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Windows 7 Not Getting A Second Service Pack
An anonymous reader writes "Windows 7 was expected to have Service Pack 2 issued roughly 3 years from its introduction (late 2009). People, including myself, have been asking 'Where is it?' and the answer apparently is, 'It isn't, and will never be' which lends itself to the giant pain of installing Windows 7, then Service Pack 1, and hundreds of smaller hotfix patches. Why Microsoft? No go to Service Pack 2 for Windows 7!"
NT4 - 6 2000 - 4 XP - 3 Vista - 2 7 - 1 8 - 0???
Duh. People won't willingly switch to Windows 8, so this is just another way to push them there.
Having barely used Windows for the last few years I'd almost forgotten the horror of Windows Update compared to apt-get or yum update.
And you should feel bad.
Help I am stuck in a signature factory!
who cares
...it's called Win8.
Windows 8....
Unix, an obscure operating system developed by bored researchers in an attempt to get a better game playing experience.
It is like self deportation. If Microsoft makes conditions miserable enough on Windows 7, they hope people will upgrade to Windows 8. It won't work because going form Windows 7 to Windows 8 is like going from Mexico to Guatemala.
a way to make IT managers waste so much time they HAVE to upgrade!
M$ yo!
After all, M$ is more worried about Windows 8/Metro.
Why not install Win7 SP1, hit the update button and walk away... if it's really a problem, you can always set up a wsus server.
They can EoL windows 7 really fast and try and force as many people as possible to switch to windows H8, I mean 8.
Does Microsoft think it can just withhold updates and people will upgrade like lemmings to the Entity Formerly Known as Metro?
This is only going to accelerate the migration to Ipads, Android tablets, a bit of Linux, et alia.
I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
If you are doing fresh installs that often, just create a slipstream disc. Problem solved.
I've never understood the need to apply patches on patches on patches on ... Maybe it's just a Linux thing I'm used to, or maybe I'm not even aware it's happening, but why isn't there just a single "updated" version that is pushed out?
When service-packs were slow in coming for previous windows OS's, weren't there some "unofficial" bundles that basically did the same thing?
This is disappointing, but not surprising. Microsoft knows that most experienced Windows users don't want any part of Windows 8. But they are convinced that Windows 8 is a vital part of their business strategy going forward. So they are doing whatever they can to bribe, force, or coerce users to switch to Windows 8. They don't want Windows 7 to become the new XP, even though they profited handsomely for many years from XP licenses. The power user/business desktop just isn't cool enough for Steve Ballmer, Steven Sinofsky, and the other myopic decision-makers at MS these days.
Should there be one? I mean, with so many people singing 7's praises, why would they even bother?
Honestly, WTF is wrong with you people, you're getting security patches with some degree of speed, it's incredible compared to it's previous incarnations, what more do you want? I remember a time, when, with a single ping, you could drop everybody on the network, have you all forgotten stuff like that? BSOD's anyone?
Having barely used Windows for the last few years I'd almost forgotten the horror of Windows Update compared to apt-get or yum update.
Horror? Yeah, MS likes to slip shit in - like their Genuine something or another that now all of a sudden flags my MS Office as being illegitimate - event though it had no problem with it when it was first installed. (I turned Auto Update on because I wanted to make sure my system was patched against exploits and even though I unchecked the "GEnuine Advantage" or whatever it's called, it still got on my system.)
But horrror?
Occasionally, a PITA is more like it.
DISM supports offline patching of .WIM Images:
http://myitforum.com/myitforumwp/2012/01/31/offline-wim-patching-with-dism-a-more-automated-method/
If you're just installing Windows 7 from CD on a large install, you're doing it wrong. Deploy a patched WIM.
I usually use Linux, but occasionally I spin up a Win 7 vm when I need it. If you install using a SP1 disk, there are around 100 updates that need to be installed afterward. In my experience, this is comparable to the amount of updates needed after grabbing the latest Ubuntu LTS or a few month old Fedora release (Although Windows update can be slower that Apt or Yum). Sure its not super convenient, but if you are installing Windows enough for it to be a problem, then you aren't doing your deployments correctly. You should really look into WSUS and WAIK for updating and deploying windows, respectively. They are both Microsoft products, but there are also numerous 3rd party tools of variable quality. A proper WAIK install can actually do the patching process during the install, so that when the computer logs in for the first time, it is fully patched.
Two words: Planned obsolescence
Just like Windows ME was a service pack for 98 SE?
They want you to think of Windows 8 as a replacement that is so good they need not have a sp2 for 7. They also want to give the impression they're stopping support for 7 so anyone who wants customer service will have to upgrade, which in the end all lends itself to profile.
Per my subject-line above: I submitted this today since I felt it was important not only for matters of convenience but also time-saving!
By installing a Service Pack instead of the roughly 80++ hotfix patches I have that APPLY to this system (and there are about 10 more that don't for whatever reasons) after Service Pack #1 is installed!
Now, bear in mind, that having to install THAT many patches (many needing a reboot)?
Hey - this is a LOT OF ROOM FOR ERROR in that one could SKIP one of them (and most are "critical security-related fixes") as well as time-consumption even if done manually (worse, if you wait for "Windows Update" to do it)).
I sort of "beat" the time-consummation by installing them in NAME order, ala e.g.-> KB1.exe -> KB2.exe -> KB3.exe (you get the picture) & then, I do an "en-masse reboot" - telling the hotfixes to omit the reboot UNTIL I APPLY THEM ALL!
(Yes, I am hoping this is "ok" to do, & so far over the years/decades now, it's worked)...
However again, it's risk - MORE RISK than installing a single service pack that "rolls up" those 80++ hotfixes as well as IE9 & its unified "remote install" rollup service packs too (mostly these are "the latest/greatest" contains the fixes from the ones before it, again, afaik).
I don't like the time taken or risk either, doing that many installed file patches @ once is all... I doubt ANYONE here does!
* Lastly, as I stated in my submission - others are and HAVE been curious about it. I am one of them, since I submitted a story not TOO long ago regarding my asking "Where is Service Pack #2 for Windows 7?" here -> http://idle.slashdot.org/submission/2245763/where-is-windows-7-service-pack-2 but, I was "rejected"... not this time!
(Nice part is, it's the VERY 1st story /.'s ever taken from me, & I've been "hanging around" here posting since 2005... "bonus", I guess!)
APK
P.S.=> LMAO @ the "Unknown Lamer" as the submitter...
