Success installing Windows 7 updates quickly

ManofGod

ManofGod

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
12,864
Well, I know this will not do it for every situation but, so far I have been able to replicate this success repeatedly. I have done it with Windows 7 SP1 32 Bit, Windows 7 SP1 64 Bit, 4 virtual machines, one HP computer and one Dell computer.

I do a completely clean install and create the partitions during the install on the hard drive. I then install the Windows6.1-KB3102810-x86.msu or x64.msu version and installs immediately. After that, I reboot, scan for updates and 5 minutes later, the updates are ready to be downloaded and installed. :)

I have been using Dell OEM disks which could be the reason it is working. Also, disabling the network connection until the reboot to scan for updates may help as well.
 
The only thing the Dell Windows 7 installation DVD has on it that's different from the actual Microsoft Windows 7 installation DVD (given the version, Home, Pro, Ultimate, Enterprise) are the necessary files that tie it to Dell itself, the OEM files like the scripts for installing the Dell wallpapers and the Dell royalty Product Key, the Dell OEM logo on the System Properties page, and the digital license certificate for the actual activation verification for it being an OEM install. The full difference is like 40 tiny files and about 7MB of actual space difference and that's about it. Same thing holds true for other OEM machines as well, the only real differences are the OEM files needed to lock the installation the the branded OEM.

Years ago Dell actually did make a Windows 7 disc (and a Vista one before that) which had not only Windows on it but a lot of the drivers and even support copies of some of the installed applications from the factory but they scrapped that pretty fast and reverted back to the tried and true method of including a reinstallation disc (the Windows installer) and then a second physical disc with the drivers/applications/etc which was more efficient and didn't require them to use dual layer DVDs which were more prone to having problems with light scratches than single layer DVDs do.

If you use the Dell branded installation DVD on a non-Dell machine it'll still install but the one difference will be it'll stop during the GUI setup portion and ask you for a Product Key because it's already detected that it's not being installed on actual Dell branded hardware (no Dell SLIC 2.1 license table embedded in the BIOS).
 
I just did an updated Win7 image at work (the last one I ever intend to make, as we only did two Win7 machines this year). I did:

Install Win7 without ANY network connection.

Installed these three KBs (with still no network connection):
KB3020369
KB3172605 (reboot)
KB3125574 (reboot)

After that, reconnect the network (or install drivers as needed to get it working).

This gets a LOT of the updates out of the way, the last one is the big rollup update they did a while back. WU also behaves very well.
 
SuperSubZero said:
I just did an updated Win7 image at work (the last one I ever intend to make, as we only did two Win7 machines this year). I did:

Install Win7 without ANY network connection.

Installed these three KBs (with still no network connection):
KB3020369
KB3172605 (reboot)
KB3125574 (reboot)

After that, reconnect the network (or install drivers as needed to get it working).

This gets a LOT of the updates out of the way, the last one is the big rollup update they did a while back. WU also behaves very well.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the additional information, it is appreciated. Have you found that this works on already existing Windows 7 installations as well?
 
ManofGod said:
Thank you for the additional information, it is appreciated. Have you found that this works on already existing Windows 7 installations as well?
Click to expand...
If you already have Win7 installed, you hopefully have been getting updates periodically. I see no reason for it not to work. The standalone updates love to try to hit WU for some reason, so disconnecting the network is crucial to getting it work quick.
 
SuperSubZero said:
If you already have Win7 installed, you hopefully have been getting updates periodically. I see no reason for it not to work. The standalone updates love to try to hit WU for some reason, so disconnecting the network is crucial to getting it work quick.
Click to expand...

Thanks. However, being that I am in IT where we do residential and business customers, I have had Windows 7 machines come in that will never finish the scan for updates. It might be that if I do what you suggested above, that may fix that issue.
 
ManofGod said:
You're welcome. I still have to see what happens if I use a dvd that is not from Dell, I will let you know.
Click to expand...

I tried this today with a fresh install of Windows 7 from a Dell DVD to a Dell Latitude laptop. I installed the update first, then did a couple drivers. When I went to Windows Update, I got a list of about 200 updates in just 3 or 4 minutes. That's a huge increase over the hours I was waiting before.
 
ManofGod said:
Oops, forgot about this. I create the partitions during the install process.
Click to expand...
That's not necessary. If you click the unallocated space and just press next Windows sets up a smaller partition to keep your boot files hidden from malware. It's a really good idea to just accept the default partitions for that reason alone. You can always shrink C:\ later to add another partition if you want.
 
It would be much easier for everyone if Microsoft just stops jerking people around that want to stay on Win7. That is the real issue here.
 
rezerekted said:
It would be much easier for everyone if Microsoft just stops jerking people around that want to stay on Win7. That is the real issue here.
Click to expand...
7 is quickly falling off the hardware compatibility wagon. At this point I don't think (or expect) Microsoft to continue trying to improve a 7 year old OS. I can't think of any other company that would do something like that for such an old product.

10 isn't perfect, but for me, getting use to it now and dealing with incremental changes as new versions comes out is going to be easier and much less jarring than sticking to 7 for years to come then moving to 10 in the future.
 
bigdogchris said:
That's not necessary. If you click the unallocated space and just press next Windows sets up a smaller partition to keep your boot files hidden from malware. It's a really good idea to just accept the default partitions for that reason alone. You can always shrink C:\ later to add another partition if you want.
Click to expand...

That is what I meant though. Delete all the partitions if there are any and just let them be created during the install process.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top