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Deploying Windows Updates?
WinBreak asks: "Well, I guess I'd be an 'IT Administrator' - but I work for a public library. The job consists of baby sitting 20-odd computers. The problem is, as a public library, we don't have much bandwidth - a simple 768K DSL line shared among everyone. It's good enough, for our normal traffic, and when people want to come in and do research (as long as there aren't too many kids on YouTube!). The problem comes when we need to do reformats and installs on machines. Most of our CD's for these machines are XP with Service Pack 1 - though we have a couple with Service Pack 2. For the SP1 CD's, we immediately deploy the SP2 Redistributable. But that still leaves OVER 100MB worth of downloads from Windows Update to go get. Our budget isn't great in the IT department, so spending money is not a great option - but I could sling together a grant proposal if need be. So how do others manage deploying a new install of Windows? Are we really expected to still download 100+MB per reinstall? Is Service Pack 3 on the horizon?"
"I've heard of programs that download updates to a server computer and distribute them through the network to clients, but that only worked for files released on Microsoft's Knowledge Base, if I recall correctly - not for all Windows Updates."
Then install the FREE Windows Software Update Services (WSUS) on it. This becomes your single download point for the patches, and manages a local repository.
Just download 'em once. The other machines will go there - instead of windowsupdate.microsoft.com.
You can even schedule yur own times for retreiving and distributing patches, centrally. It might force you to build a domain, if you don't already have one.
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
You could just download the stad-alone sp2 installer and put it on a cd and use that every time.
You make a HD image and use ghost or similar to deploy it?
Douglas P. Price
Yeah it's called "Vista".
Have you ever considered using imaging software to deploy one image to all the machines (if they're identical) or create individual images for each machine (if they're different)? Norton/Symantec Ghost, Acronis True Image, or g4u (Ghost for Unix) if you're looking for an OSS solution.
There's also software out there that can lock down XP, keeping any changes from becoming permanent...I used a program called DeepFreeze to minimize maintenanc on an 12 computer lab I ran.
Reinstalling Windows from scratch is a little inefficient compared to imaging or locking down the machines.
Slipstream both the hotfixes and the service pack 2 onto the cd. It's possible. If not, get at least the sp2, it'll save you time when patching (sp2 takes awhile to install, especially on older machines)
#1. Getting a clean install onto the machine(s).
#2. Keeping the clean install updated.
#3. Keeping unauthorized software off of the clean, updated install(s).
If you don't have all three, you'll be running through the processes again and again and again.
#1. This is the easy part. To save time, take an image of the machine(s) after you've finished.
#2. You can download any patch from Microsoft for "network deployment" so your bandwidth won't really matter. Just start the download process when you're closing up the library.
#3. Group policies or 3rd party software that returns the machine to a pristine state (and every time you make a mistake, you can use that image you created in step #1).
(since someone has to say it ...)
If most of those computers are "pubic access" to surf the net and check webmail, just dump Windows for any one of the major linux distros. Cheaper, easier to maintain, less prone to malware. SuSE also lets you create local repositories for updates, so you can just download them once and roll them out.
There are a multitude of ways around this.
Ghost the machines, and keep your images updated every couple of months.
Make a slipstreamed CD that includes all the current updates. This is a dead-simple way to do so..
If your network were bigger, you could use WSUS to keep a local repository of all the updates, so you're just downloading them once, and the WSUS server hands them out to all your local computers.
Check out nLite. It's an easy interface to create slipstreamed discs.
;-)
They also offer a bunch of packages (called "Addons") you can embed into this disc, as well: Java, Firefox, AVG Antivirus, WinRAR, etc.
Every month or two I will make a new disc for installs [for customers/friends]. The unattended mode is very handy.
Why do you keep downloading them? Why not keep them in a central location? Put them on a server, or burn them to disc.
Well, for starters, you should be making an image installation disk for your fresh installs that incorporates (or, in MS terms - "slipstreams") what you need into it. This is especially handy if you don't have the same hardware. Check out nLite - http://www.nliteos.com/nlite.html - for more details on how easy it can be to do this. This saves hours of time. Days, if you have tons of boxes to refresh.
t eservices/default.mspx - box somewhere on your network which will take care of those monthly downloads for you and only do the heavy download lifting on one machine. You'll need to configure all your other boxes via group policy or registry hacks to point to this server instead of the mothership @ Microsoft so they can get the updates from there.
Next you'll need a WSUS - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/upda
With these two steps, you'll free up bandwidth and have more time to hit the stacks!