... apk
Has decided that its out with the old and in with the new. Anyone opposing him is binned or sidelined. To underline the drive involved in Windows 8 - Windows 7 will quite quickly face a lock. If they can force you onto 8 thats where they will do so.
If he doesn't do this, the moment they will get on 8 will be minimised and he will look a private and public failure. And Mr Sinofsky doesn't like to be a failure.
It may questionably be good for windows users long term - as this might mean that the eco system has the earthquake required to shunt a billion trillion manhours of ecostructure from old win to new win.
Personally I think metro/notro is very poor. And it would take more than Sinofsky being a knob and a shitty UI to persuade people in the real world. Thus, looks rocky to me.
Its a shame, because to be blunt, 8 has some good engineering as does server 2012, utterly ruined by Sinofsky's insane LSD based unwindows, no windows allowed, ported from zune, but still broken beta UI. To rub your nose in it, they broke the old UI as well, and denied you the start bar and old desktop even if you like it. From now on its notro for you. Unless you go get classic shell and give sinofsky the finger.
The problem is I think he'd like the finger, so lets not.
I'll get my coat.
We`re all equal
MS does not want to repeat its WinXP "mistake" of customers not upgrading; service packs were sufficient to run legacy software and not retrain employees. XP is a stable enough, functional OS with sufficient features that there is no compelling reason to upgrade. If your future profits depend on customers willingly upgrade ,why would you make it easy to NOT upgrade by supplying service packs.
Ironically, the price for XP machine was climbing for the first half of the year. I replaced my child's old WinXP with refurbished machine several months ago because of legacy software and minimal requirements compared to VISTA or Win7.
. . . .
You can't always wait for your ship to come in;
sometimes you just have to row out and get it!
For small shops who only do a few "from scratch" installs a year and who want to patch their system as much as possible before connecting to a network, annual, quarterly, and monthly bundles will be a good solution.
If I can download:
Service Pack 1
2011 patch bundle for Windows 7
1Q2012 patch bundle for Windows 7
2Q2012 patch bundle for Windows 7
3Q2012 patch bundle for Windows 7
October 2012 patch bundle for Windows 7
and install all of these before I turn on the network, I'll feel a lot safer.
The current option of downloading Service Pack 1 then individually downloading each subsequent patch isn't practical for most small shops.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Yeah, that's a difficult question, why not make it easy to install Win7 when you can sell them a Win8 License...
So instead of one big update they are releasing lots of small ones. As long as holes get patched in time I don't see how this affects end users. It's just a different patching schedule, a development-time decision which has little to do with the quality of the product.
It is my understanding that updates are not fully regression tested, whereas service packs are.
That said, they are going to need every single scrap of QA help they can muster to troubleshoot and isolated Windows 8 bugs for the next several years, so Microsoft will not have time to regression test the updates for Windows 7 into a Service Pack 2.
You can make your own, I have been using this since version 2 - it allows you to make a DVD or you can just copy to a usb key.
http://www.h-online.com/security/features/Offline-Update-746179.html
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. Emo Philips
Agreed, 110%... I think that also ("great minds think alike" & all that cliche stuff)!
Yes, I agree with you that Mr. Sinofsky is "shitting his pants" that Windows 8 will "flop" (it will, unfortunately) & is *trying* to "forcefeed" Windows 8 to the masses this way!
(Simply by making dealing with Windows 7 less convenient than it used to be with Service Pack rollups of hotfixes, & instead forcing users to use "Windows Update" OR doing it manually!)
Hey - By making users install SP #1, & then having to either wait out "Windows Update" doing it, this is S L O W & risky imo, while those holes are open to attack... OR, doing it yourself, eating up LOADS OF TIME to patch your rig!
(I do save SOME TIME though, doing it as I do & illustrated here, in detail, HOW I go about it @ home -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3207047&cid=41753975 ).
"Has decided that its out with the old and in with the new. Anyone opposing him is binned or sidelined. To underline the drive involved in Windows 8 - Windows 7 will quite quickly face a lock. If they can force you onto 8 thats where they will do so. If he doesn't do this, the moment they will get on 8 will be minimised and he will look a private and public failure. And Mr Sinofsky doesn't like to be a failure." - by AdmV0rl0n (98366) on Wednesday October 24, @01:02PM (#41753983) Homepage Journal
A "little variation" on that thought from you - He's decided his ass and Mr. Ballmer's are "on the line" if Windows 8 fails... & he's already done the job on that much... how so? Well... simple: YOU CAN'T SELL FOLKS WHAT THEY DO NOT WANT!
(That's a "cardinal rule" of sales, give folks what they want? They WILL buy... but you can't sell snow to an Eskimo, or a user interface that alienates nearly 18 yrs. of usage worldwide by MILLIONS of customers/users!)
APK
P.S.=> We'll see how Windows 8 goes, I predict "FAIL" (& I am like "the posterchild for 'Windows fanboy'" around THIS site, lol) - but, IF MS is resorting to such "puny ploys/tactics"? They're only harming themselves... dumb move on this imo, bigtime, for all the reasons I've stated in the article submission, and in my other post here as well (see link above)...
... apk
Microsoft wants to shove Windows 8 (The Playskool OS) down everyone's throat, so they'll phase out Windows 7 as soon as they think they can get away with doing so. Step 1 in that process is not issuing a Service Pack 2.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Special security updates aside, whenever Apple updates the OS e.g. 10.7.2 to 10.7.3, it's essentially a service pack. Normally there's a combo updater that rolls up all updates for that major release so you could go from 10.x.0 to 10.x.4 (example only).
There are times when Apple's monolithic updates are a drawback, especially for traditional enterprise IT who might need to exclude certain updates, but here they have a clear advantage over Windows' hundreds of individual patches (sometimes requiring 2 or 3 Windows Update runs and restarts to get them all).
Microsoft hasn't done one of those since Windows 2000, but at one time they had a roll-up patch for 2K SP4 that incorporated all the updates released between the SP and the roll-up. I wish they'd re-institute the practice because it saves us desktop-support types a lot of time.
Maybe make a yearly roll-up so that I shouldn't have to install more than a few dozen updates at the most when I put our image on the computers. I've rolled my own image, but it's a bit of a pain to install updates.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
no no
CE was the sp for ME was the sp for NT
CEMENT!
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
Not releasing an SP will force people to Windows 8? I for one do not intend to upgrade from Windows 7 until at least 2017.. Why? Because there is no reason to..
