Slashdot Mirror
Windows XP Update Library On a CD
KrispyKofta sends us to APC Magazine for a writeup on Project Dakota, a one-man effort to provide all Windows XP SP2 updates on one downloadable CD. It's poor man's XP SP3, but even when SP3 is out, the project will continue to offer a CD that will install all patches offline. "When was the last time you installed a fresh copy of Windows XP SP2? The process is still straightforward and relatively quick... but then you think 'I'll just make sure the patches are up to date,' and proceed to stare in horror at the 100+ security updates and critical fixes that Windows Update or WSUS demands you install. And it takes forever. A better option which we've just discovered is the innovative work of Alek Patsouris... it's a self-contained boot CD which contains all the necessary updates to automatically patch a Windows XP SP2 system with all the patches available at the CD's build time."
Those who don't know history...
Reknowned IT publisher Heise is already offering an even better solution: c't Offline Update. Update W2K, XP, Vista, Office in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and some 20 more languages by using Microsofts update catalog to download all chosen updates, then creates an ISO image per OS (CD-sized) or for everything (DVD needed). The included scripts allow for a fully automated install of all updates from the CD or DVD, even including any necessary intervening reboots.
c't Offline Update Project Download Page
Honestly why is the latest revelation in documented common Microsoft software practices news on /. ? I mean you don't see "Latest yum library that that comes to you downloaded all rpms in one safe ISO!!1!" as a headline...
This is a nice idea for individuals who only have to do this once. However, the RyanVM and Xable update packs have been offered for years and integrate into your installation disc. No need to run another lengthly installation after the install is done.
If I followed the events last year correctly, It seems that the main argument of MS is that the AutoPatcher team distributes the patches from their own "servers" and not Microsoft's thus the possibility of the patches being distributed could be tampered with and not the "same" as the ones in MS servers.
Autopatcher was surely hurt by that but I believe they found a "loophole" in MS's demands. Last time I had visited the site, they are developing a client that would download the patches directly from the MS servers and after that act like the old Autopatcher.
Why use WindizUpdate?
Not only will it keep you up to date with the latest updates from Microsoft, it will also keep software and drivers from other vendors updated. However, that functionality is currently missing.
Good reasons to use WindizUpdate
* No personally identifiable information is collected from your computer.
* No more unwanted spyware -- Microsoft Internet Explorer can finally be removed from your computer (if that were possible).
* It lists just the updates you need. If an update has been superceded by a newer one, it will not ask you to install the older one.
* Using enhanced data from MBSA, WindizUpdate will find more security patches needed for your O/S than the "other" website.
* If there is a security issue with a component that is not yet installed, it will not ask you to update it. For example, if you have not installed hyperterminal, it will not update it.
* It is not restricted to just Microsoft products. Software from other vendors can also be updated.
* Upgrading to the latest version of Internet Explorer is not considered a Critical Update!
* Works on Windows versions no longer supported by Microsoft -- Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95
* Our plugin is not an ActiveX control.
* Integrated download manager with error detection -- you can cancel downloads at any time, and the next time you wish to install the cancelled update, it will continue from where it left off. Only corrupted sections of the file are redownloaded.
If you are still not convinced that WindizUpdate is the site for you, please check out our page titled "do we need to say any more?"
Disadvantages
* There is a delay from when new updates are released from Microsoft to when they appear on this site.
* If you're using Internet Explorer, you will need to use Microsoft's Windows Update site for updates -- this site will be of no use to you.
* You'll need to upgrade your browser if you're using MSIE 4.xx -- This site won't work, neither will Microsoft's. http://windizupdate.com/
The "do we need to say any more?" link is: http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/whywelovems.php
Sure, it's not an AIO CD, but it's a great alternative to Windows Update.
"While you're watching the quiet ones, a noisy one will fucking kill you!" - George Carlin
I decided a few days ago to dual-boot XP and Vista, since one of my devices isn't supported under Vista (its manufacturer hasn't existed for a while). I had to, of course, install all of the necessary updates for XP, but it only took one reset for over 100 patches. It's really not that bad a process.
Couldn't understand why people used their packs in the first place anyways, people don't trust MS with their data, but they trust a random third party on the internet, giving them complete access to their system? Could as well visiting bareback parties.
There already a freeware tool out there which does most of this task.
"Offline Update" (http://www.heise.de/ct/projekte/offlineupdate/download_uk.shtml) was created by Heise, a German publisher of several serious IT magazines.
You simply choose a MS product and it will then download all updates and patches and generate an ISO image for a bootable CD/DVD. Once finished, simply put that disk into the destination computer's drive and the the rest will be done via autostart. Reboots and related stuff will be handled by creating a temporary local admin account automatically, which will be deleted again once the program finishes its run.
A nice solution for smaller companies who don't want to set up their own WSUS node.
As are some of the security updates. I know it's a bit of an unreasonable demand, but I'd rather see a list of questionable updates than yet another offline patcher.
I just read Slashdot for the articles.
Ever heard of nLite or vLite? They let you build your [u]own[/u] XP/Vista ISOs with update, service pack and additional driver integration as well as literally every customization you can think of. So, yes, this is nothing exactly new, and I'd rather prefer my own customization.
The only things you can redistribute are the things they've marked as explicitly redistributable (like DirectX and various other runtimes).
This is why Autopatcher was terminated. I have also contacted Microsoft in the past to obtain explicit permission to mirror their updates and was refused permission to do so.