Mind the gap...
Slipstream SP2
Slipstream security updates as well
Or get updates as ISO images and burn your own CDs
SUS is tailor-made for the situation you're talking about. Assuming you've got a domain in your library, put a proposal together to get another box, throw a flavor of Server 2K3 on it, and get SUS. SUS will synch to the Windows Update site, so anything available there will be available to you internally. Then you approve the patches you want to push, and Bob's your uncle.
Assuming you can get the approval for the server + software bits, you'll achieve what it is you're trying to do - not soak your 'Net connection and still keep a reasonable level of patchedness for your lab machines.
Redhawk
PS - If you're not on a domain, then SUS likely won't fly for you, as it ties into Active Directory and all those goodies.
You could also try AutoPatcher for Post SP2 updates. http://www.autopatcher.com/
Last updated July 14. About 45 MB with optional add-ons like WMP 10. You'll see a full list of what's included on the front page.
We use AutoIT extensively (http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/). It was originally developed to help with this sort of task, but now it is an extensive Windows, open-source scripting language. I prefer using it from Python via COM interface. We've been able to quickly solve emergent, repetitive IT tasks with this tool.
Slipstreap SP2 onto an install CD, and download the current autopatcher.
You'll save loads of time, and bandwidth.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Library computers are not necessarly browser kiosks.
Some people use the library computers to do work, which means users expect to read/write MS Word documents. Some of these users don't know how to use anything other than Microsoft Word and would completely panic when forced to use the "forign" OpenOffice.org (unless it is skinned to look no different), and can also panic on very subtle differences between Windows and XWindows.
If it's just a browser for accessing the web, I'd install linux (running Firefox) on those computers. You can access any research material online in this configuration.
Don't think that a small group of dedicated individuals can't change the world. It's the only thing that ever has.
They're just not that different. If the user is incapacitated by such a small difference in the layout of menus or toolbars, then he's got more problems than any sysadmin is qualified to deal with.
The grandparent poster is right; there's nothing that legitimate library users do that can't be adequately handled by any reasonably current Linux distro. The myth that Linux can't interact with Windows was blown out of the water years ago, and continuing to repeat it simply generates more heat than light.
Most of the library computers I've heard of are locked down so people can't just "bring their own data" so as to prevent problems with malware.
BTW: I guess you missed the reference to "pubic access" aka surfing for pr0n on the net :-)
i use norton ghost. This is the best thing ever. you simply install windows, activate, install all updates/ drivers, create a pristine ghost image, and let the bugs (in your case public users) loose on it! It's not an expensive investment for your employer, or even you so that you can have some sanity back. That's my suggestion.
-nick
It won't help you with your updates problem, but to cut down on the number of reinstalls, take a look at the Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit:
e fault.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/d
Like DeepFreeze (mentioned earlier in thread) it blocks any changes made to your systems from committing to disk (they get rolled back at logout or the next reboot) unless the administrator specifically allows them. Also: Free. And designed for libraries and schools specifically.
This would help a bit with your patch issue, but helps with all web traffic.
If you have a box to spare, install a web proxy (I like squid myself) and configure it with a large (multi-gig) disk cache. This would speed up everybody's web browsing & downloads, since people tend to visit the same sites (cnn, hotmail, espn, etc) often. It also acts as a chokepoint (all web browsing has to go through the proxy) where you can apply security rules & filters if you wanted.
This used to frustrate me too. I wrote a longish jounal article with enough detail to do what you want. It's here: http://ask.slashdot.org/~symbolset/journal/134087
Help stamp out iliturcy.
What about running the boxes as Linux native and providing Windows support via some virtualization software (i.e. VMWare). It's not like these people are gaming, so performance shouldn't be too much of an issue. As long as windows is confined to its little sandbox, the only reinstall needed is a simple rollback to the original Windows image.
I was slipstreaming post XP SP2 to the Windows SP2 installation.
There are plenty of references about slipstreaming.
I've been playing with this a bit for a family-support issue (you know how they are). Basically my plan as tested successfully works like this. Install Windows on a box. Get it set up perfectly. In my case also install Linux on the box (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 works the best with this new hardware...found all the drivers somehow so yea!). After all of that installing/perfecting I left enough space on the hard drive (or had a second drive, or in your case you could have an external drive that would work via a Knoppix disc via USB/Firewire/whatever) to store the Windows partition in its entirety. I used to need to have the same amount of space as the Windows partition uncompressed plus a bit extra but with a bit of help from bzip2 I have managed to copy the entire partition, bit-by-bit, to the extra partition as a file (partition is just ext2 but could be anything...I prefer having it non-recognizable by Windows just in case somebody gets smart and mounts that mysterious fat32 partition out there).