I feel JUST AS YOU DO (& others I replied to also) about it -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3207047&cid=41754337 & per my subject-line? We differ in only 1 respect: I think the motivation behind it's not only GREED, but, also FEAR... fear that both he & Mr. Ballmer will "take a beating" IF Windows 8 doesn't do well!
(I actually don't think it will - despite my "fanboyism" regarding Microsoft & Windows over the years here)...
* We'll see how Windows 8 goes... I predict "FAIL" personally!
(Hey - as far as I am concerned? Well... MS failed ME on this - it's very disappointing!)
APK
P.S.=> I listed how & why it 'ticks me off' they've resorted to this in my other posts (2) shown in the link above, & it regards SECURITY of all things, since most hotfixes apply to security, since the time taken for Windows update's TOO SLOW/TOO LONG, & leaves you "open" to attack on those things the hotfixes fix, OR, you could skip 1 of the roughly 80-90 hotfixes on the way applying them & NEVER KNOW IT, unless you checked thoroughly later in "Programs & Features" where you can view installed updates to verify you manually applied said hotfixes in full (eating more time still & being a PAIN like installing 80++ hotfixes that apply to Windows 7 here for me))...
... apk
Because it's BORING.
Microsoft developers are too important to work on something so BORING.
Why Microsoft? No go to Service Pack 2 for Windows 7!"
From the TFA:
Service packs are a pain for Microsoft, because they divert engineers’ time and budget from building new versions of Windows. In this case, the anticipation for Windows 7’s SP2 comes around the same time as the launch of Windows 8, out later this week. Also, by ending SPs, Microsoft could be pushing customers towards the completely new Windows 8.
So bend over and lube up people. :-)
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Glass is gone, not Aero.
Aero is the desktop composition engine that uses the GPU to do all kinds of rendering shit. This is present in 8 and in fact faster/more capable than ever. Glass (Aero Glass) is the shiny UI in Windows 7, that is gone in Windows 8, replaced with an uglied up flat, square, UI.
So basically there is an even better desktop composition engine, that is used to composite something that looks like Windows 3.1 :).
In terms of drivers, yes older drivers seem quite compatible. My pro sound card works no problems with the 7 drivers and pro audio cards have some of the most finicky drivers out there.
"What are the "good" engineering in Windows 8?" - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
Nothing on the surface, but underneath the hood? Plenty! Things like these come to mind:
The BIG ONE imo @ least?
Self-Terminating Services (Services are like *NIX daemons) - so, when they're not in use/idle? They self-terminate!
(Saving RAM, CPU cycles, & other forms of I/O too - it's stuff "tweakers" like myself've been doing for decades by setting which services we need enabled OR in manual set rather than automatic, & others disabled)
---
"You still can't delete opened/used files" - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
Sure you can (but, it's there to PROTECT the integrity of the file too while it's being used) - there's tools like File Unlocker or even Microsoft's Process Explorer that can do it (or the inuse.exe tool by MS) - you send the calling application HLT instructions to "numb it" (like smoke does to bees for example) & once that's done? Delete said file... works vs. malwares like NO TOMORROW in fact while in usermode/Ring3/RPL3 and should here too!
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"you still can't open a file in multiple applications at the same time" - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
What gives you this idea? The "Copy-On-Write" mechanism functionality allows for this typically... see here -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy-on-write
(Correct me IF I am wrong on that account, OR, tell us an example with a particular application you use where this happens to you... thanks!)
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"chkfsk takes hours (compare that with fsck with takes seconds on 1.5TB RAID?" - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
I don't have this issue, but, as long as it does the job properly, that IS what matters most here (unless you LIKE corrupted data, lol)... & any checker of master file tables/fats etc.-et al can take a LONG time, if the "damage" is extensive and file data on disk doesn't sync with the MFT$ (yes, using "Windows-Speak" here) data for that area on disk...
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"You still don't have a package manager?" - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
Do I need one? I've used & LIKE stuff like yum/apt get on Linux... are those what you mean??
---
"you still don't have anything useful in Windows pre-installed (like Python, Bash, Git, ssh, or a text editor (no notepad is a joke not a text editor)! No LVM support, no support for ext2/3/4 or btfs, no LUKS encryption.?" - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
THAT I am "Forced" to agree with, however - I do understand WHY Microsoft does this: To get you to buy their "fuller more capable versions" in Office, Visual Studio, etc.-et al!
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"You still have the worst file manager ever (now I can't just drag&drop files and choose what I want copy/move/link)*?" - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
Oh, I like it well enough - & there ARE shell-extensions that can do "hardlinks" & symbolic linking's already present in directories for NTFS 5 too!
---
"Can you please tell me anything new in Windows that is actually a benefit to the user? Anything except transparent windows."?" - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
I listed some above... pretty cool stuff I wish was in Windows 7 & below actually (especially self-termination services), but, I do & have done pretty much the SAME THING for Windows NT-based OS since
He wants to force everyone on the planet to use Windows 8, at gunpoint if need be. And if he can't do that, he'll take your older OS and go home.
Anything to push sysadmins closer to Windows 8. Of course, you can install windows 7 once, update, sysprep, then clone with your favorite cloning software.
Windows 7 was thrown under a bus the moment Microsoft got shamed into going tablet.
Pity, because Windows 7 is a really good Windows, very little to complain about, and lots of little things like security and Gadgets that seemed to have a future. I skipped Vista, but found Windows 7 a very easy upgrade from XP for work, particularly because nearly everything I don't like about Windows 7 can be tweaked with a tool or a hack.
Investors weren't happy with a good, stable (and dominant!) desktop where Phones and Tablets are the new thing. Microsoft's shift to put the desktop behind them (or, as a process under Metro) is little more than a pander to Wall St. know-it-alls in the hope of getting their stocks and options to rise. But there are no apps, and Balmer is better there won't be unless developers think the desktop is going away.
So bye-bye Windows 7, we hardly knew ye.
Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...
If they don't release another service pack, it makes it easier to jettison support for Windows 7. If they release another service pack, the product lifecycle timer (based on the SP release date) starts ticking again...
Windows 7 SP 2.
Windows 7 = NT 6.1
Windows 8 = NT 6.2
More than a service pack, but much less than a complete change.
Fuck you Microsoft for making life harder for everyone all around who uses and supports Windows 7 and trying to force people into using your shitty Windows 8.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
Every single day it has at least 75 packages that need an update. It's as annoying as it could possibly be. I had to turn updates off completely on the box I use to run XBMC, since it's constanly popping up "14 new packages found, click here to update some dumb console tool you never use" in the middle of movies.
