -5 mins (sometimes instantly), PRESTO!. All updates are ready to be installed.

[Sn00pY]

You mean that in a good or bad way? :s

No way at all - just it's your code was my point - not his.

If you were in a business then yes, I can setting up a WSUS would be a much better solution. But if you are a computer technician that goes to peoples homes for computer repair, then this works very well indeed. As you do not have to sit and wait for the updates to download. You just run the script, it extracts the files to where they need to go, and in about 3 -5 mins (sometimes instantly), PRESTO!. All updates are ready to be installed.

Well I still lose the point of this - I mean your just copying/pasting files. Do they get registered etc properly? I'm failing to see the point is all mate. I don't want to slate you - that's not my intention.

[Joni_78]

Nice work, thx.

[PermaSt0ne]

Well I still lose the point of this - I mean your just copying/pasting files. Do they get registered etc properly? I'm failing to see the point is all mate. I don't want to slate you - that's not my intention.

the point is that you don't have to go to someone's house and spend 3 hours downloading all the updates on each computer

and instead of copying each .exe file and running it, it puts it in the automatic update folder so it's all done automatically

is it a revolutionary idea? no. but it makes life a helluva lot easier if you update others computers often

and yes, they get registered properly

[+Warwagon MVC]

for those of you who still are not sure how this process works, I made a video for you explaining it all. Enjoy!

http://www.vidilife.com/index.cfm?f=media....9C6-47FB-8503-C

[Fugi]

Thank you much <3, will make life much easier.

[Angelico_Payne]

It is a nice idea, as temp subsitute until AP is back or some other similar program.

I used this method myself (offcourse manually), but there are some potencial concerns about the order in which updates are or could be applied, and other...

Anyway, I allways appreciate effort done by someone to help others absolutely free, so cheers to you mate for the time and the effort.

This whole story will become much less complicated when final XP SP3 and Vista SP1 are out, which will be very soon now. So updating will become a few minutes job, what ever method is used.

[Mieky242]

What is so difficult to understand about this program lol (sorry i mean script). I can see this program being very handy, and doesnt seem dodgy at all. I think its a great idea warwagon, I would like to see it evolve if possible. In my opinion if the current issues were worked out and you added the ability for the program (script) to automatically download all the updates for a selected option (like windowsXP, IE7 on Vista etc.) and create a xpupdate.zip file automatically and ready it to burn to a cd.

I don't think your comment have been helpful rich, i understand you dont think much of this script but discouragement like this is not necessary. I know at the moment this is not news, but perhaps consider it's possibilites for use in the future.

I think when the new AP is released you will have a difficult time competing however.

[Panacik]

What is so difficult to understand about this program lol (sorry i mean script). I can see this program being very handy, and doesnt seem dodgy at all. I think its a great idea warwagon, I would like to see it evolve if possible. In my opinion if the current issues were worked out and you added the ability for the program (script) to automatically download all the updates for a selected option (like windowsXP, IE7 on Vista etc.) and create a xpupdate.zip file automatically and ready it to burn to a cd.

I don't think your comment have been helpful rich, i understand you dont think much of this script but discouragement like this is not necessary. I know at the moment this is not news, but perhaps consider it's possibilites for use in the future.

I think when the new AP is released you will have a difficult time competing however.

Someone didnt read the whole thread properly. Also, why resurect a thread and argument that is now dead? Read Read Read people!

[+Warwagon MVC]

He said nothing to make me think he didn't read the entire thread. He summed it up nicely "i understand you don't think much of this script but discouragement like this is not necessary" . Though for a while now after I run the script I've just been going to windows update. It then downloads the update not already included and blows through the ones it already has(no download required). Then the windows update download time only takes a few mins. Which gives you all the current updates. All to their own. I find it handy.

I will have to admit the features that Mieky242 wants are already available by another free method. I've tried it and it also creates an iso which can be burned and ran on any machine. Which is great if they are on a slow connection. I can't remember the name of it. After using the most up to date update package it created, there was still 13 updates to be had. Where mine you only have a few. The installation of IE7 via that other program though is very fast.

Edited January 23, 2008 by warwagon

[+Warwagon MVC]

I thought I’d update you guys on something. I’ve of course been using this method while updating peoples XP machines. Over the past few months of using it I’ve noticed a few things that I thought I’d share.

While using the batch file sometimes it would take windows a heck of a long time to start downloading updates. Sometimes when running windows update the updates would download fast because it already had them in the softwaredistrubtion folder and sometimes it would download each and every update.

What I’ve found is that for whatever reason sometimes windows flushes the download directory in the softwaredistrubtion folder and sometimes it does not. I thought I’d tell you the new method of updating windows that I’ve been using since I realized this. I’m still of course using this same zip of updates. It’s a few steps, but if you want to download all 89 updates more power to you.

I first install IE7 so when I go to the windows update website it has all the updates already for IE7. I then let it download the 3 updates. 1 is the Windows installer and 1 is WGA advantage. I then reboot the machine. I then return to the windows update website, where it lists all 80 -90+ updates. At this point I unzip the zip file to my desktop, and copy just the contents of the download directory to the one in c:\windows\softwaredistrubtion\download. After it extracts I tell windows updates to download and install the updates. But this time it always see’s the updates in the download folder so the download of all the updates takes about 2 mins. All it’s doing it processing them not downloading them.