/media/hdb1/hda1.iso.bz2
/media/hdb1/hda1.iso.bz2 | dd of=/dev/hda1
/media/hdb1 to mount but Knoppix creates the mount point for you.
The commands I use follow:
Backup:
dd if=/dev/hda1 | bzip2 -c >
Restore:
bzcat
This simply takes essentially a "ghost" of the hard drive and saves it to a file (bit-by-bit) and then later restores it. Adding in bzip2 makes the file compressed. Without compression all of that free space you may have on the Windows partition is treated as used space (0-bits are still bits and we're backing them ALL up).
All I use to do this is a second hard drive or partition for the backup (sufficient size, ext2 filesystem type) and a Knoppix 5 CD. When I boot Knoppix I just use 'linux 2' because I don't need networking or a GUI to run those two commands. I think I may also have specifically told
This is simple, cheap, and could be scripted if you reworked the Knoppix disc.
Good luck.
Yeah... good one.
Let me put your proposal in other terms:
Me: "My car is running rough."
You: "Buy another car!"
How about we make useful proposals to this guy before swapping out
all his technology.
My college computer labs use DeepFreeze to restore the HDs to a preset condition on every boot, wiping out installed software, etc. You should consider looking into it, it works fine for them. Only way around it is to not boot from the HD, but from a LiveCD or something (and this can hopefully be stopped through BIOS settings... one of my friends worked around it with a CD and partitioned and dual booted Slackware as an experiment, heh heh heh).
If you choose to research this, also be sure to research cracking tools, I hear some exist, at least for outdated versions. If DeepFreeze has any sort of trial version, try to install it and see if you can make it uncrackable, if you can, since you're one of the most technically skilled people to try and do it, you might have found something useful in DeepFreeze. :)
There are probably other software packages too but I'm not too fond of crippling computers so I don't really know too much more about the subject. :)
It's called Ubuntu. It's real easy, and internally, I share my package directory through NFS. apt-get update && apt-get upgrade and all packages are already there.
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
It's sad when I trust a completely random website more than my OS vendor.
Start masturbating, I'm going to feed your troll:
If you don't have legitimate copies, Microsoft isn't your vendor. You get to sleep in the bed you made.
Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
Hah! Another bad car analogy.
If your current car has an engine that doesn't run properly, requires a lot of maintenance, and periodic expenditures for a new, buggier engine every few years to that same manufacturer, and someone else is offering you a free new engine, with free upgrades, and the chance to try it, again at no risk, you're going to try it.
In this case, ther are plenty of live DVD/CDs that give people a chance to kick the tires, so instead of having to throw out the whole "car", you can just replace the engine, free of charge. Because that's what most libraries are looking at over the next 3 years - upgrading both hardware and software (they won't be able to buy XP even if they want it, and Vista won't run on their current hardware), or switching to linux/bsd/whatever.
XP is the end of the line for Microsoft. Vista is alreasy shaping up to be both a support nightmare (too many versions, too many rewrites, too much hardware required for a decent "user experience", too many features cut, too many intentional holes in the "new security model", too much maintenance, too much money when compared to the competition). Remember, linux live DVDs are already good enugh for libraries and schools and anyone else who wants to surf the web, and they're only going to get better.
In my opinion, delaying SP3 is VERY abusive.
How much overhead does DeepFreeze imply? What are the opinions of those you who have used both solutions?
Note that the new version of Xen is also interesting. They claim very low overhead, though it is not clear if this applies to older hardware also or only the new Intel chips that have builtin VM support.
Unattended Windows
This has worked very well for me, excepting that I can't get the latest version of F-Prot antivirus to install automatically. I suspect F-Prot has deliberately broken this feature.
Simon's Rock College
"If your current car has an engine that doesn't run properly, requires a lot of maintenance, and periodic expenditures for a new, buggier engine every few years to that same manufacturer, and someone else is offering you a free new engine, with free upgrades, and the chance to try it, again at no risk, you're going to try it."
With the caveat that you have to install the engine yourself and there is absolutely no support - unless of course you want to count support as asking your buddy at work who likes to work on cars to help you, and waiting a few days before he has the time.