Why can't the FOSS get it's package management house in order before casting stones?
Use use a variant of this script. You may need to run it multiple times (three seems to work) -- we automate that as well (using Symantec/Altiris Deployment Solution), but that part can be done in various ways. It makes the need for Service Packs a non-issue for automated deployments, and much less of an issue for everyone.
The main problem is that if you don't use WSUS the script appears to only install Windows Updates, not Microsoft Updates. I haven't figured out how to make that work...but it mostly doesn't affect us, as we DO use WSUS, and the script retrieves all WSUS approved updates.
I used to do "slipstreamed" installers actually (as far back as Windows NT 3.51 no less, before "the crowd" got into it & called it that - I never gave it a name like that though, lol!).
The ONLY ISSUE I have is the risk of NOT using the "latest/greatest" build of the file you're "slipstreaming in" to the installation itself right off the bat!
(Since, if you've noticed, that MANY "hotfixes" often patch the same file over & over (e.g. -> ntoskrnl.exe). So, in my opinion, that makes it riskier than it used to be with older OS by MS.... that's all!)
* Since this has become MS' "official policy" now (dumb one imo)? I'll most likely just take my time & "do it right", by doing yet another 'slipstreamed' OS installation (which means I'll have to redo it for future subsequent hotfixes yet again, later)... ugh!
APK
P.S.=> "Oh well" - & on a closing note here? Man - I submitted the article we're replying to here today, and am probably the CLOSEST THING you'll see on /. for a "poster child for Windows 'fanboyism'" on MY part but... Microsoft is DROPPING THE BALL here, bigtime! Other spots too...
E.G.-> It's BAD ENOUGH to blow away use patterns like menus (vs. stupid ribbons), and then changing from the classic shell look of Win9x in Windows NT-based OS, to the "fisher price" look in XP (with its STUPID control panel 'shields' that only are 'fronts' to the old-school .CPL files anyhow really), and then to go to AERO (not so bad, other than the single security issue it had but is patched long ago), but to make us now have to "learn 'METRO'"? Come on...
Bottom-Line: You can't sell folks what they DO NOT WANT!
Yes, THIS IS a BIG mistake by MS!
Especially considering they're a retailer of software & one of the largest & most successful software oems/publishers there is (their marketers are losing their minds imo by breaking that single cardinal rule of sales, in giving folks what they want - NOT what they DO NOT WANT & are not used to!)...
... apk
There are alternatives: http://www.wsusoffline.net/
You can't patch perfection. Long live Windows 7!
They're "the problem" though (article submitter here): There's roughly 90-100 hotfixes & each takes time + demands reboots... the reboot part I can "get around" by STALLING them, until the last hotfix patch is installed - then, I reboot (installing the hotfixes here MANUALLY, by name, ala -> KB1.exe -> KB2.exe -> KB3.exe , etc.-et al)
Only 80 actually apply to my Windows 7 64-bit "Professional" version!
However - That means 2 bogus things I have to deal with (unless I create a 'slipstreamed' install that has SP1 + the hotfixes built in, which can present some problems too that I'll go into since SOME patches, patch patches (whew, say THAT 10x fast, lol!)).
---
1.) Time taken installing 80++ hotfix patches
2.) "Downtime absence" of those hotfixes in the meantime (meaning potential vulnerabilities being taken advantage of by malicious sites/servers etc.)
3.) HASSLES of doing that, or even building a 'slipstreamed install' that has SP1 + all the hotfixes (with correct file versions, since SOME patches, patch patches (lol)).
---
* The ONLY OTHER TIME Microsoft has "let me down" with Windows 7 was when they pulled the smaller & FASTER PARSING hosts file blocking "IP Address" of 0 - Which oddly enough, Windows 2000 SP#2 onwards/XP/Server 2003 can STILL USE!
(Which is smaller than 0.0.0.0, the next fastest/most efficient, vs. 127.0.0.1 the 'default one' for blackholing hostnames/domain names, which is larger/slower AND can incur a "loopback" overhead if the loopback adapter's installed!)
APK
P.S.=> THIS? This is yet another time... 2nd one for me, along with that above I just noted (not sure which disappoints me more... this one actually I'd have to say)...
... apk
Just re-package all the updates into one big one and put it right into the install data on the CD/DVD/USB. We’ve done this since before Windows Update even existed.
"OK you have every patch ever released for the system in 1 pack, if your problem still exists there is no MS patch available."
My lazy ass learned how to use Linux
thank you
Idiocy!!! All M$ had to do was create a repository for monthly fixes and update with some breakdown by priority and whether the patch is critical. Then have a small but effective tool that allows a Windows install to automagically traverse the patch database itself, so M$ doesn't need to do any more work than its doing now, just smarter work, and users are grotesquely inconvenienced. If this is just a shallow attempt to squeeze the user base by making the use of the current OS a draconian pain in the ass, then its clear that M$ doesn't want our business any more and we should comply forth with... there are plenty of other great alternatives out there including windows emulators.
Some video files it wouldn't matter for though, e.g. -> .avi (not 'streamable') vs. say, .mpg (streamable). The only REAL difference, iirc & afaik, is that in a streamable file, every "frame" packet has its OWN header (like a complete file does) & trailer record (showing termination of that segment or file). So, that said & hopefully accurate?
* Well... Thus, for a good deal of video file formats? It wouldn't matter - they aren't readable until the header AND trailer record terminator on the file ARE present, 1st...
(Again - That is, unless they're of a "streamable nature": This may help on that account -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_media )
APK
P.S.=> Correct me where I am wrong here guys since I am by NO MEANS, a "multimedia expert" (I *may* be 'off' on the file formats examples I used, but I am fairly certain that in 'theory' here? I am correct...)
... apk
Oh no. Now I have to wait an extra few minutes for me to install all of these separate updates on my home computer. THEY'RE FORCING US TO BUY WIN8!!!11!!!
Shouldn't the final patch of an EOL-ed product be its full source code? For example, what's preventing Microsoft from releasing the source code to Windows for Workgroups 3.11, oldish NT, or even up to Win2k? If people are still using these, Microsoft is sure as hell not getting one penny anymore from those users. So what harm would there be in releasing that old code base?
cpghost at Cordula's Web.
I use WSUS offline to update all of our new builds to the current patches after W7 with SP1 installed.
