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HOTFIXES - Slipstream or install later?


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Currently, I am using a batch file to unattended install all hotfixes. The batch file searches a specified folder, and installs all *.exe files in that folder with the /q /n /z switch.

When Microsoft releases new hotfixes, I just put them in that folder and the batch file takes care of everything. If some old hotfix is replaced by a new one I just delete it from that folder.

This way the I386 folder is always clean and tidy, because no unneeded hotfixes have ever been installed in it after service pack 2.

But what happens if I start using nLite to slipstream the hotfixes? Won’t nLite keep making the I386 folder bigger and bigger as new hotfixes get released?

If a new hotfix replaces an old one what will nLite do? How will it know that the old hotfix has to be removed? Won’t it just leave it there and just install the new one too?

I really want to use nLite to slipstream all the hotfixes to save me the time of installing them during the unattended installation, but if it’s going to keep making my I386 bigger and bigger, I prefer not to.

Advice?

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I wonder if there is any sense integrating hotfixes as soon as even the "integrated" ones are added to T-13 phase. I manually integrated ~70 updates and still see all of them in the [setupHotfixesToRun] section. What do they do there? Managing the distributive share becomes a mess as more updates are added. It grows twice the size of integrated updates.

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You can either (1) use a batch file to install all hotfixes or (2) integrate them into your source files.

The first option will install a clean copy of the operating system, afterwhich all the hotfixes are applied. This means that your installation media will contain for example 500MB worth of operating system and 200MB worth of hotfixes. Your hard disk will contain in this example an up-to-date operating system worth 1500MB with an uninstall folder for each hotfix, totally worth 500MB.

The installation media for the second option will contain the operating system, with all the hotfixes integrated. This means that the old and/or no longer needed files are deleted and/or replaced by the updated files. The operating system will not be 500MB anymore, but 600MB. However, you will no longer have all the hotfixes seperately on the installation media, so in this example you will have gained 100MB on the installation media. Your hard disk will contain in this example an up-to-date operating system worth 1500MB. However, you will no longer have an uninstall folder for each hotfix, gaining you 500MB.

The choice is simple I think ;)

Microsoft has included an /INTEGRATE option for all recent hotfixes by the way, so you don't need nLite or HFSLIP to update your source files necessarily.

Hope this helps!

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Red Barchetta, could you tell in detail what issues you had both with slipstreamed and simply installed hotfixes?

Arie, actually slipstreamed distribution takes more place as all of hotfixes still land to svcpack folder. I even had to throw away LANG folder to fit the integrated I386 and MUI. 500 of HDD space makes no point, just think about Vista. :) Uninstallation capability is even better as you can erase $NTUninstall folders at any time and besides you can also uninstall anything that could found to be problematic.

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Red Barchetta, could you tell in detail what issues you had both with slipstreamed and simply installed hotfixes?

Well - it seemed that the HTTP authentication hotfix, when the /integrate switch was used, caused IE6 to open while OS was still installing (at the T-13 mark) - but that's really not needed until IE7 is installed anyway, and attempting to slipstream IE7 broke the RunOnceEx process, and the Hotfixes to make it work again just seemed to integrate, but not actually work! So what I did there was install IE7 via RunOnceEx, have the system Restart, Install the Hotfixes for IE7 (including the HTTP authentication update) via RunOnce, restart again (adding more stuff to be installed via RunOnceEx).

Also, forget off hand what the exact problem here was, but had problems getting WMP11 to install with the OS, and any hotfixes for it would not hold if integrated - so like with IE7, install WMP11 via RunOnceEx, have the system restart, install WMP11 hotfixes (but there, provided you do it either before installing IE7 at all, or after the IE7 hotfixes are installed, just use RunOnceEx).

I had one - unfortunately I don't remember what one, that just refused to integrate, even though it had the /integrate switch available, and it did try - but kept getting "Integration failed" - that one, I ended up just placing in the svcpack folder, and manually put the command for a silent install of it in the svcpack.inf file under the section [setupHotfixesToRun] - and that worked fine (got me why it would not integrate, but worked fine like that but...

I think there were a few other issues, but off the top of my head, that's all I can recall - I know I have a file for my own reference with all that in there - I'll dig it out, and let you know if I missed anything (and most likely will have the exact KB number of the "problem" hotfixes there (can't swear to it, but the way I take notes, it is most likely).

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  • 5 weeks later...

With nLite v1.4beta, there is 2 integration methods:

A nice one - Direct HotFix integration -

- The files are replaced in i386 folder by the new version (packed)

- Registry keys are also replaced

- CAT files are kept for sfc in needed (option to remove)

A rubish one - Regular method -

- The hofix is named KB909090.EXE, kept for later run (T-13 ?)

- Files are extracted (by HotFix ?) in the i386 folder, but stay there unpacked.

- This regular method seems mendatory when hotfix contains a new file (not already present in i386)

ie: KB947143 contains spru040c.dll, absent if previous cumulative IE6 update was not added before.

The nasty result, is that on you CD, those hotfixes use alot MB !

The idea would be to sort hotfixes (Direct HotFix integration->Advanced-> Check "Display reports"

then you'll see what hotfix causes problem, and with what file.

-> 1st solution would be to put a single missing file in the i386 folder, to cause nLite to revert to Direct HotFix integration.

-> 2nd solution, don't integrate, but fix later...

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