"XP is the end of the line for Microsoft. Vista is alreasy shaping up to be both a support nightmare (too many versions, too many rewrites, too much hardware required for a decent "user experience", too many features cut, too many intentional holes in the "new security model", too much maintenance, too much money when compared to the competition). Remember, linux live DVDs are already good enugh for libraries and schools and anyone else who wants to surf the web, and they're only going to get better."
*yawn* People like you were saying the same things when XP came out. What happened?
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
Free Windows Update alternative is released
Genuine Advantage is Microsoft spyware
Dump Windows Update, use alternatives
AutoIt is excellent. Make sure you get the excellent IDE, also.
For keyboard macros, use AutoHotkey, a fork from an earlier version of AutoIt.
Both FREE.
Yes, I know how GPO templates work, but the submitter doesn't exectly sound like a seasoned IT pro. I would think the GUI way of doing it would be welcomed for some one who is probably not accustomed to using regedit and/or the reg command.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
Users are incapacitated by The Bleeding Obvious. Given the amount of people that are likely to be confused by things that are obvious, you can be sure that there will be more people confused by something that does not have the same look and feel.
Whether or not Linux can or cannot interact with Windows is a seperate issue. I am talking about whether or not it mimicks the GUI of Windows.
In windows, users can instantly reach the floppy by going to A:\. Under Linux, you go to the
I am aware that mtools attempts to add transparancy between Linux and Windows floppy disk usage. However, this doesn't appear to provide transparent access by itself. Unless you have a distribution that supports automounting floppy disks or otherwise install an automounter yourself, you will have to deal with support requests that pertain to basic operating system usage.
We use Clark Connect to proxy the internet at our small shop.
It manages to cache almost all windows updates so you get them fast and save your bandwidth.
What goes around comes around, kid.
If you can't get WSUS to work (which is the best option around for free..), try this little script:
http://i3.tucuxi.org/articles/2005/hotfixes-wsh
It's something I hacked up when I couldn't get SUS (predecessor to WSUS) to work, and seems to do the job.. only thing is, users need to have local admin if this is to run as a logon script.
Get a copy of Ghost for when you need to install/reinsall an OS. Just setup a machine with all the updates and software you want all the machines to have, then you can install a replica of that machine onto any of the other machines via the network in one fell swoop. The machines just need to have a BIOS that allows them to boot from the network in order for you to be able to do this without using any disks whatsoever. Most machines seem to have that capability nowadays. It takes almost none of your time to do this, and requires no internet bandwidth.
For saving on bandwidth for updating existing machines, others have already answered that question.
As for your low bandwidth issue. If it's just acceptable, but not really quick to surf webpages, then you might find a proxy server beneficial. If you have an old machine lying around (like a P3-500 or so), that should be more than sufficient to run a proxy server. Just put Ubuntu Server, Damn Small Linux, or whatever your preferred Linux distro is on the machine and configure a Squid proxy server. It won't cost you anything, but can speed up surfing very noticeably. You can also install an adblocking filter for Squid to further save on bandwidth consumption, very considerably in fact. That may require some political hassles, however.
1) Install a proxy server. You probably have a router of some kind. Perhaps it's a linux box. What you could use to save your bandwidth is use some of your server's HD space to download the common items (like patches from Windows Updates). Since the proxy _can_ be transparrent, there is nothing to configure on the other computers. There are many ways to do this. My suggestion: Squid. In particular, I have used the implementation in ClarkConnect. It's easy to setup, and there is a free version. If you want the pay version, it's extremely inexpensive. http://www.clarkconnect.com/
2) Use nLite. nLite is a utility that makes custom Windows install CDs/DVDs. With the program, you can make an updated CD that installs SP2, all the updates, and even drivers. It even has the option to make the install "unattended", requireing no input by you. This might not be an option since you apparently don't have the Volume License version of of XP. None the less, highly recommended for those who have to re-install often. http://www.nliteos.com/
3) Consider some way to harden the researcher's experiance. Don't want to install Linux on your search stations? Use VMWare Player and the Browser Appliance! By doing this, you effectivly remove any possiblity of Viruses, Spyware or otherwise unwanted downloads. And the best part is... if you don't like/can't use the browser appliance to do what you need... go back to windows. http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
Hope these suggestions help.
--Pathway
There are many solutions to this problem, one of them being AutoPatcher. They provide many more updates (including hotfixes) than the standard windows update does as well.
To save bandwidth all round, install a caching proxy like squid. As well as speeding up access to popular websites, if one configures it to save objects up to 200MB in size it will remember all the OS patches.
