three thinkpads, one slow connection, & Microsoft Update

[Paul Unger]

I know that for most of the world, keeping computers up to date is a simple matter of turning Automatic Updates (AU) "On" and going on one's merry way. High speed internet, no download limits, no worries. Unfortunately, that is not my situation . . . I have three machines to keep updated and if I try to use AU for all three machines I blow my download limit fairly quickly (especially with something like SP3), not to mention that it would take me most of the day . . . (yes, it's that slow). Is there a neat and tidy way--other than downloading individual updates by KB#--to get MS updates and apply them to three machines? I'm also wondering if there is a way to apply updates that AU has done to one machine to another machine (i.e., to use the information in either $hf_mig$ or $NTUninstallKB#$ [or elsewhere?] to install on another machine)? I've looked at the "Microsoft Update Catalog" and after searching for 'windows xp security' it came back with 630 updates. I thought it would be a bit more machine specific . . . identifying what I have already downloaded and so on. I've also looked at RyanVM's Windows XP Post-SP2 Update Pack, but I'm not quite sure what to do with it. At 50 MB it seems substantially more manageable. Does anyone have experience with this method? Is Ryan's Update Pack up to date? That latest version is from 27 April 2008.

[Brad]

I have never tried Ryan's update pack but I have downloaded SP3 and placed it on a CD and a USB drive. Whenever I am near a computer that needs it I break out my CD or USB drive and run the update. On Saturday I was at a clients recovered D**L laptop with an original XP install. I had to download SP2 first. If there is a way to download SP3 from a fast connection then burn to a CD or copy to a USB drive that would save some time.

I could copy the file onto a CD and mail it to you if that would save you some time.

Brad

[Paul Unger]

Brad, you've got PM.