Email: How To Upgrade XP?

by ComputerBob

March 14, 2008

Yesterday, I got an email message, asking me to troubleshoot and proofread a batch file to install all of the latest upgrades into Windows XP. As a former full-time Windows user, trainer and tech-support professional for more than a decade, I'm very familiar with the problem that the email writer describes. However, as a full-time Linux user since July, 2006, I've never had to do anything except point and click to automatically keep my free Linux distro and all of its hundreds of free software applications updated with all of the latest security updates.

That's one of the reasons why I just have to laugh whenever I see articles in which Windows users criticize Linux as being "too geeky" or "hard to use."

The Email Message

Hi Computer Bob,

Read your page on creating a batch file for windows updates. I'm new at this but being on a dialup would like to make one. I do a fresh reinstall of my system at least once a year and I'll tell ya I hate it! Am running XP Home with SP2. First I put in the XP Disk, then the SP2 Disk, then it's off to windows update where I stay for at least 24 hours downloading and installing all the updates. Thats why I want this batch file to copy onto a disk. Not interested in slipstreaming XP & SP2. Just want a 3rd disk to pop in and click on the batch file I created. I downloaded all my updates to my computer and I searched online as to how to type out this batch file. I started typing and am not so sure about the results. There are 105 updates that I saved. 2 of them are CAB Files (one is an update for my Modem & the other is an Intel update). The rest are KB******'s. Well to make a long story short, would you PLEASE take a look at my notepad & tell me what's wrong? Pretty Please? This way I can be sure before I go and put it on CD. Thanks in advance either way! I Would really appreciate it.

By the way, if your wondering where I got this idea from http://www.instructables.com/id/E1EXV9BMLZES9J3RMM/

Here's the list but i couldnt tell ya if they are in chronological order. I just opened each folder and copied the name the way the above article said. I jumped around trying to keep the same kind together just so it would look neat. I am mostly concerned with the last 20 or so. Not so sure I typed them correctly. I know It's not right. Online everyone says to type it a different way. Like using the 8.3 name creation method, changing the Windows Xp-KB942615-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n to KB042615.exe with a switch and that's it! Am very confused! Anyhow these are my updates, I just want to create a batch file of these. Will you help? Thanks Again, Maryann

 
@echo off
echo Installing Windows XP Updates
cmd >updatelog.txt
WindowsXP-KB942615-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB929123-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB941202-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB873339-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB885836-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB890046-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB891781-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB896358-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB896428-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB899591-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB901017-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB902400-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB905749-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB911562-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB913580-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB914389-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB918118-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB919007-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB920670-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB920685-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB922819-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB923414-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB923980-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB924496-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB925902-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB926436-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB927802-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB928843-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB931261-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB935839-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB936021-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB938829-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB941644-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB943460-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB944653-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB941569-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB946627-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB894391-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB898461-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB916595-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB922582-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB930916-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB938828-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB942840-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB942763-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB936357-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB920872-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB910437-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB941569-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB946026-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB943485-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB943055-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB941568-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB938127-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB935840-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB933729-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB931784-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB930178-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB928255-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB927779-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB926255-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB924667-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB924270-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB923191-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB921503-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB920683-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB920213-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB918439-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB917344-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB914388-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB911927-x86-ENU.ex /passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB908519-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB905414-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB901214-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB900725-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB899587-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB896423-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB893756-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB890859-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB888302-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB885835-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB923789-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB944533-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB886185-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB932168-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
Windowsinstaller-KB893803-v2-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
MSXML4-KB936181-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
Windowsmedia9-KB936782-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
Windowsmedia-KB911564-x64-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB908531-v2-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB904942-v2-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
MP10Setup.exe/Q
Windowsmedia-KB891122-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB900485-v2-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB896344-v2-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB923689-v2-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB911280-v2-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
WindowsXP-KB887472-x86-sp1-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
Windowsmedia10-KB936782-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
Windowsmedia6-KB925398-v2-x86-ENU.exe/passive/norestart/n
MSXML-KB933579-ENU-amd64.exe/passive/norestart/n
MSXML5-KB933579-ENU-ia64.exe/passive/norestart/n
MSXML6-KB933579-ENU-x86.exe/passive/norestart/n
MSXML6sp 1-KB934268-ENU-amd64.exe/passive/norestart/n
MSXML6sp 1-KB934268-ENU-ia64.exe/passive/norestart/n
MSXML6sp 1-KB934268-ENU-x86.exe/passive/norestart/n
shutdown -r -t 30 -f

My Reply

Dear Maryann,
I'm sorry, but what you've asked me to do is way beyond the scope of what I'd even be willing to do for myself. I can't think of anyone who would want to take on the task of making sure that all of the items in your batch file are correct, complete, current, in the right order, and have the correct switches -- that's a whole bunch of moving targets! ;-) That's one of the many reasons why it's so difficult to find any pre-compiled CDs of all the latest Windows Updates, besides the official Windows Service Packs. It's also one of the many reasons why I began using Linux full-time instead of Windows in July, 2006. ;-)