Win XP updates download?

[Solouko]

OK for a start win XP is pretty much dead now, with vista here Microsoft will now stop producing and releasing windows updates on the windows update site.

secondly these updates are massive and if you want to update you'd better have a fast connection.


Problem: i LIKE Win XP and it runs well on older machines, i don't want to be forced to switch to vista and also not all the systems i work on (mine and my friends) have access to a high speed internet connection to download them even if they are available.

Question: Is there anywhere (that isn't owned by Microsoft) that will allow you to download the back catalogue of updates and save them to a CD so that they can be installed from this CD rather then the Windows update website?

note: i know you can do this with the service packs and it's something i have done, and i know these service packs are mostly cumulative updates and patches but what about all the patches after SP2?

Thank you
Solouko

 

[MarcLister]

You could check out your Windows Update install history and manually download all your updates that way. Quite a slow and labourious way to do this.

Heard of nLite? Search the OcUK forums for nLite or visit http://www.nliteos.com. If you use nLite you could download the RyanVM update pack which is exactly what you want. Its a pack released every month, roughly, and is packed with every update MS have released for XP since SP2 was released.

You download the RyanVM pack and integrate that into nLite to make sure that when you next install Windows you're patched up.

http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/

 

[Solouko]

You could check out your Windows Update install history and manually download all your updates that way. Quite a slow and labourious way to do this.

Heard of nLite? Search the OcUK forums for nLite or visit http://www.nliteos.com. If you use nLite you could download the RyanVM update pack which is exactly what you want. Its a pack released every month, roughly, and is packed with every update MS have released for XP since SP2 was released.

You download the RyanVM pack and integrate that into nLite to make sure that when you next install Windows you're patched up.

http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/

What can i say other then thank you? i owe you one for this

 

[MarcLister]

No probs dude. nLite is a cracker of a program, still being worked on and allows you to be fully patched up when you install Windows and have drivers integrated, unattended installs and Windows keys added to the install to make it all automatic.

Imho nLite is one of the best utils for Windows PCs at the moment, if not one of the best ever. Give it a try and you should be very happy.

You can also give Autopatcher a try. From what I've heard it takes ages to run and update Windows so I prefer nLite.

http://www.autopatcher.com/

 

[TheVoice]

OK for a start win XP is pretty much dead now, with vista here Microsoft will now stop producing and releasing windows updates on the windows update site.

Think you might be jumping the gun a bit. XP isn't dead - yes, Vista is here but I don't think it needs to be pointed out that XP is still the main OS in use, and MS obviously knows this. Updates aren't just going to cease being released immediately, MS will give it a decent amount of time until at least the majority of people are on Vista.

Seems a bit paranoid to me. XP will continue to be safe and secure for a good while yet.

 

[Solouko]

Think you might be jumping the gun a bit. XP isn't dead - yes, Vista is here but I don't think it needs to be pointed out that XP is still the main OS in use, and MS obviously knows this. Updates aren't just going to cease being released immediately, MS will give it a decent amount of time until at least the majority of people are on Vista.

Seems a bit paranoid to me. XP will continue to be safe and secure for a good while yet.

When i said it's dead i meant in microsoft's eyes, they have in the past shown a compleat disregard for their current OSs as soon as they have something new, yes it may very well be another 6 months before they stop compleatly but they will stop, microsoft are stupid like that. as soon as XP first came out i was still on win 98, ok there were a lot of systems between that and XP but they were imho useless, microsoft didnt see this and cut all updates for their obsolete 98. which sucked because next to XP it was the best OS, it was the only one that didnt slow to a crawl almost instantaniously! maybe i am being paranoid but discontunuing support for an OS to force you into buying their new one is just the sort of underhanded thing that microsoft are known for.

 

[MarcLister]

When i said it's dead i meant in microsoft's eyes, they have in the past shown a compleat disregard for their current OSs as soon as they have something new, yes it may very well be another 6 months before they stop compleatly but they will stop, microsoft are stupid like that. as soon as XP first came out i was still on win 98, ok there were a lot of systems between that and XP but they were imho useless, microsoft didnt see this and cut all updates for their obsolete 98. which sucked because next to XP it was the best OS, it was the only one that didnt slow to a crawl almost instantaniously! maybe i am being paranoid but discontunuing support for an OS to force you into buying their new one is just the sort of underhanded thing that microsoft are known for.

But they've only ended their free support for Windows 98 in the last year or so?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5172798.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5164450.stm

 

[bledd]

SP3 is still in development, xp support is very much still alive

there's still tons of companies that are still on 2000 SP4, and XP SP1!

 

[stoofa]

When i said it's dead i meant in microsoft's eyes, they have in the past shown a compleat disregard for their current OSs as soon as they have something new, yes it may very well be another 6 months before they stop compleatly but they will stop, microsoft are stupid like that. as soon as XP first came out i was still on win 98, ok there were a lot of systems between that and XP but they were imho useless, microsoft didnt see this and cut all updates for their obsolete 98. which sucked because next to XP it was the best OS, it was the only one that didnt slow to a crawl almost instantaniously! maybe i am being paranoid but discontunuing support for an OS to force you into buying their new one is just the sort of underhanded thing that microsoft are known for.

No, you are talking rubbish.
Microsoft are not known for cutting support for their old products at all.
In fact as many companies go they are actually one of the better ones at providing updates, patches and "work arounds" for their products long after they have gone obsolete.
What you are not seeing is just how old a product is before they no longer support it.
A good place to start would be here:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifecycle

You firstly say Microsoft are stupid to stop support on old products.
How so?
How can you progress things if people are continuing to us Win98 & Office 97?
Also you cannot spare teams of people to look after dead and obsolete products that cannot even be purchased any more.
You then go on to say how "underhanded" it is?
How so?
There is nothing underhand at all - you name me one company that fully supports all versions of their various products?

This is another typical case of attacking Microsoft for doing something that all other companies do and are actually worse than Microsoft are.
The rule of thumb with most companies is to support their latest release only with minor support on the previous version.
Microsoft are fully supporting Vista and XP at the moment with numerous Knowledgebase articles still today being written about Windows 2000 - a six seven year old product.

 

[MarcLister]

SP3 is still in development, xp support is very much still alive

Woot! Any firm dates for release and content? Officially isn't IE7 going to be in SP3?

Just searched Wikipedia and found its due, tentatively, first half of 2008 which is a fair length of time but then it does show that MS will be working on XP/SP3 for at least another year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_xp#Service_Pack_3

 

[TheVoice]

they have in the past shown a compleat disregard for their current OSs as soon as they have something new, yes it may very well be another 6 months before they stop compleatly but they will stop, microsoft are stupid like that.

They have? Because I've never seen that happen myself - I used Windows Me for two years after XP was released and I still had updates for it, as did Windows 98 users. Like I said, MS isn't going to cut support for XP when, even in 6 months time, it'll still be the most-used OS out there.

I'm not going to say what stoofa has already said, he put it very well: part and parcel of business is that new products are released and slowly the old products are put to rest. MS isn't forcing anyone to upgrade right away, and quite frankly if there are people that feel they're being forced, they need to open their eyes.

 

[Solouko]

I stand pretty damn well corrected there!

sorry, i will get my facts straight first next time.

Regards Solouko: master of getting it wrong =D