WinXP EOL and automatic updates

[Jon Danniken]

Hello, with EOL coming for XP next year, will the existing updates still
be available after the EOL date? I know they won't be releasing any new
updates, but can a fellow still get the historical updates through
automatic updating?

Basically I am wondering what will happen during a re-installation of
WinXP, and if I will be able to still use automatic updates.

Thanks!

Jon

 

[Bob F]

Hello, with EOL coming for XP next year, will the existing updates
still be available after the EOL date? I know they won't be
releasing any new updates, but can a fellow still get the historical
updates through automatic updating?

Basically I am wondering what will happen during a re-installation of
WinXP, and if I will be able to still use automatic updates.

If nothing else, Download them all to your system, using this tool.
http://download.wsusoffline.net/

 

[VanguardLH]

Hello, with EOL coming for XP next year, will the existing updates still
be available after the EOL date?

No, just like you can't get updates for Windows 98 from the WU site.
You'll have to download and store them locally to have them available to
update a fresh install of Windows 98. To do that, use WSUSoffline.

http://www.wsusoffline.net/

WSUSoffline doesn't cover Windows 98 (because none can be retrieved from
the WU site). It does, however, cover Windows XP as a legacy product.

 

[Jon Danniken]

No, just like you can't get updates for Windows 98 from the WU site.
You'll have to download and store them locally to have them available to
update a fresh install of Windows 98. To do that, use WSUSoffline.

http://www.wsusoffline.net/

WSUSoffline doesn't cover Windows 98 (because none can be retrieved from
the WU site). It does, however, cover Windows XP as a legacy product.

Neat, thanks Van. Since that site offers the tool to download the
update files, where do the actual update files come from? Microsoft?

JOn

 

[Paul]

Neat, thanks Van. Since that site offers the tool to download the
update files, where do the actual update files come from? Microsoft?

JOn

They come from Microsoft.

Paul

 

[VanguardLH]

Neat, thanks Van. Since that site offers the tool to download the
update files, where do the actual update files come from? Microsoft?

They come from Microsoft ... while they have them. So sometime after
the EOL for Windows XP, WSUSoffline won't be able to retrieve them
anymore. That's why, for example, you won't find Windows 98 listed as a
legacy product in WSUSoffline because there are none anymore to get.

 

[Jon Danniken]

They come from Microsoft ... while they have them. So sometime after
the EOL for Windows XP, WSUSoffline won't be able to retrieve them
anymore. That's why, for example, you won't find Windows 98 listed as a
legacy product in WSUSoffline because there are none anymore to get.

Thanks Van (and Paul). I tried it out on one of my VMs and it put out a
nice folder full of updates and I easily installed into a new VM for
testing. This will save me a lot of time on my various XP machines, as
well as keep any new installs as updated as they can be after EOL.

Jon

 

[Davidm]

If nothing else, Download them all to your system, using this tool.
http://download.wsusoffline.net/

My main PC is now a W7 Pro 64 bit system, but I still have some old XP
laptops in use for club that I belong to (and their internet
connections are disabled for security reasons).

In using wsusoffline do I have to run it from one of the XP laptops,
or can I run from the W7 machine, just to capture the updates and save
them for future use?

 

[Bob F]

My main PC is now a W7 Pro 64 bit system, but I still have some old XP
laptops in use for club that I belong to (and their internet
connections are disabled for security reasons).

In using wsusoffline do I have to run it from one of the XP laptops,
or can I run from the W7 machine, just to capture the updates and save
them for future use?

As I understand it, you can store them on one machine as long as the others can
get access to them.

 

[VanguardLH]

My main PC is now a W7 Pro 64 bit system, but I still have some old XP
laptops in use for club that I belong to (and their internet
connections are disabled for security reasons).

In using wsusoffline do I have to run it from one of the XP laptops,
or can I run from the W7 machine, just to capture the updates and save
them for future use?

Run it on any Windows host of any Windows version you want. It is NOT
updating the current instantiation of the OS. It is just retrieving
updates. Similarly, you don't need MS Office installed to get and store
those updates. It is querying Microsoft's WSUS server for the category
of updates and itself acting like a WSUS server. That's how companies
operate WSUS servers: they retrieve updates from Microsoft and then per
their own rules decide what to push on their own workstations. They
don't retrieve updates for what is installed. They retrieve all updates
they've specify to retrieve. A WSUS server can retrieve all updates
from Microsoft (or another WSUS server) or it can specify categories of
updates to retrieve. It can also block some updates, especially
patches, until the IT folks have decided they want to retrieve and then
push that update to their workstations. Corporations do not have their
employees visiting the WU site to get updates. They push what updates
they want to allow from their own WSUS server.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_Update_Services
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/ar...Microsoft-Windows-Server-Update-Services.html
http://sourcedaddy.com/windows-7/windows-server-update-services.html

In WSUSoffline, you specify what category of updates to retrieve.
WSUSoffline is only coded to let you option to download Windows or
Office updates. None of the other Microsoft products are included. You
could run your own local WSUS server and then have it deliver what
updates you want to your own workstations. WSUSoffline was designed to
eliminate end users from having to figure out how to install, setup, and
maintain a WSUS server. Plus WSUSoffline is targeting use by a single
user, not by a corporation that wants to manage and deploy updates
across their enterprise network.

