Webmedic's Hotfix Script Method

[Aaron]

Spheris and I have experimented with the svcpack method of slipstreaming the hotfixes yesterday, and we did further tests to see if we could remove the actual downloaded hotfix files from the svcpack folder, since we have the extracted files in the i386 folder, and the cat files in the svcpack folder. Not doing so would have unnecessarily bloated the CD more.

Advantages:

1. A true slipstreamed Windows XP SP1 CD with Pre-SP2 hotfixes.

2. The 13min stage in Windows XP Setup is bypassed quickly in 1-2 mins rather than waiting 5-20mins.

Disadvantages:

1. Hotfix information isn't put into the registry, so Windows Update will incorrectly report you will need critical updates, even though they are already installed. This could lead to a lot of confusion on what you have and what you don't have when a new critical update is released.

Unless we can find a way round this, I don't really know what to put into the Guide, either with downloaded hotfix files, or without?

[Bachus]

First of all, how did you go about removing the hotfix setups? Did you just delete them from the svcpack directory and it worked?

Would it be possible to extract all of the hotfix info from the registry and then import it through cmdlines.txt?

[Bark]

Now we're talking! I couldn't understand why we'd go through all the trouble of slipstreaming them and then running the hotfixes afterward anyway. At least, that seems to be what's happening... correct me if I'm wrong.

If it's just a matter of registry entries it should be relatively simple to figure them out and import them shouldn't it?

I feel that slipstreaming the hotfixes without windows update being able to tell is counter-productive. It creates more work for the administrator cataloging and keeping track of which hot fix was on which installation cd that went on which computer and now which hotfix still needs to go on which computer - which just typing out has made me dizzy.

(first time poster/couple week lurker )

[Aaron]

Yes, the Hotfix setup files are deleted from the svcpack folder.

I'll go test this hotfix information registry import, but it results in a lot more work as it has to be taken from a PC that had the hotfixes installed manually.

I don't think it matters whereabout in the Setup process you import the hotfix information into the registry. I'm going to try importing it from an idle desktop I have running in VPC

[webmedic]

i'm working on it wiht him now we for the most part have this all resolved. I'm getting ready to do a run through now and will update the htofix compiler when we are all done. When we are dont they should all be registered correctly and the other issues should be resolved. We have still maintained the smaller size. It only adds about 10 megs to the install.

[Paul 365]

Does all this take into account the hotfix rollup that is forthcoming?

I would take any method that cuts out the 13 min stage But windows update has to be able to recognise they are there...Can you imagine the fone calls

[GreenMachine]

It is true that removing the actual hotfixes saves about 40 MBs, but that is off no matter to me: my windows installations are windows only installations. I need alot more that 40 MBs to install all the additional programs I will install, but I like to keep things modular - thus simple and easy to debug. Without really knowing what each of the hotfix setups does, I would not remove them. Do they do the exact same thing on all computers? If there is a single "IF" satement in the code... I will never try to understand that code so in depth: I will never remove them. At best, it will introduce instability questions. At worst, I smell a maintenance and weekly (wednesday) updating nightmare. My interest in slipstreaming the hotfixes is added stability. This is, to me, a step in the other direction. Windows update must also work correctly, or, in the words of another member, what's the point? The extra 15 or so minutes does not concern me, either: I am not there to see this, nor the fancy .inf / RunOnceEX installations.

Now that the Project's Father is back on line, perhaps we should baptise this the Royal Hotfix Sipstreaming Method?

God Bless the Queen.

[DaveXP]

What happens with SP2 comes out do yuo just slipstream them on top or do you have to remove the hotfixes?

[GreenMachine]

I will certainly take the exrta 10 minutes to start over: copy the files from CD, slipstream SP2, ... and wait for the next wave of hotfixes.

[LouCypher]

Doug Knox has a nice little program to remove the hotfix backup files and avoids the error with Windows Update telling you they aren't installed.

link

[GreenMachine]

The uninstall switch when installing the hotfix avoids the need for this (in ALMOST all hotfixes). (No offense, Doug...)

[RyanVM]

There's a registry key that states which hotfixes are installed. I'd imagine (but haven't tested) that if you export/import those keys, WindowsUpdate won't say anything.

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Updates\WindowsXP\SP2

[Aaron]

It would be a hassle to do, since it would need to be exported from a PC that had the hotfixes installed manually.

But, while we don't yet know what keys and values it scans, I will try keys with nothing in them, hopefully it will only scan the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP2\KB820128 part (in bold). If it does, then it should be fairly easy to create a script that could generate a registry file by scanning the hotfix numbers from folders 1, 2 and 3

Its a theory though!