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Interesting HotFix Switches


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Seems there are 4 different sets of switches that hotfixes use in addition to Type 1 and Type 2. :) There doesn't seem to be any ryme or reason as to which set of switches that the hotfixes/recommended updates use. I'll list all the sets that I have discovered here.

These are the ones that we know about:

Type 1: /Q /N /O /Z

Type 2: /Q:A /R:N

And now the ones that we don't know about:

Type 3: /O /N /quiet /norestart

Critical

Q828741.EXE

Q835732.EXE

Recommended

Q826942.EXE

DX9 Update

Q839643.EXE

Type 4: -u -o -n -z

Critical

Q824105.EXE

Q810217.EXE

Q811114.EXE

Recommended

Q822603.EXE

Q821253.EXE

Q820291.EXE

Q814995.EXE

Q322011.EXE

Q327979.EXE

Q810243.EXE

Other interesting things that I have found:

HighMAT Support package uses /Q /N switches only. Supplying anything else will result in a error. It does install correctly from svcpack.inf.

The .NET package uses a similar format to the MDAC update. Here's my command line in svcpack.inf: "DOTNET11.EXE /C:""install.exe /qb""/Q:A /R:N" That /qb switch to install.exe does not appear anywhere in the help. I found it using strings on the install.exe file.

The Help & Support information update uses only 1 switch for silent install: /Q.

I'll post more as I discover additional switches.

Later.

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I should point out...

you're slightly incorrect. There is not a type 4 hotfix yet, as that is about to start beta testing.

type 3 is only in ONE hotfix, and the only difference is a /integrate switch

the switches may look different in your "type 3" and "type 4" but they are truly the same. Notice the only diffence between your "type 4" and "type 1" switches is a - instead of a /. They're the same switch.

HighMat isn't really a hotfix though. It's added features like WMP9 and the Networking Package. Same with .NET. Good find on the DOTNET by the way.

If you're interested in a bit of reading...

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechn...t/winupdte.mspx

or here

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=262841

(the types here, that I and most others refer to, are the different types of switches, as opposed to revisions of the update.exe)

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I should point out...

you're slightly incorrect. There is not a type 4 hotfix yet, as that is about to start beta testing.

Hmm... Interesting. Then that means that the /? is lying then, which is what I was basing my assumption on. What I was doing was running Qxxxxxx.EXE /? from a DOS box and making note of what switches came up in the resulting help box. I did try the default switches though, and they do work anyways despite what the help box says. I wonder why Microsoft did it that way. Ok then, I guess there is still only 2 major types of switches then. I stand corrected.

HighMat isn't really a hotfix though. It's added features like WMP9 and the Networking Package. Same with .NET. Good find on the DOTNET by the way.

(the types here, that I and most others refer to, are the different types of switches, as opposed to revisions of the update.exe)

On my CD builds, I install all critical and recommended updates to save download time, which I'm sure that alot of other people do as well. That's why I posted the command line switches, that I have found that work, for those installation packages as well.

Later.

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Microsoft are trying to change over to the more simple /quiet /norestart which is more verbose to a user than the /Q /N etc. switches. I think it will become used more often, and probably a standard for Pre-SP3 hotfixes. (If I'm wrong please correct me)

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Which is why I, and probably many others, take them and repackage them into iexpress packages with the switches built in.

I save them on my network, after testing, and then I no longer have to worry about which one uses which switch.

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Which is why I, and probably many others, take them and repackage them into iexpress packages with the switches built in.

I save them on my network, after testing, and then I no longer have to worry about which one uses which switch.

i wound up doing that with a couple of the hotfixes (although not the Q/KB ones, i did it for things like the sharepoint migration and msjavawu.exe because i could not get the normal executables to behave with command line switches)

i was thinking i might have to investigate using iexpress for q817778...

edit: no longer needed. q817778 works with the switches (must have been that missing /O or whatever) and runs perfect in runonceex.

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Type 1: /Q /N /O /Z

Type 4: -u -o -n -z

Just to clarify... type 1 and 4 are actually the same...

/Q (-q): Quiet Installation.

/U (-u): Silent Installation.

/N (-n): No Backup.

/O (-o): Overwrite OEM Files.

/Z (-z): No Reboot.

You can use the "/" AND "-" on any hotfix that supports "/" OR "-".

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@Radimus: Type 2 also has /Q:A and /R:N (the /R prevents restart).

You can't always depend on Microsoft's help popup to give you all the information (just look at the /Q option... no /Q:A).

Edit: Type 3 in the original post is what you call Type 4.

There are only 3 types of hotfix files.

/Q /U /N/ /O /Z (-q -u -n -o -z) - Standard.

/Q:A /R:N - IE, OE type updates.

/quiet /passive /norestart /o /n /integrate - New hotfixes (as of SP2 I think - some hotfixes are already like this).

Edit2: I thought I'd better put /integrate in as Alanoll said. I wasn't going to because I was trying to keep the relative switches for EACH hotfix the same. There are also many other switches that can be used on each type but the ones above are the most common for unattended installs.

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lets not forget the one hotfix that uses the latest installer with the /integrate switch :)

It's all difference versions of the hotfix installer, but except for the Type 2 hotfix, they should all be able to use the same switches as Type except for the ones that don't use the update.exe to install (MDAC for example)

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The new type, /quiet /integrate /noreboot type, will be the standard new version of the update.exe file.

The reason so many different switches exist is because, as Alanoll said, the "updates.exe" file has different versions.

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the old ones /q /n /z and whatnot are supposed to become legacy switches. I thought I read they'd still apply, but they won't be the visible switches in the /? window. I personally like the "legacy" switches as they're smaller and you can't mistype the word :)

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