Just to reiterate and emphasize the parent:
DISM supports offline patching of .WIM Images:
http://myitforum.com/myitforumwp/2012/01/31/offline-wim-patching-with-dism-a-more-automated-method/
If you're just installing Windows 7 from CD on a large install, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! Deploy a patched WIM.
g=
Microsoft needs to expand and FIX (tons of bugs on my Win 7 machine) Windows 7 instead of pushing out Windows 8. For one thing, it looks to me like Windows 7 is much more favorable than 8 among the general public. Microsoft could probably pick up more revenue from 7 because it IS favorable to 8. I have also heard it is not as intuitive as 7, probably because 8 is designed mainly for tablets (c'mon MS, the majority of computers out there will be laptops/desktops, not tablets). Though I don't know if this is completely true. RIP start menu.
IF those are indeed, the sentiments of Microsoft!
"Service packs are a pain for Microsoft" - by fahrbot-bot (874524) on Wednesday October 24, @02:08PM (#41754831)
They are a boon to end-users security-conscious enough to apply them - you should do right by us (this is from home users up thru departmental LAN servers into WANS that span the globe & those that maintain them).
"The Customer is ALWAYS right!"
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"because they divert engineers’ time and budget from building new versions of Windows" - by fahrbot-bot (874524) on Wednesday October 24, @02:08PM (#41754831)
Pretty cheap excuse, considering I could turn around & say "Gosh, isn't that what you paid them for in Windows 7 and they STILL haven't gotten to all the unpatched security flaws?"
(See MS?? I can do that too!)
Personally, & I've said it more than a few times here? Windows 8 on PC's is not going to do well. It may on smartphones or tablets, it's "metro" interface is suited to them, but, not to us PC customer clients of yours who've been using the Win9x shell style since 1994 or so - we went thru the Program Manager Win3.x/NT 3.x-3.5x series change to the Win9x shell, & got used to it. Expert even. So, why mess with that and attempt to sell your customers what they do not want or need? Especially vs. what they're used to!
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"In this case, the anticipation for Windows 7’s SP2 comes around the same time as the launch of Windows 8, out later this week. Also, by ending SPs, Microsoft could be pushing customers towards the completely new Windows 8." - by fahrbot-bot (874524) on Wednesday October 24, @02:08PM (#41754831)
I'm starting to "lean towards that direction" as to speculation myself...
APK
P.S.=> I hope that latter quote's insights are NOT accurate, since Microsoft imo will take a serious "beating" here on PC's &/or Servers with the Metro-bearing GUI (and not even an option to flip back to what we use on Windows 7)...
Lastly - MS you're breaking a cardinal rule of sales: "You can't sell people what they don't want..." & certainly aren't used to when they already have a 17++ yr. working interface already we don't want changed anymore or @ least, THAT radically, for PC's on the desktop!
... apk
Microsoft has a monopoly, and is REALLY, really evil. Anti-trust laws don't apply because of corrupt government?
Also depends on how they open a file (exclusive locking would do that).
* Sometimes there's reasons for it, like performance...
APK
P.S.=> That's regarding this part of your statement I quoted, & yet, didn't respond to (sorry) + am replying now to it, addressing it:
"nobody bothers to write their applications to use proper share settings." - by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 24, @03:44PM (#41756085)
See above... and?
"You still have the worst file manager ever (now I can't just drag&drop files and choose what I want copy/move/link)*." - by devent (1627873) on Wednesday October 24, @01:47PM (#41754553) Homepage
The Original Poster I replied to... What version of Windows are you on? Dos 6.22 + Windows 3.11 for WorkGroups?? You can do that & have been able to since Windows 95, even multitasking... You may want to describe that better, & in exactly WHAT conditions that happens to you in, since I don't understand it otherwise & have to make the remark I did - since that's the last version of "Windows" that had issues remotely near that & it could do 'drag-N-drop' too... had to ask!
... apk
Meh. If you do enough installs for it to matter, download what you need and periodically "update your updates".
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
.
Microsoft must be very, very concerned that Windows 8 will be a flop.
I have control over my $ and they won't be heading towards microsofts accounts until they fix there stupid OS after everyone complains. Seems like there business model is as follows: 1) Produce a product that they know is crap 2) Gather complaints and fix bugs 3) Release new product that is fixed 4) Ignore steps 1-3 and produce a new product
From the article:
"
That date is currently slated for 24 months after the most current SP – that’s SP1, which was released in February 2011 – and would put end of life at January 2020.
"
I don't quite get how 24 months past 2011 equals 2020.
Windows Vista SP1 is normally called Windows 7, so the Windows 7 SP1 is what most people sees as an SP2.
Nothing new from Vista to 7, other than what Microsoft normally puts in a SP.
And, Microsoft can see nobody upgrades from XP, so they are afraid that companies will stick with Win7 if it is manageable. No sensible huge enterprise will go for Windows 8, they will wait for the first service pack, labelled Windows 9, and we don't know how far in the future that is. And Windows OS X is even further out.
http://winfuture.de/UpdatePack have fun
"Just FYI: "deleting while in use" means "remove from file list, mark for deletion on close"." - by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 24, @03:44PM (#41756085)
Yes, well aware of how "deletion" works (mark the MFT$ entry as "marked for deletion" by simply flagging it as space the rest of the system, specifically the filesystem @ a logical level, is FREE TO USE AGAIN... but, no actual 'byte-by-byte' deletion is actually done - THIS is for performance purposes since it is FAR faster than doing a TRUE secure delete (but, it is FAR from a 'secure wipe delete' where you have to change each name of the filename characters AND do @ least a "DOD" level wipe by overwriting them 0-1-0 3 times iirc).
APK
P.S.=> The tools I pointed out can take care of YOUR concern, of deleting a file while it is "locked" in use by another calling application (Microsoft's "inuse.exe" &/or ProcessExplorer get you past that OR the FileUnlocker tool can)...
... apk
That's the problem: time-lag. Time lag in security (when the exploits exist already for that security vulnerability) when you're online waiting for Windows Update to finish patching, and, the time lag of having to install roughly 100 hotfix patches yourself (with the risk you MIGHT skip some by accident).
* Microsoft's done a lot of folks a disservice by discontinuing service packs for Windows 7 is all... in potentially exposing users setting up a system FOR THE 1st TIME the most, by forcing them to "wait out" Windows update (since they're online already by that point)...