 

[VanguardLH]

A word of warning: disable your anti-virus program (or any other
security software that interrogates your network traffic and file
creates) while running WSUSoffline. I don't know if it is a problem
with WSUSoffline or with Microsoft's WU site but if there is a long lag
during transfer of a file then WSUSoffline will hang or maybe it's the
WU site that is hanging.

In any case, the long time to interrogate some of the rather huge files
will cause a hang in compiling the update store by WSUSoffline. You'll
have to kill WSUSoffline and retry the update retrievals. Just don't
connect to anywhere else while your AV program is disabled while
updating WSUSoffline's update store. There is no resume on retrieving
an update. If retrieval fails at any point, you have to re-retrieve the
entire update file again.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Jon Danniken wrote:
Hello, with EOL coming for XP next year, will the existing updates
still be available after the EOL date? I know they won't be
releasing any new updates, but can a fellow still get the historical
updates through automatic updating?

Basically I am wondering what will happen during a re-installation
of WinXP, and if I will be able to still use automatic updates.

If nothing else, Download them all to your system, using this tool.
http://download.wsusoffline.net/

[]
In using wsusoffline do I have to run it from one of the XP laptops,
or can I run from the W7 machine, just to capture the updates and save
them for future use?

As I understand it, you can store them on one machine as long as the
others can
get access to them.
[/QUOTE]
Could someone please explain in _simple_ terms how to use this tool? If
I understand what you're describing, it downloads all Windows updates -
for XP and Office, anyway - into a form that can be run later on as many
machines as you like. Is that right? Can you specify a start point, such
as XP SP3, or Office 2003?

Also: where updates have been superseded by later ones (i. e. bugs in
one update corrected by a later update), does it still get all of them,
or only the latest bits necessary?

Thanks, from a bear of little brain (or at least, an ageing brain!).

 

[Todd]

A word of warning: disable your anti-virus program (or any other
security software that interrogates your network traffic and file
creates) while running WSUSoffline. I don't know if it is a problem
with WSUSoffline or with Microsoft's WU site but if there is a long lag
during transfer of a file then WSUSoffline will hang or maybe it's the
WU site that is hanging.

In any case, the long time to interrogate some of the rather huge files
will cause a hang in compiling the update store by WSUSoffline. You'll
have to kill WSUSoffline and retry the update retrievals. Just don't
connect to anywhere else while your AV program is disabled while
updating WSUSoffline's update store. There is no resume on retrieving
an update. If retrieval fails at any point, you have to re-retrieve the
entire update file again.

One you have the files, can you run one program that installs all of
them, or do you have to install them one at a time?

 

[VanguardLH]

One you have the files, can you run one program that installs all of
them, or do you have to install them one at a time?

I specify a folder where all updates get stored. Each gets stored in a
subdirectory by the product name although the naming scheme isn't
immediately intuitive and you'll have to think about which subfolder
name belongs to which product. In that folder gets created an installer
program (UpdateInstaller.exe).

I extract and save the WSUSoffline program under C:\WSUS\WSUSoffline. I
save the retrieved updates and create the installer program under
C:\WSUS\WSUSupdates. I separate the program (its folder, subfolders,
and program files) from the update store folder. This is so I can
retrieve and extract a new version of the program without ever having to
touch the update store.

Eventually I save the C:\WSUS\WSUSupdates folder onto a USB-attached
drive that I'll use later to do the updates. If you don't want to use a
USB drive with a free capacity 16GB, or higher, (currently my
WSUSupdates folder is under 10GB in size) then select the option to have
WSUSoffline store the updates by individual products so you could slice
them up across multiple drives.

Running UpdateInstaller is tersely described at:

http://www.wsusoffline.net/docs/

You get the idea. In the same way you selected which updates to
retrieve is the same selections you make when you run the installer as
to which products you want to update. That page has a couple links to
videos (AVI files) to show how to use the product.

Sorry, but I've been lucky in not having to use the update store created
by WSUSoffline. Although I'm saving the updates for Windows XP, I'm not
using that OS on any of my home computers anymore nor any at work (we
don't need to include that OS platform in our regression tests anymore).
It looks like you get to update the selected product when you run the
installer up to the same level as for all the updates you retrieved. I
don't see that you get to elect which particular updates are included as
you would when you visit the WU site. For that level of detail in
selecting the specific updates you want (i.e., you want some but not
all) then you probably have to look at running your own WSUS server,
something that I'm never going to bother with learning or doing.

