Most effective way to install updates after windows XP reformat

I'm doing a fresh format/reinstall of an Asus EEE (not mine) from its recovery partition.

This will restore its Windows XP (don't know exactly which SP).

What is the quickest / most effective way to get and apply all the updates?

I could set Windows Update to automatically install the updates, but this will still require some user interaction and will require (if I remember correctly) several reboots. I would like instead the process to be unattended.

fdierre

Posted 2012-04-29T11:56:51.940

Reputation: 275

Answers

Only way I know to do what you want is to use this software to make a unattended update installer CD/DVD/USB disc.

This is not very effective for a one time use since there is quite some time involved in just making the disc, but can come in handy if you are doing several PCs.

Moab

Posted 2012-04-29T11:56:51.940

Reputation: 54 203

+1 cause thats what i use. With automatic recall and reboot Its a matter of starting the update, going off for a large, long lunch, and coming back to a totally patched system. – Journeyman Geek – 2012-04-29T12:55:03.490

Yep its a fire and forget updater for sure, very nice, been using it for a long time, forget what the first version was when I discovered it, ctupdate v3.0 I think, when it was on the Heise security website. – Moab – 2012-04-29T18:48:04.540

+1 Thanks, that's what I was looking for! The only thing I wish it did is downloading the patches in parallel... Microsoft's website seems to be enforcing some painful per connection bandwidth throttle. – fdierre – 2012-04-30T09:12:50.920

Yes, but once you do the initial update downloads, you can run the program every patch Tuesday to add the newest updates without downloading all of them again. – Moab – 2012-04-30T13:59:54.660

There is an "online" alternative to Wsusoffline: If you do not want to spend time in making the disc and your machine has an internet connection / connection to your WSUS you cant try like this on the command line with WuInstall:

wuinstall /install

Installs all available updates (you can also use several options to filter, see documenation) and signals if a reboot is necessary. If you add the /rebootcycle option (which is only available in the pro version though), you can install alll available updates including all necessary reboots completely unattended.

The main advantage over Wsusoffline is that this works without any prepararation on any kind of windows machine, with both WSUS and the Microsoft Update Site, and is very easy and simple to use. The disadvantage is that the machine needs to have either a connection to the WSUS or the internet.

MacDonkey

Posted 2012-04-29T11:56:51.940

Reputation: 76