Where does Windows XP store updates?

S

Sungaisu

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 18, 2009
Messages
416
I'm tired of downloading them over and over on our crappy Internet here at work. I found a hidden folder in Program Files called "WindowsUpdate" but nothing is inside there.

Anyone have any idea where Automatic Download stores them? Or if it's even possible to copy them over to an external or something?

Thanks for the help!
 
If an update has already been downloaded, Windows Update will detect it and show the file as 0k on WU screen.

What are you doing to cause to have to download and/or reinstall them all the time?
 
You should be able to go into a section of the Windows Update to download the actual files. I don't remember off hand what it is called, but someone else will.

That being said, why not just create an image if you are rebuilding a system often?
 
slip stream, or note down the kb articles and search ms and download (boring)

or build an ipcop box, witht he download accelrator add-on walla done.
 
Our Business is going under and we're erasing all the PCs to be sold (I'll be posting an ad for them here once they're all priced) so I'm wiping them with the XP CD's they came with and updating them.

How would I go about creating an image?
 
acronis true image ..

two options home or server.. if you get the server you can boot with the cd, select your image off the server and let it image the drive..

then on new pc or old pc insert the cd

boot and recover from server image..

done..

tho the pc name will be an issue, tho i think the server edition does the name change for you.. or it will be an option.. the ssid may be an issue, doubt it tho..

or use home edition..

setup pc

install second hdd, boot with acronis bootable cd, make image and store on second hdd..

attached hdd to other pc, boot of acronis boot cd and recover..remove hdd and done..
 
Depending on how many systems you have, it might not be worth your time to figure out imaging at this point, especially if you are under a time crunch.
 
I have about 2 weeks or so to go through about 20ish computers. I started using Nlite, following a Tut I found online, but I don't know (yet) if they'll include recent updates or just service packs.
 
I wouldn't waste my time with nlite either. If they are all relatively the same hardware, set one computer up and then make an image of it using Acronis, or any of the free alternatives, and then copy that image over to the other systems, probably using a USB external drive or so.
 
I do have a TB External I could possibly use. Why would nLite be a waste of time? Wouldn't I just have to burn the CD then just reinstall as usual?
 
OK let me make it so easy a caveman could do it.

  • Download nlite
  • Download SP3
  • Download ie7 (8 won't work for this)
  • Download SP3-> March 2010 Updates
  • Copy contents of XP disc to a folder on your desktop
  • Launch nLite, hit next
  • Browse to XP folder, next
  • Check Service Packs, Hotfixes and Bootable ISO, press next
  • Insert SP3 and allow it to integrate, next
  • Insert IE7 and sp3-march 2010 updates.7z update patch and allow to integrate, next
  • at bootable iso screen, press Create ISO and save it to your desktop
  • Burn ISO

Other than IE 8 (if you even want it) and optional components, there should be little to no updates.

BTW be a nice guy and put MSE on these ;)
 
bigdogchris said:
OK let me make it so easy a caveman could do it.

  • Download nlite
  • Download SP3
  • Download ie7 (8 won't work for this)
  • Download SP3-> March 2010 Updates
  • Copy contents of XP disc to a folder on your desktop
  • Launch nLite, hit next
  • Browse to XP folder, next
  • Check Service Packs, Hotfixes and Bootable ISO, press next
  • Insert SP3 and allow it to integrate, next
  • Insert IE7 and sp3-march 2010 updates.7z update patch and allow to integrate, next
  • at bootable iso screen, press Create ISO and save it to your desktop
  • Burn ISO

Other than IE 8 (if you even want it) and optional components, there should be little to no updates.

BTW be a nice guy and put MSE on these ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks! This is near exactly what I wanted, very informative and thanks a lot for the links.
I've been downloading SP3 for the last 45 minutes or so, but those additional updates are very nice as well.

No worries, I'll put MSE on it. :]
 
I think a little clarity is needed. Those steps work great for creating one single slipstreamed disc. However, in the time it would take you to do so, you could have system set up, and an image created on your 1 TB external ready to deploy to all the other systems. In the long run, this method would be faster than the above described, because you'd still have to install the OS to each system.
 
DeaconFrost said:
I think a little clarity is needed. Those steps work great for creating one single slipstreamed disc. However, in the time it would take you to do so, you could have system set up, and an image created on your 1 TB external ready to deploy to all the other systems. In the long run, this method would be faster than the above described, because you'd still have to install the OS to each system.
Click to expand...
Thing is not all cloning software disk-to-disk is very good. For example, Ghost 7.5 can clone a 80GB sata drive in about 4 minutes ... on exact same hardware, Active@ disk clone takes an hour.

So unless you have a specific cloning product that is free (like nLite) that you know is fast, it may not be faster.
 
I was done burning my nLite CD near the end of my shift last night, and I used it to format a PC and it worked fine. But when I came in today to work on another, it gave a BSOD, so I tried with a different HDD (same machine) and got another BSOD, then tried the original XP CD and it worked just fine.

Perhaps I messed up something amongst the creation, I'll have to try again. This only fuels the fact that maybe I should have just set up a station to ghost.
 
bigdogchris said:
Thing is not all cloning software disk-to-disk is very good.
Click to expand...
No, but many work perfectly fine. I still use Ghost without issue, and I have been trying out Acronis TrueImage as well, without issue. For free, Clonezilla does a nice job as well. It's definitely the more efficient way to go than messing with nLite and then having to manually install on each system.
bigdogchris said:
So unless you have a specific cloning product that is free (like nLite) that you know is fast, it may not be faster.
Click to expand...
nLite isn't a cloning tool at all. It is a slipstreaming tool, and one I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw the computers in question. When you are cloning a system, it doesn't matter if it takes 15 minutes, 5 minutes, or an hour, if it works, it still saves you tons of time over using nLite. The more computers you have, the more time you'll save.
 
I've used that and AutoStreamer in the past to slipstream up to the latest SP. I don't mess with anything else on the disc, and I certainly don't remove components either. AutoPatcher and Autostreamer both do the job much more easily, in less steps, than nLite.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top