Youtube has several videos on how to use WSUSoffline. As search there:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wsusoffline&sm=3

finds, for example, the following videos:

(this guy created separate update stores for each product by ISO image)

My guess is that if you download updates for only 1 product then that's
the only product their installer can update. Yeah, obvious, but I have
seen tutorials (probably their own) where a Software tab was shown (but
the panel for it wasn't displayed). I expect if you elect to download
updates for multiple products that the Software tab in their installer
lets you select which products to update during that run of their
installer.

If you're a relatively new user that started out on Windows Vista, or
later, are were weaned on myriads of wizards to guide you through each
step in a complex process then you'll be disappointed at the UI for
WSUSoffline. You just check the boxes to select the products for which
you want to amass updates into local files and when you click Start
you'll be presented with the command shell that is so daunting to many
users that never used a version of Windows before 2000 (i.e., in earlier
9x-based versions of Windows where DOS was still needed). WSUSoffline
has a GUI frontend but its work is exercised using a CLI (command-line
interface) to a program.

 

[Davidm]

If nothing else, Download them all to your system, using this tool.
http://download.wsusoffline.net/

My main PC is now a W7 Pro 64 bit system, but I still have some old XP
laptops in use for club that I belong to (and their internet
connections are disabled for security reasons).

In using wsusoffline do I have to run it from one of the XP laptops,
or can I run from the W7 machine, just to capture the updates and save
them for future use?

 

[Davidm]

I specify a folder where all updates get stored. Each gets stored in a
subdirectory by the product name although the naming scheme isn't
immediately intuitive and you'll have to think about which subfolder
name belongs to which product. In that folder gets created an installer
program (UpdateInstaller.exe).

I extract and save the WSUSoffline program under C:\WSUS\WSUSoffline. I
save the retrieved updates and create the installer program under
C:\WSUS\WSUSupdates. I separate the program (its folder, subfolders,
and program files) from the update store folder. This is so I can
retrieve and extract a new version of the program without ever having to
touch the update store.

Eventually I save the C:\WSUS\WSUSupdates folder onto a USB-attached
drive that I'll use later to do the updates. If you don't want to use a
USB drive with a free capacity 16GB, or higher, (currently my
WSUSupdates folder is under 10GB in size) then select the option to have
WSUSoffline store the updates by individual products so you could slice
them up across multiple drives.

Running UpdateInstaller is tersely described at:

http://www.wsusoffline.net/docs/

You get the idea. In the same way you selected which updates to
retrieve is the same selections you make when you run the installer as
to which products you want to update. That page has a couple links to
videos (AVI files) to show how to use the product.

Sorry, but I've been lucky in not having to use the update store created
by WSUSoffline. Although I'm saving the updates for Windows XP, I'm not
using that OS on any of my home computers anymore nor any at work (we
don't need to include that OS platform in our regression tests anymore).
It looks like you get to update the selected product when you run the
installer up to the same level as for all the updates you retrieved. I
don't see that you get to elect which particular updates are included as
you would when you visit the WU site. For that level of detail in
selecting the specific updates you want (i.e., you want some but not
all) then you probably have to look at running your own WSUS server,
something that I'm never going to bother with learning or doing.

Youtube has several videos on how to use WSUSoffline. As search there:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wsusoffline&sm=3

finds, for example, the following videos:

(this guy created separate update stores for each product by ISO image)

My guess is that if you download updates for only 1 product then that's
the only product their installer can update. Yeah, obvious, but I have
seen tutorials (probably their own) where a Software tab was shown (but
the panel for it wasn't displayed). I expect if you elect to download
updates for multiple products that the Software tab in their installer
lets you select which products to update during that run of their
installer.

If you're a relatively new user that started out on Windows Vista, or
later, are were weaned on myriads of wizards to guide you through each
step in a complex process then you'll be disappointed at the UI for
WSUSoffline. You just check the boxes to select the products for which
you want to amass updates into local files and when you click Start
you'll be presented with the command shell that is so daunting to many
users that never used a version of Windows before 2000 (i.e., in earlier
9x-based versions of Windows where DOS was still needed). WSUSoffline
has a GUI frontend but its work is exercised using a CLI (command-line
interface) to a program.

Many thanks VanguardLH - a very comprehensive and helpful reply.
David

 

[Bob F]

Jon Danniken wrote:
Hello, with EOL coming for XP next year, will the existing updates
still be available after the EOL date? I know they won't be
releasing any new updates, but can a fellow still get the
historical updates through automatic updating?

Basically I am wondering what will happen during a re-installation
of WinXP, and if I will be able to still use automatic updates.