Some of my customers have recently reported issues with F-prot and MSN Messenger [and Live Messenger] where if they are both running the entire system becomes very sluggish... Have you experienced this at all? My quickest work-around has been to install AVG Free for now.
On Slashdot, only people not interested in commenting on the discussion can rate comments. So, many times readers visit stories in which they have no interest so that they can moderate.
The first link in the parent comment is not "Offtopic". It's an alternative way to update your Windows computers, which is exactly the subject of the discussion.
Windows Update Service is cool but if you've only got 20 computers and don'e have a server setup already it may be a bit of an overkill.
Personally I've been using a tool called AutoPatcher http://www.autopatcher.com/ which includes all the updates and a number of other standard companents, like flash, java etc.
If you have seen it yet then check it out. It soulds like it will be exactly what you are looking for.
No, seriously. The thing that gets trumpeted as an advantage of commercial software over open-source software is that you get proper support. And here you are, a paying customer of Microsoft's, resorting to asking Slashdot instead of the organisation that should be helping you solve your problems, Microsoft. It's their product, it's their deficiency, how come you aren't asking them?
This can be particularly true in a small town. Word and Publisher see a lot of use here. It doesn't hurt that the easily navigated MS Office site delivers one-stop shopping for tutorials, templates and clip art.
Get Shavlik HFNetChkPro. Its free for a year for 50 machines. Scans for all of the MS products, plus Adobe, Winzip, and others...
Shavlik wrote the MS Baseline Security Analyser, the product is solid. www.shavlik.com
No, I don't work for them...
Microsoft offers his security updates by iso files in their website... so once a month, you downoad the file, burn it on cd as a saved project... and you use it on all your computers...
simple, safe (as much as a microsoft service could be) and pretty much foolproof
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913086
He's talking about 20 light use machines.
For incremental updates, staggering automatic downloads a 2 through 6 am should work.
For service packs, download to cd. He already does that.
The real problem is the reinstalling, and frankly, you shouldn't need to.......
Locked down permission, draconian install policies, or switch to Linux. You should not need to reinstall unless you experience hard failure, and in that event reinstall, turn on automatic updates, and let the thing start sucking on your dsl at 6 pm on a sunday, or whenever you go home.
WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
Oh horseshit. Vista has had enough features stripped that it's probably going to end up being a modified Win2k3 kernel running with the "Aero Glass" interface. And you know what? People are going to buy it. In North America Microsoft is not going to have a problem for MS. There was no damned reason to go from Win2k to WinXP, but many did.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a Linux/FreeBSD enthusiast, and when it comes to fielding an OS with commercial support it's all about Solaris with me. But I'm also a realist. MS aren't stupid, and yes, they've made some missteps.. but they're not going away. Companies like DEC who didn't evolve fast enough got munched, but Microsoft is scary: they evolve their business model fast enough that it's basically like a metastasizing malignant tumor. Right now we're flying right into the "subscription" phase.
If linux starts to pose a real threat the lawsuits will come from Microsoft's IP department. Shit.. they've probably got a patent on the "for" loop. This won't be SCO suing, this will be Darth Fucking Vader kicking down the door.
I'd be happy if open source operating systems ever hit 5% on the desktop market, but with things like DRM in play it's not going to happen over the next few years unless we get crap like this under control.
--Yep. For small-medium networks, use Squid. Allow me to recommend my Squid VM Appliance, located here:
g eID=359128
http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messa
--1.5GB growable disk, preconfigured to store objects up to 20MB in size, and Free software to boot. Only uses ~100MB RAM in the guest. Point all browsers at the proxy (10.0.244.4:3128), do a Win Update on _one_ machine, and the other machines will DL the updates from the proxy.
--Vmware Player is free, and can be downloaded here:
http://www.vmware.com/download/player/
.
== WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
Use Linux or *BSD.
There was no damned reason to go from Win2k to WinXP, but many did.
Most people didn't go from Win2k to WinXP; they either went from Win9x, or its their first computer.
Heck, I know some people who are still running Win98 - they've recently gotten a new box (it has XP on it) and they want me to install linux on it. Why? Because its just as easy to use as XP, has more features, and doesn't need a virus scanner, whereas Vista will always be broken compared to a real system. Its already over 4 years late, and the competition hasn't been standing still.
...In windows, users can instantly reach the floppy by going to A:\. Under Linux, you go to the /mnt/floppy mount-point, or by using a GUI shortcut to reach the floppy instead. When a user finds that typing a:\ does not work, that user would be slowed down a bit when he searches for that floppy shortcut...
