windows xp updates 1

[BernardStewart]

There are now a huge number of XP updates - even after XP SP2.

In my windows folder there is a directory called "$hf mig$"

This has 122 folders (over 120 mb)and appears to have all the downloaded updates.

Question:-

If one has to reinstall XP and all the updates can one use these rather than having to download them all again - or is there a better way of keeping and reinstalling updates without having to download them every time?
(am still on a dial-up modem so takes forever!!!)

 

[supportahm1980]

You can not just copy those folder to your new machine. Your best bet is to stripstream your Windows XP CD. There are a ton of tutorials online on how to do this.

 

[BadBigBen]

As mentioned, you can not copy and paste these...

what I do, is that I download the UPDATES manually and safe them in a seperate folder for safe keeping... that way I have them at hand when I do a reinstall or update another system...

Slipstreaming is a way to do it, but I found it easier to just slipstream the SP and have the Updates seperately, as on some systems certain updates do wreck havok, and I do not have to update the CD/Image/ISO every month, when roll out day comes along...

Someone has gone through the trouble to fit all official updates and compiled them into an Update Pack already (

http://www.autopatcher.com/

) or you may DL them seperately directly from MS:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[BernardStewart]

thanks Badbigben,

silly q!

How do you manually download them?

 

[linney]

How to download updates and drivers from the Windows Update Catalog or from the Microsoft Update Catalog

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;323166&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH#kb1

For future reference you can manually download updates from the Windows Update site and save them to disk. Maybe you know of such a person who has and would then let you copy them?

The trick with the above procedure is to let Windows manually scan your computer and tell you what updates are required. With a list of the updates in your hand, you then use the Administrators option link on the Windows Update site to access the Windows Catalog of updates, where you can then save them to disk. When you know what updates you require, go here and look for the link called "Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems". This will be available after a Brief Update of the Windows Update engine.

Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems.

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=8973

As to your question about $hf_mig$, I think the updated version of files are stored in that folder but not the mechanics to actually install the files into Windows. There is, I believe, a need to install an actual hotfix to bring these files into play, those hotfix's being the ones you get from Windows Update. So in my opinion those files can not easily be used to update Windows.

This is some further information from Microsoft about this matter.
Description of the contents of Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 software update packages

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824994

"When a security update, critical update, update, update rollup, driver, or feature pack installs GDR version files, the hotfix files are also copied to the %windir%\$hf_mig$ folder. This supports migration to the appropriate files if you later install a hotfix or service pack that includes earlier versions of these files. For example, consider the following scenario: 1. You apply a security update that installs a GDR version of File.dll with a version number of 5.2.3790.1000 and copies a hotfix version of File.dll with a version number of 5.2.3790.1000 to the %windir%\$hf_mig$ folder.
2. You apply a hotfix that includes a hotfix version of File.dll with a version number of 5.2.3790.0000.
In this scenario the hotfix installation in step 2 installs the hotfix version of File.dll (version number 5.2.3790.1000) from the %windir%\$hf_mig$ folder instead of the hotfix version of File.dll (version number 5.2.3790.0000) from the hotfix package.

 

[BadBigBen]

Thanx Linney, always informative!!! and correct...

@BernardStewart - the link I gave you to the MS site, which will lead you to the updates and it is just a click or two further along and it will allow you to DL the update...
also that what Linney wrote is right on the MONEY...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."