If nothing else, Download them all to your system, using this tool.
http://download.wsusoffline.net/ []
In using wsusoffline do I have to run it from one of the XP laptops,
or can I run from the W7 machine, just to capture the updates and
save them for future use?

As I understand it, you can store them on one machine as long as the
others can
get access to them.

Could someone please explain in _simple_ terms how to use this tool?
If I understand what you're describing, it downloads all Windows
updates - for XP and Office, anyway - into a form that can be run
later on as many machines as you like. Is that right? Can you specify
a start point, such as XP SP3, or Office 2003?

Also: where updates have been superseded by later ones (i. e. bugs in
one update corrected by a later update), does it still get all of
them, or only the latest bits necessary?

Thanks, from a bear of little brain (or at least, an ageing brain!).[/QUOTE]

I don't know in detail, but I believe there is a function they causes it to go
through the updates, and remove superceded ones.

 

[Todd]

I specify a folder where all updates get stored. Each gets stored in a
subdirectory by the product name although the naming scheme isn't
immediately intuitive and you'll have to think about which subfolder
name belongs to which product. In that folder gets created an installer
program (UpdateInstaller.exe).

I extract and save the WSUSoffline program under C:\WSUS\WSUSoffline. I
save the retrieved updates and create the installer program under
C:\WSUS\WSUSupdates. I separate the program (its folder, subfolders,
and program files) from the update store folder. This is so I can
retrieve and extract a new version of the program without ever having to
touch the update store.

Eventually I save the C:\WSUS\WSUSupdates folder onto a USB-attached
drive that I'll use later to do the updates. If you don't want to use a
USB drive with a free capacity 16GB, or higher, (currently my
WSUSupdates folder is under 10GB in size) then select the option to have
WSUSoffline store the updates by individual products so you could slice
them up across multiple drives.

Running UpdateInstaller is tersely described at:

http://www.wsusoffline.net/docs/

You get the idea. In the same way you selected which updates to
retrieve is the same selections you make when you run the installer as
to which products you want to update. That page has a couple links to
videos (AVI files) to show how to use the product.

Sorry, but I've been lucky in not having to use the update store created
by WSUSoffline. Although I'm saving the updates for Windows XP, I'm not
using that OS on any of my home computers anymore nor any at work (we
don't need to include that OS platform in our regression tests anymore).
It looks like you get to update the selected product when you run the
installer up to the same level as for all the updates you retrieved. I
don't see that you get to elect which particular updates are included as
you would when you visit the WU site. For that level of detail in
selecting the specific updates you want (i.e., you want some but not
all) then you probably have to look at running your own WSUS server,
something that I'm never going to bother with learning or doing.

Youtube has several videos on how to use WSUSoffline. As search there:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wsusoffline&sm=3

finds, for example, the following videos:

(this guy created separate update stores for each product by ISO image)

My guess is that if you download updates for only 1 product then that's
the only product their installer can update. Yeah, obvious, but I have
seen tutorials (probably their own) where a Software tab was shown (but
the panel for it wasn't displayed). I expect if you elect to download
updates for multiple products that the Software tab in their installer
lets you select which products to update during that run of their
installer.

If you're a relatively new user that started out on Windows Vista, or
later, are were weaned on myriads of wizards to guide you through each
step in a complex process then you'll be disappointed at the UI for
WSUSoffline. You just check the boxes to select the products for which
you want to amass updates into local files and when you click Start
you'll be presented with the command shell that is so daunting to many
users that never used a version of Windows before 2000 (i.e., in earlier
9x-based versions of Windows where DOS was still needed). WSUSoffline
has a GUI frontend but its work is exercised using a CLI (command-line
interface) to a program.

Do we have till the cut off date to do this, or is after okay?

 

[VanguardLH]

Do we have till the cut off date to do this, or is after okay?

See my reply on 11/18/2013 to Paul.

WSUSoffline is downloading the update files from Microsoft. If the
files are no longer at Microsoft's WSUS server (WU site) then how could
WSUSoffline retrieve them?

EOL for support does not mandate an immediate cutoff of availability
from the WU site. It's Microsoft's choice when they remove them from
their WU site. So while EOL for Windows XP has a specific date, we
won't know when Microsoft really cuts off availability of those updates
from their WU site until it happens. Their server, their rules.

 

[Todd]

See my reply on 11/18/2013 to Paul.

WSUSoffline is downloading the update files from Microsoft. If the
files are no longer at Microsoft's WSUS server (WU site) then how could
WSUSoffline retrieve them?

Perhaps they are buffered somewhere else?

EOL for support does not mandate an immediate cutoff of availability
from the WU site. It's Microsoft's choice when they remove them from
their WU site. So while EOL for Windows XP has a specific date, we
won't know when Microsoft really cuts off availability of those updates
from their WU site until it happens. Their server, their rules.

My concern was that I get them all. So I wanted to wait till the end.