APK
P.S.=> It has a BIG impact on the quality of the product, in waiting on doing the smaller hotfix patch updates since it potentially "opens up doors" to infestations due to security weaknesses that get exploited almost immediately once the malware-makers out there know about them, and the user is certainly online by that point, possibly exposing themselves to these "zero-day" type attacks, due to security insufficiencies in unpatched Windows 7 (or other versions)... apk
Starting to agree with that viewpoint myself here... you & many others "hit on it" and I suspect you may be correct, for the reasons you stated!
APK
P.S.=> I can't BELIEVE Microsoft did a move as dumb as this - it's SO obvious, for one thing (for attempting to "promote" Windows 8 which IS GOING TO BE A HUGE "FAIL", mark my words), and it exposes users to screwups and exploits during "waiting out" Windows Update to apply 100's of hotfix patches beyond SP1, as well as if users do as I do, keeping the hotfix patches locally on harddisk for local install during FIRST TIME setup of Windows (you can miss some by accident, exposing yourself to vulnerabilities those hotfixes were SUPPOSED to patch/fix)...
... apk
Per my subject-line above: Not only time-saving results (installing a single service pack 2 vs. 100 hotfix patches OR waiting out Windows Update), but also better security!
1.) The time taken waiting for Windows Update, especially if/when zero-day type exploits for said vulnerability to be patched exists (since the user is obviously already online, risking exposure to attack)
&
2.) Applying 100 hotfix patches manually creates the potential for MISSING installing some by accident - again, exposing the user to attack online...
APK
P.S.=> This is a DUMB MOVE by Microsoft, no questions asked, and a HUGE PAIN to end-users all the way around from the home end user, up thru departmental LANS + WANS that span the globe & those who maintain & support them as administrators + technicians...
... apk
I wasn't aware of HOW they did the allegedly "faster bootup" in Windows 8, but that about EXPLAINS it (reading up from a single file back into RAM & re-activating it - WITH THE POTENTIAL "DOWNSIDE" YOU NOTED existing... and, it would too!).
* Miracles exist? OH... I don't know about that, but FOR SURE "sleight-of-hand tricks", apparently DO!
(I submitted this article here today, 1st one /. EVER accepted from me & I've been "lurking around" here posting as AC since 2005... so, perhaps, I ought to take that statement above back on "miracles", eh? LMAO!)
APK
P.S.=> I guess this shows you can't "know-it-all" (but you can keep learning & try - perfection's a road, not a destination), and the word of my day today now is "LIVE & LEARN"...
... apk
It's risky since "zero-day" exploits are exploited by malware makers & waiting hours for Windows 7 to do online "Windows Update" EXPOSES YOU TO SAID EXPLOITS, more than just potentially...
* Then again, IF you do it like I do (either manually applying service packs + hotfixes on initial 1st time install, OR, a slipstreamed install, which is a PAIN to make since some patches, "patch patches" & you MUST be sure you have the right build model of a critical system file for the slipstreamed install image with the hotfixes incorporated into it automatically, and hope you didn't SKIP ANY - since that also "opens you up" to attack, yet again, due to a security-vulnerability that went unpatched... due to USER error (those, happen, we ALL KNOW they do)).
APK
P.S.=> This is a DUMB MOVE by Microsoft, & inconveniences users of ALL kinds from the home end user & his PC desktop or LAN, right into departmental LANS & up into WANS that span the globe (for the techs/admins that support them). Oh, there's OTHER methods the latter can use (admins/techs), such as WSUS or WAIK, but the point is still there - it's very easy to centrally locate a Service Pack on a network to apply it - only takes seconds to access & apply...
... apk
Unpatched vs. all the security-vulnerabilities & zero-day exploits galore that take advantage of them, WHILE YOU WERE ONLINE waiting for Windows Update (when all you have to really do, is keep your machine disconnected from the net, install Win7, SP#1, & then SP#2 (vs. 100's of hotfix patches for security, which in THAT large number, you can EASILY mistakenly miss/skip applying some of them... )).
* No, this is a DUMB MOVE by Microsoft, in terms of time wasted by end users from home PC users, thru departmental LANS & into worldwide spanning WANS (for the techs/admins that support them)...
APK
P.S.=> Too much 'room for error" and exploit is involved if/when you leave folks with the choices of using Windows Update to haul in & install 100's of hotfixes PAST Service Pack #1 (especially since you're online already & risking infestation that way since you're STILL UNPATCHED)
OR
For those that create 'slipstreamed installers' (as I did for Windows NT 3.51, 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003 (the last one I ever built was the latter)).
You can EASILY miss installing one manually of 100's of them (lots of room for error/mistakes there)
OR worse
You could install the WRONG BUILD into a slipstreamed CD/DVD install disk, & one that doesn't correct all known security-vulnerability exploiting flaws that the hotfixes are supposed to patch during building a slipstream install disk OR applying hotfixes manually...
"Honestly, WTF is wrong with you people, you're getting security patches with some degree of speed, it's incredible compared to it's previous incarnations" - by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 24, @12:53PM (#41753849)
Per my subject-line above: You're online already, SP#1 in place, right? So, you "wait-out" Windows Update to apply those 100's of hotfix patches that exist to secure a system vs. zero-day exploits & others, right?? Guess what - You're EXPOSING YOURSELF TO EXPLOITS RIGHT THERE, off-the-bat, by waiting for Windows Update to patch you, & all the while you're online potentially being infested already!
(Just since you're waiting for patches to secure you, all the while you've been surfing around possibly infesting yourself since you're not patched vs. said exploits (that's right, & malware makers? They go RIGHT after them & use them as soon as they're known!)).
---
"what more do you want?" - by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 24, @12:53PM (#41753849)
Service Pack #2 that "rolls up" 100's of POST Service Pack #1 security-vulnerability related exploits & weaknesses is what - so I can install it right after Windows 7, Service Pack #1, & THEN ONLY, go online...
APK
P.S.=> Dumb move by Microsoft both in terms of wasting users time (and money downloading 100's of hotfixes) and risking security by:
1.) Waiting on Windows Update (for the reasons stated above)
OR
2.) When users install hotfixes manually (a huge time-killer) assuming they do not MISS/SKIP any, a very REAL risk in & of itself due to there being so many hotfix patches in the 1st place
OR
3.) Even moreso when a user does a "slipstreamed" installer disk that contains SP#1 + all the hotfixes - of 100's you can miss/skip some, OR WORSE, insert the wrong build of a file being patched vs. critical security vulnerability & be NO BETTER OFF than you were before in the 1st place really, living under an illusion you're FULLY patched!))...
