Alternative method for installing Updates

[[deXter]]

Hi all! Nice site you have oe'r here! I stumbled upon this forum while I was browsing thru unattended.msfn.org

I knew bout the svcpack.inf method since a long while but I never actually used it, cause I like to keep all my xp updates on a seperate multisessioned cd.

I automate the installation by using a simple batch file I have been developing. Here is the file (as of 8 May 2004):

start /WAIT DX9NTopk.exe
rem This is not the original MPSetupXP file, its an auto-install packagestart /WAIT MPSetupXP.exe
rem Standard SP2 updates...
start /WAIT Q322011_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q323255_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q327696_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q327979_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q328145_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q328310_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q329048_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q329115_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q329170_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT q329256_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q329390_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q329441_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q329604_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT q329623_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q329692_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q329834_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q330909_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q331320_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q331958_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q810032_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q810272_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q810400_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q810833_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q814033_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q814995_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q811114_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q811493_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT q812415_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q815021_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q817606_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q819696_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -q
start /WAIT WindowsXP-KB821557-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB823980-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB823559-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB821253-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB282010-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB820291-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB820291-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB817778-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB824105-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -q
rem Some other type of updates..
start /WAIT WindowsMedia8-KB817787-x86-ENU.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT q818529.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT q822925.exe /Q:A /R:N
rem Updates arranged CHRONOLOGICALLY:
start /WAIT q818857.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT q331488.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT WindowsMedia9-KB827560-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT q828750.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT WindowsMedia-KB828026-x86-ENU.exe /quiet /passive /norestart /o /nstart /WAIT q827667.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB826939-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB826942-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT q826940.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT q827057.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT q824145.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT mm20enu.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT setup.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT js56nen.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT msjavwu_8073687b82d41db93f4c2a04af2b34d.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT dotnetfx.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT q330994.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB822603-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT HMTCDWizard_enu.exe /Qstart /WAIT WindowsMedia-KB828026-x86-ENU.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB825119-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB823182-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB829558-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB828035-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB824141-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT hu1002_pro_D3ADFECA5D27B538BFB5243DBF39A9034F2A5019.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT ENU_Q832483_MDAC_x86.EXE /C:"dahotfix.exe /q /n" /qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB810243-x86-ENU_f9221252ff64f016a59490bfacdd617.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT Q832894_a56d1a98d775e1031c72934a0baa9d7.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB828028-x86-ENU.exe -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT vbrun60sp6.exestart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB833998-x86-ENU.EXE -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB837001-x86-ENU.EXE -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB828741-x86-ENU.EXE -u -n -o -z -qstart /WAIT OE6.0sp1-KB837009-x86-ENU.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT Q831167.exe /Q:A /R:Nstart /WAIT WindowsXP-KB835732-x86-ENU.EXE /quiet /passive /norestart /o /nstart /WAIT WindowsMedia-KB832353-ENU.exe /quiet /passive /norestart /o /nstart /WAIT WindowsMedia9-KB837272-ENU.exe /quiet /passive /norestart /o /nstart /WAIT Q837251.exe /Q:A /R:N

My queries are:

1) Do I need qchain.exe in this case? I've been using, developing and deploying this file since a long time and have never faced any problems related to file or version incompatibilities...

2) As you can see, I had initially started off by arranging the updates numerically. But since 818857 onwards, I have been

following MS's update releases closely and have also been maintaing a document containing the updates, release dates and so forth. Since then I've arranged all the updates in the order they were released. Should I rearrange the rest of the updates chronologically too or let it be as it is? Which way is better in your opinion- Numerically or Chronologically?

[GreenMachine]

You need QCHAIN if you attempt replace a file with a previous version. If this is not the case, you do not need it. In order to know that, you will need to study the contents of each update (which apparently you have done).

As for the best order, again this should be determined from the file version number of the updated Windows files.

Now, theory aside, I install according to 6 digit hotfix number. I have tested with and without QCHAIN, and the results (for that given hotfix set) were identical. Still, QCHAIN is cheap enough and easy enough, I always use it, so I do not need to worry about it.