What I think I’ll do now is edit my script. The original one is good and all but the starting and stopping of the automatic update service really messes with the windows update website. After doing so you basically have to refresh the page. Doing so might wipe out the updates again. So I’ll just take that part of script out. What I’ll leave in is just the deletion of the download directory and the part where it unzips the files. That’s it.

Like I said time and time again, If you are updating your own machine from a clean install, you could probably start the updates and go watch some tv (Then again this update works great for updating your own clean installs too). This is really only for if you do clean installs on a lot of xp machines like I do.

During my process

Happy Updating.

Edited March 9, 2008 by warwagon

[Fullcirclephoenix]

Hey Warwagon great script but I was wondering if you know how to do a few specific tweaks to it. I have a file server where I've downloaded all of the updates to and I want to point Windows Update to that folder on the mapped drive. I tried using WSUS and it's a giant sack of resource sucking garbage :D . I am pretty sure this is possible, but I've scoured the net and haven't been able to find anything helpful. Also, I'm hoping to be able to avoid zipping the file if possible. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

[+Warwagon MVC]

I dont' have any Idea really. But seeing how all you need is the self extracting zip file and not the script anymore. You can just go to windows update. Have it list all the updates to download, then open the self extracting exe on the file server and extract it to c:\windows\softwaredistribution\download and then proceed with the install. MOST of the updates should already be there ,and won't have to be downloaded.

Also thank you for the personal message letting me know you responded to the thread. As I don't get updated via Email on this thread for what ever reason.

Edited March 23, 2008 by warwagon

[72001]

I dont' have any Idea really. But seeing how all you need is the self extracting zip file and not the script anymore. You can just go to windows update. Have it list all the updates to download, then open the self extracting exe on the file server and extract it to c:\windows\softwaredistribution\download and then proceed with the install. MOST of the updates should already be there ,and won't have to be downloaded.

Also thank you for the personal message letting me know you responded to the thread. As I don't get updated via Email on this thread for what ever reason.

The hell with everyone that thinks this is stupid or worthless... you did the best you could by simply empowering other users with the knowledge of this method for free and it seems they returned your attempt at passing somthing on with greif rather then thanks.

Until we can raise enough money to buy enough copies of Bambi to distribute to the big kids we have running around here I will sum up the lesson that watching that movie would teach you...

"If you don't have somthing nice to say... Don't say anything at all"

Constructive critism aside obviously but I see no one here has even offered you that. I think this was hampered because you didn't have a neat GUI and a cool Installer and it was really slim and not at all bloated. So in turn everyone here decided to cry about how useless this was....

Well here is what I have to say:

I think this is a realy cool script.

Being a programmer here are several ways this project can be updated to be more useful:

Have a .xml file in the root "update" directory along with all the updates to install.

XML File would contain the filename and the MD5 if you wish.

Use this XML file to query MS and return the description of what the update will do in either a tool tip or short text and verify the md5.

Have a checkbox next to each update in the list, updates which are not checked are not added to the Self Extracting Archive.(Obviously a select all / deselect all button)

Code to make the extracting archive dynamically can be found free here:

http://www.example-code.com/vbdotnet/writeExe.asp

As a final touch you can even have a autoinst.XML which if is there will automatically package certain packages into the EXE (useful for updating multiple machines with the same patches without having to sort through a buch of check boxes)

Very very simple. The harder part would be the GUI.

If you think this might be useful I would even meet you half way and write the code for the logic and GUI if you build the interface in Visual Studio (Any .NET Language or C++)

Good Job!!! and remember some people need to be ###### to sleep better at night... don't take it personal.

[72001]

Hey Warwagon great script but I was wondering if you know how to do a few specific tweaks to it. I have a file server where I've downloaded all of the updates to and I want to point Windows Update to that folder on the mapped drive. I tried using WSUS and it's a giant sack of resource sucking garbage :D . I am pretty sure this is possible, but I've scoured the net and haven't been able to find anything helpful. Also, I'm hoping to be able to avoid zipping the file if possible. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

1. Create a share on the file server with the files to be copied.

2. Modify the batch script to copy from the share to %WINDIR%\softwaredistribution\download.

That should take care of that.

[Fullcirclephoenix]

1. Create a share on the file server with the files to be copied.

2. Modify the batch script to copy from the share to %WINDIR%\softwaredistribution\download.

That should take care of that.

Absolutely would work and thanks for the feedback. I also think WarWagon's original script is pretty awesome. That being said, since I have 8 computers to maintain, getting Windows Update to look at a share drive would be that much better for me. Luckily, I may have found a way to do so by creating a junction (aka symbolic link) that should fool Windows into thinking the the "c:\windows\softwaredistribution" folders are still on C: when they are actually on the file server.

Haven't tested this yet, but I'll post an update and provide the instructions if it works. :D

[Fullcirclephoenix]

Yeah that didn't work very well. Can only junction a local folder to another in NTFS, can't use network paths. So that kind of derails my attempt.

[+Warwagon MVC]

I've made a video demonstrating the process I go through with my new method

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n46SQi4Nhug