... apk
Be careful when you highlight the high cost of Windows. They charge a lot more than Apple, but you get a lot more:
Average support lifecycle for recent Apple OS releases (bugfixes and security patches): 2-3 years. The latest OS to be abandoned is Leopard (after 2 years). Snow Leopard is expected to be abandoned soon (it's in Extended Support now), and Apple has made no commitment to how long they will continue to support it.
When you pay more for the Microsoft OS, you get a commitment to long support lifecycles, AND you know exactly how long your OS will be supported:
Mainstream Windows 7 Support (bugfixes + security fixes) = until 2015
Extended Windows 7 Support (security fixes) = until 2020.
So what Microsoft is giving you here is a CHOICE - you can choose to use your Windows install for a decade after release, and have no fear of your system being exploited by an unpatched vulnerability. In the Apple world your only "choice" is to keep upgrading, and that's not much help if your hardware is suddenly unsupported.
So, in this perspective the $200 cost of a full-on Windows 8 license is a pretty good deal (and if you want less freedom you can always buy the OEM version for $100). And for the big picture the $40 upgrade price is an absolute STEAL: for your $40 you will get bug fixes until 2018 and exploit fixes until 2023 (by that time even Mountain Lion will be long-since forgotten).
Man is the animal that laughs.
And occasionally whores for Karma.
"Windows 7 and Windows 8 have been pretty solid out of the gate." - by man_of_mr_e (217855) on Wednesday October 24, @01:23PM (#41754275)
Oh, really? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY HOTFIXES EXIST FOR PATCHING SECURITY RELATED VULNERABILITIES? 100's... & they're NOT DONE YET!
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"I don't see why MS wouldn't supply hotfix rollups for 7, but does it really need SP2?." - by man_of_mr_e (217855) on Wednesday October 24, @01:23PM (#41754275)
Absolutely, & for the reasons in my 'p.s.' below (time consumption, inconvenience, & YES, SECURITY RISKS TOO!)
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"Only those people that want MS to provide Windows 8 features on 7 think so." - by man_of_mr_e (217855) on Wednesday October 24, @01:23PM (#41754275)
Wrong in MY case @ least (and I'd wager that of most others posting here also if not others worldwide of the same mindset)...
APK
P.S.=> Not creating Service Pack #2 for Windows 7? A truly DUMB move by Microsoft both in terms of wasting users time (and money downloading 100's of hotfixes) and risking security by:
1.) Waiting on Windows Update (for the reasons stated above)
OR
2.) When users install hotfixes manually (a huge time-killer) assuming they do not MISS/SKIP any, a very REAL risk in & of itself due to there being so many hotfix patches in the 1st place
OR
3.) Even moreso when a user does a "slipstreamed" installer disk that contains SP#1 + all the hotfixes - of 100's you can miss/skip some, OR WORSE, insert the wrong build of a file being patched vs. critical security vulnerability & be NO BETTER OFF than you were before in the 1st place really, living under an illusion you're FULLY patched!))...
... apk
Win7 SP is Win8, with garbage on top. What a crock from MS
If Microsoft would simply concentrate on building "1" thing well, then perhaps they would not have the maelstrom of updates, patches, fixes, etc. Microsoft HAS succeeded in one thing......training two generations of "users" that daily (at best weekly) time consuming updates are "necessary". I wonder if anyone besides myself has considered the lost time at work required for "windows update" to finish updating my computer before it shuts off. I was required to completely shutdown my PC every night after work and sometimes.....on my own time waited 1.2 hour or more for windows automatic updates. For EVERYONE ELSE Design a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door. But for microsoft, roll out a "trap" of a time waster every couple years, and clean up from the masses.
If they are security-oriented or not, they're hotfix patches, period, as far as I am concerned (and a hell of a lot of them of the 80 that apply to my setup here are indeed, that, and demand reboots etc.)...
Plus?
Well - PLENTY of them also DEMAND you "do a windows genuine test" to even download them, & the funniest part is, the geniunecheck.exe doesn't work anymore to pass the "captcha" for download!
(Try it yourself)
Then, trying to get the stupid ActiveX for LiveUpdate/GenuineWindows to install? A nightmare (for myself @ least, the damn thing will NOT install on my IE9 setup... even raw/unsecured!).
THOSE ARE THE PATCHES I AM MOST WORRIED ABOUT ACTUALLY... for instance, SOME of them repair faulty Windows Event Logging on various portions of the system (such as performance counters, which I like to use @ times, but otherwise turn off) - I can't GET them, unless they do a SERVICE PACK #2!
Funniest part is, my Windows 7 Pro IS geniune (as I got license for it while I went back to SUNY schools for finishing up my CSC degree (90/120 into the Bachelors as we speak & long ago satisfied the 60 credit hour Associates part)).
"And regarding your comments, I said MS should make hotfix rollups, which address the long download and manual patching issues you bring up. This is not the same thing as a service pack though." - by man_of_mr_e (217855) on Thursday October 25, @01:24PM (#41767459)
After reading the above - do YOU see WHY I am concerned about missing out on a Service Pack #2 for Windows 7?
APK
P.S.=> I hope you do understand my "POV" on this... apk
Microsoft can be so obvious when manipulating their customer base. No Windows 7 Service Pack 2 means Microsoft is warning you had better be moving to Windows 8. Microsoft doesn't want another repeat of Windows/XP. Personally I am very happy with Windows 7. My only complaint is the lack of 64-bit software developed for Windows 7. The ratio is still more than 2:1 in favor of 32-bit apps. This means that two out of every three apps are still running in 32-bit mode and not taking advantage of my Intel processor or Windows 7 OS. The reason is the cost to develop apps for 64-bit mode. It is rediculously expensive to purchase proprietary 64-bit development environments for Windows platforms.
1) start a "sexy" tech company and make a lot of money ... oh wait....
2) wait until Microsoft decides it wants to copy you and "F**KING KILL" you
3) ???
4) Profit
Sorry about not seeing your question APK, but when I get into a heated back and forth my earlier comments get buried pretty quickly. Feel free to just point it out if I miss a question on a later post and I'll come back and answer.
As for how it works? Quite simple actually, its uses a WGET to call the MSFT update servers, get a list of any updates, excluding ones that are blacklisted because a later update has overridden it or replaced it, then it downloads them into its folder structure and builds the patches into any way you want, DVD, USB drive, I personally have a series of folders on a share drive, XP, Vista, Win 7, and it simply drops the updates for Windows, office, and .NET as I need them into those folders.
