Batch file to compare / check another file

[mr_samuel]

Hi.

I have a batch file that runs at startup on each computer and silently installs certain programs and updates. So that I don't have to edit the batch file of each computer seperatly everytime I need to make an amendment (ie install a new program) I have made it first copy the contents of a folder on a server to the local computer and then run the silent installs. (Then I need to only edit the "master" files on the server).

I am looking for a way to allow the local batch file on each computer to compare or check the "master" batch file on the server and only run or copy the parts that have changed from the local one. This means that instead of the entire batch file on the local system running every startup and installing the same programs everytime, it will only install the newest or updated programs. If that makes sense!

I hope someone can give me some ideas please.

Thanks.

[PaulIA]

Don't know if this is what you're looking for, but it may give you some ideas...

When working on slipstreaming some Windows products, I needed to know if I'd applied the hot fix already or not. In my slipstream batch file, I wrote out a 1 byte file for each successful hot fix that I had applied, giving the file the name of the hot fix with a ".txt" extension. Then in the batch file, before I applied the hot fix, I would check to see if this file existed. If it did, then I would skip the hot fix installation.

If you did this, you could just always copy the master batch file to the local computer. When it runs, it would check the local computer and would only install the new apps you've installed.

Hope this helps...