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Installing Windows with Recent Updates?
MoJo asks: "As a computer technician, I have to re-install Windows often. It takes three attempts to complete Windows Update (get latest update software, validate Windows, download updates). It seems like all this clicking could be scripted somehow, but I can find no-one who has found a way of reducing the whole painful affair to just one or two clicks." Is there a way to build a Windows installation CD that includes the most recent set of updates?
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie =UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-09,GGLD:en&q=windows+ins tallation+cd+with+recent+updates
We used BartPE or a bootable DOS disk (if the DOS network drivers were available) to boot the computer onto something besides the hard drive in order to create or restore an image.
If the hardware's different, you have to use Sysprep, but I haven't messed with that.
MSFN's Unattended Windows : Introduction
Have you ever wanted a Windows CD that would install Windows by automatically putting in your name, product key, timezone and regional settings? And have it merged with the latest Service Pack to save time? Followed by silently installing all your favourite applications along with DirectX 9.0c, .Net Framework 1.1 and then all the required hotfixes, updated drivers, registry tweaks, and a readily patched UXTheme.dll without any user interaction whatsoever? Then this guide will show you how you can do just that!
Through the course of this guide, you will create a CD that does all the installing for you. The CD will be fully updated with the latest hotfixes, and install all your programs for you.
Most of the pages you will get when you google "slipstreaming" will talk about slipstreaming service packs, but you can also slipstream individual hotfixes into windows installations. Also not that Microsoft makes avaiable for download ISO Images containing every windows critical and security update. If you really want to make a slimpstreamed install of Windows with every single hotfix possible, this will save you time searching and download the iduvidual updates.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
Nlite is a great tool designed exactly for this. I've used it for several installs, and have created a CD that will install XPSP2 with hotfixes and all my drivers, and none of the extra crap that gets installed by default. It starts up in my LCD's native res, includes all my critical apps (firefox, etc.) right on the CD, and is completely unattended.
As others have mentioned, it is fairly easy to slipstream SP2 into an XP CD. But if you want to integrate the more recent updates, there's really only one option. RyanVM's Windows XP Post-SP2 Update Pack does exactly what you want and works like a charm. There are even third-party addon packs which let you add other interesting things to your XP install CD.
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
--Aristotle
This project describes how to do what you are talking about.
If you use ghost images, just setup a baseline PC that uses automatic updates or WSUS. Everytime updates are released, run sysprep and ghost the machine.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
My understanding is that the ISO files don't help you at all. They are huge because they include all languages. Each ISO file includes only the critical updates for ONE month. I know of no way to integrate them into a single CD image containing Windows XP SP2 and all the critical updates.
It is possible to download all the separate critical updates, and run them from a batch file. But that's a hassle; Microsoft does not make that easy. This is another way that Microsoft is adversarial towards customers; they waste the time of some of the best-educated people in the world.
Combine some selective slipstreaming with the unattended build facility, e.g. using http://unattended.sourceforge.net/>unattended. My colleagues slipstream service packs and critcial hotfixes (i.e. those that can result in ones machine being 0wn3d during the install) into the installation image, then have a manually-updated .CMD script that runs on the first boot to bring in the others.
Just spotted that /. posted my question, yay!
We can't use slipstreamed CDs. Microsoft says that it violated the terms of the licence agreement. To reinstall, we need the customers original CD and COA sticker. If they only have a restore CD which doesn't work, they are SOL and need to buy a new copy of Windows.
We have already been fined over this. We phoned up the Dixons group tech support line to see what they said, and they told us we should "borrow a friends CD". Luckily, we taped the conversation and sent a copy to Microsoft. Well, if we are gonna get screwed, at least everyone should be on a level playing field.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Yes, I have.
Microsoft told us we couldn't do it. When a customer brings a PC in for repair. we have to use their original Windows CD and licence COA. We can't use ours. If they have recovery discs, they are SOL. If their disc is scratched, they can buy a replacement for £15.00, no CD-R backups allowed.
We even got fined over this. We used to have loads of slipstreamed CD-Rs. Instead, we pull a gig a day of updates from microsoft.com now.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
We build pc's for business and home use. Due to lack of time for building and maintaining a OEM installation server, my co-worker installs all machines from an installation cd.
Now and then, Windows Update downloads are pretty slow. Therefore i have copied everything Windows Update downloads to a fileserver and created a batchfile with which we can install the patches. Ofcourse this is a bit time-consuming and it still has to be maintained each month, but it's quicker than letting Windows Update download and install everything for every pc we build.
These are the steps to follow:
On a freshly installed pc, which has the same servicepack, you can now copy that folder to the pc, and run the batchfile to install all updated (or perhaps you can assign a driveletter to the share so you don't have to copy the files). If you burned everything to a cd, you can probably start the batchfile without copying everything, i never tried that myself.
Note that you should make a different folder like this for each windows version (pro, home and others).
Anyone who wants to try this should thoroughly test it. You can verify if the patches have been installed by looking at the list displayed in 'Add/Remove programs'.