Now if you use it the way I do, to have ALL the Windows updates and patches? then the first time you run it naturally its gonna take awhile, but the nice thing is you'll only ever have to do that once, after that it'll simply download the latest patches and add them to the WSUS folder tree. Checking mine, which has ALL OSes between WinXP- Win 7 X64 and all the patches for MS Office 2K7 (don't see much of any other version around here) and all the .NET patches I'm looking at 11.1Gb but it only takes me around 30 minutes each month to update and of course I don't have to actually sit there, I just tell it to run on the nettop and go do something else.
As for the installer itself you tell it where you want 'em and it makes a folder with the patches contained in a tree therein and drops in a simple .exe that will let you choose all the install options, reboot or no reboot, whether to include WMP, things like that. What you will probably appreciate is it also drops a simply laid out .BAT file so if you want to tweak it further you can no problem.
But as for the installs themselves you can tell it whether you want it to reboot or not and it will usually do a good 85% WITHOUT a reboot. Since I don't want to deal with turning off UAC (which I tend to forget to turn back on...ooops) I simply re-run it after its done rebooting, from a clean no SP1 version of Win 7 it'll be fully patched, complete with SP1, in just 2 reboots. First run installs all the pre SP1 patches along with SP1, second installs the post SP1, done.
So give it a try APK, I bet you'll like it. if you aren't sure just pick a single OS you intend to test it with, say XP or Win 7, and have it get all the patches for you and stick them on a network share or thumbstick and then give it a go. Word of advice though, if you use a thumbstick I'd advise dragging the folder off onto the target machine rather than use the stick itself, USB tends to get draggy during patching and can slow the whole thing down, but its well worth having in your toolbox, you can fully patch Windows AND Office AND .NET and not have to use a single drop of bandwidth more than once...enjoy
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Well when you are running a little shop like mine having to constantly redownload the damned patches ends up hurting my bottom line and with WSUS I can just keep ALL the patches and ALL the SPs and ALL the Office and .NET patches on a share drive on this little Sempron 1.8GHz a customer traded in years ago (makes a GREAT nettop, only uses around 35w under load) and like I said, run it once a month, I usually wait until the Friday after Patch Tuesday for the WSUS Offline guys to have time to update their scripts, and its ALL done. And since its just using a WGET straight from the MSFT servers (It'll even pop up a CMD window so you can watch if you like, its all pretty standard WGET scripts calling the standard MSFT update servers) there is no risk of a MITM or getting a piece of malware stuck in there, you even get the choice of whether you want to include WGA or not in the builds.
But between WSUS Offline and Ninite for the third party stuff I've been able to cut a new build down to less than an hour and a half and even better I am needed less than 10 minutes of that hour and a half since its all unattended. I don't have to deal with slipstreaming and making new discs, don't have to deal with constantly checking to make sure I've got the latest software, frankly ALL the bullshit and hassle is done FOR me with nothing harder than "clicky clicky, go make a sammich" on my end. Its nice. Oh and if you have an older machine you need to check the third party software on just run Update Checker after you've updated the system with WSUS and it'll tell you if ANY of the third party stuff is out of date, and give you handy little links with direct downloads of the software that's out.
So like I said any questions just let me know in a later post or you can shoot me an email at the address in my UID, I usually check it once a day. And I have a feeling you'll be like me and damned glad you have WSUS in your toolbox, really takes the bullshit and pain out of dealing with Windows Updates. Kinda sad you need a third party tool to do this, but let's face it APK, MSFT first party tools have always sucked ass. if you want anything done right you pretty much HAVE to go third party, as MSFT either tries to force you to a higher SKU or simply half asses the design, they really suck at building decent tools for their OSes.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
One more thing, if you were doing it the way I was and constantly slipstreaming a new disc DON'T, because it don't matter how damned diligent you are you'll ALWAYS miss some, or have ones that were superseded by later patches, so you just end up wasting discs.
That is why I searched all over the damned net because I KNEW there had to be a better damned way than cranking out disc after disc after disc. I used Autopatcher for awhile but it quickly started falling behind and not supporting the non popular builds like Vista and XP X64 which I still come across here at the shop, so finally I just went to the places the network geeks and shop guys hang online, all the little nooks like OSNews and NetworkInsider and the like and said "How can I do this easier?" and they turned me on to WSUS.
I can tell you I've been using it for nearly 4 years now APK and I threw all those damned slipstreamed discs away, now the ONLY time I make a slipstream is when a new SP is out so WSUS only has to update from that SP. A word of advice though, have WSUS download the SPs anyway, you never know when you'll come across a machine that hasn't been updated in forever and having those SPs already integrated sure saves a HELL of a lot of time.
So give WSUS a spin, I have no doubt when you see how clean and easy it is to use, and how it uses sensible human readable tools like .BAT and WGET scripts you can customize, you'll end up having it just download all the damned Windows Updates and let it be your "go to" WU system. BTW the MOST updates I've had to apply from WU after running WSUS? 8, and that was because they had some of the older Visual C++ runtimes that needed updating. But 8 patches is a HELL of a lot better than the 100 or so since SP1 came out, that's for damned sure! Enjoy.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
All man_of_mr_e had was a downmod since you caught him with his pants down apk.
The troll downmodded you apk since you point out he was off topic.
APK asks a question and they downmod him for that? This is slashdot!
APK points out a truth and they downmod him for it? This is slashdot.
APK points out truth others here agree with n they downmod him for it? This is slashdot.
APK points out a truth n' they downmod him for it? This is slashdot.
APK points out a good tool and they downmod him for it? This is slashdot.
APK points out a fact and they downmod him for it? This is slashdot!!!
APK points out a fact and they downmod him for it? This is slashdot.
APK points out facts and gets a downmod him for it? This is slashdot!!!
APK asked a question and gets a downmod for it? This is slashdot!!!
APK asks a question and gets a downmod for it? This is slashdot!!!
I only had 1 question & emailed you on it (i.e.-> Does it pick up on downloads of hotfixes you NEED to do "Windows Genuine Validation" on, or you CANNOT get them - as I noted to you by email, the old "genuinecheck.exe" doesn't work anymore & MS has NOT updated it either... hence, the question (I can do this via IE, but for SOME REASON, IE9 here, even when set to LOWEST POSSIBLE SECURITY won't "take" that ActiveX!).
* Hence, again, that question above...
APK
P.S.=> I am about to "give it a go" & I am sure it will be fine, and, make me avoid doing "slipstreamed install" CD/DVD here, which as you know, demands you must DO IT AGAIN, as hotfixes release subsequently into the future...
.. apk