Best way to download and install Windows Updates?

[Guest]

What is the best way or the recommended way to download and install updates
from Microsoft? I am going format my disk and reinstall Windows XP Pro. The
CD shipped with my computer is XP Pro SP1, so some updates are already taken
care of. But now that SP2 has been released, I don't know what the best way
to download and install the updates. Should I install the updates that were
released prior to SP2, and then SP2 last? Or should I install SP2 first and
then the remaining updates? If I understand correctly, I believe that SP2
contains the critical and other important updates that have been released
prior to SP2. Am I correct? If so, then if I install SP2 first, it would
cause less updates to be downloaded that are remaining, right?

Thanks in advance for your help/advice!!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

What is the best way or the recommended way to download and install
updates from Microsoft? I am going format my disk and reinstall
Windows XP Pro. The CD shipped with my computer is XP Pro SP1, so
some updates are already taken care of. But now that SP2 has been
released, I don't know what the best way to download and install the
updates. Should I install the updates that were released prior to
SP2, and then SP2 last? Or should I install SP2 first and then the
remaining updates? If I understand correctly, I believe that SP2
contains the critical and other important updates that have been
released prior to SP2. Am I correct? If so, then if I install SP2
first, it would cause less updates to be downloaded that are
remaining, right?

Answered elsewhere, but I will add here that you could also download SP2 and
slipstream that into your SP1 CD..

Check out that and more here:

http://unattended.msfn.org/

 

[Kent W. England [MVP]]

Cody wrote on 04-Sep-2004 9:55 PM:

What is the best way or the recommended way to download and install updates
from Microsoft? I am going format my disk and reinstall Windows XP Pro. The
CD shipped with my computer is XP Pro SP1, so some updates are already taken
care of. But now that SP2 has been released, I don't know what the best way
to download and install the updates. Should I install the updates that were
released prior to SP2, and then SP2 last? Or should I install SP2 first and
then the remaining updates? If I understand correctly, I believe that SP2
contains the critical and other important updates that have been released
prior to SP2. Am I correct? If so, then if I install SP2 first, it would
cause less updates to be downloaded that are remaining, right?

Thanks in advance for your help/advice!!

I would enable the XP Internet Connection Firewall before connecting to
the Internet with SP1, to avoid infections.

Then manually go to Windows Update and select SP2, if offered. When SP2
reboots, enable the Automatic Updates and check your firewall settings
to enable file sharing if required. Then you can revisit Windows Updates
manually and grab any other updates that are offered, as well as any
recommended updates you may need.