Well, to be a bit brutal about it, if he is slowed down by a few nanoseconds, who cares? If Apple can get away with calling their floppy drives anything other than "A:/" without being branded as user-unfriendly, why shouldn't Linux?
As the majority of Linux distros these days come with hal/dbus (i.e automount plus some extras) included, the interface is now almost identical to that used by OS X.
There is a way to download the .exe for SP2, and then burn that to a disk.
Search for SP2 on multiple computers, or something along those lines. And when SP3 comes out, do the same thing.
I remember I had to do that for a friend whose laptop was in german, and the campus wouldn't let her get on the web without SP2 installed... I downloaded it, burned it, and installed it from the CD without so much as scoffing from either MS or Windows.
I do suppose you have CD-Rs lying around?
---- I am certain of only one thing : I know nothing else.
Windows Server of some kind, you could try out something called WSUS. That makes the server in your domain the windows update server. Call it a Windows Update mirror.
"If you loved me, you`d all kill yourselves today"
Spider Jerusalem
...either URPMI or APT for updates, both of which are trivial and powerful to use compared with Microsoft's chaotic collactions, and have been for many years.
Such use would also make the dynamic customisation of updates much simpler and faster (and more possible at all). People who are much less control-dominated thab MS faced and solved these kinds of issues well and long ago.
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
1) RyansVM - google search it - works great with Nlite to create a slipstreamed CD
2) AutoPatcher - google search it - aggregates all of the updates into a single downloadable file
3) Windows Update - LOL, not a "real" option if you ask me
4) Download all of the hotfixes and use Nlite to slipstream them
5) MSUS as mentioned already
that's all that I know of up to now.
Part 1 bandwidth
700k is not bad bandwidth, but set up a web proxy server and set cache to as may Gig as possible
This will help your users web surfing experience
Part 2 windows updates
Get WSUS
Part 3 os reloads or ghosting
Check into a program from Altiris called deployment server (check to see if you can get educational pricing)
With is program you can automate os images pushes and or pulls, to a hidden partition on local drive or to a network
Depending on your network, this could be done daily or weekly
Millions of people are required to repeat something that should be done my Microsoft, once.
Microsoft has no respect for our time.
> If you don't have legitimate copies, Microsoft isn't your vendor. You get to sleep in the bed you made.
...
You would be correct if you added two words to that. Those to words are "Microsoft isn't your vendor any more"
Or haven't you paid any attention to all the folks with "illegitimate" copies of Windows who have receipts, documentation, certificates and other crap, but which Genuine [Dis]Advantage considers to be pirated?
I tend not to get too excited over the pathological case, particularly when replying to an admitted infinger.
We haven't seen this, but I've never had a IM related support request, so that does not mean anything.
Have you tried removing MSN? It is a security risk its self.
Simon's Rock College
simple download all updates make a fire throw hdd in fire and you have succsessfully destroyed your windows updates! and you desroyed the curse on the harrdrive as well its called windows http://www.microsoft.com/windows
First off, I'd like to actually THANK everyone who replied. All of the information was very helpful. I'll be looking into WSUS to fulfill my needs. We currently have an in house server running good ol' Windows NT (no internet connection to it, so we're not worried about security exploits or anything). I thought about using that computer to try WSUS, but then I remembered an unused Windows 2000 Server lisence we have laying around since pulling a machine out of the loop! And with some money in the budget, I can put together a new machine that will serve this job perfect. 2nd, a reason I couldn't just do scheduled or 'automatic updates' with these computers is because I use a program called "Deep Freeze" from Faronics (see: http://faronics.com/index.asp). It basically keeps the computers in a specific state until you tell te software to "thaw" and then reboot. Then, you have to "freeze" the partition and reboot again once changes are finished. Automating some tasks can be a pain - but the benefits of this software in our work environment far outweigh any annoyances. Autopatcher sounds like it'll be nice for home use... sort of a single download and deploy method, rather than having to wait for Windows Update to do its long winded tasks. Thanks for the info, everyone, it's been great, and I'm sure you've all given ideas to many others in my same situation! Garrett C. a.k.a. NuAngel of WinBreak.
http://www.autopatcher.com/
Have you been DaMa9eD today?
I work for a computer builder/retailer. Is there a way to download and deploy updates to a newly built PC without changing any settings on the new PC? I want to be able to download updates to a central server and just run a file on that server from a newly built PC and have my pre-downloaded updates installed. That way when the customer gets the unit home, they can just click the WU or let the AU work.
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