Me said:
I developed a .ipf file using sms installer that takes 13 post Windows 2000
SP4 hot fixes, supresses the reboot, and prompts the user to reboot after
the last hotfix completes.
I'm distributing it through SMS, and targetting systems with SP4.
With that said, why would I need to use the qchain program Microsoft
developed instead of the method I'm using?
Hi
QChain.exe will not chain the installs for you, it is only a tool to use
*after* all the installs have been done, but before the reboot. You need to do
the installs yourself, e.g. with a .ipf file using SMS.
The only thing QChain.exe can do is to version handle the files that is to be
replaced at the reboot. So QChain will ensure that if two or more installs
wants to replace the same file, you end up with the newest one. QChain.exe does
this by enumerate the file list that is placed in the registry value
PendingFileRenameOperations.
Anyway, all post-SP4 hotfixes has QChain-functionality built in as part of the
setup, so you don't need to use QChain.exe at all in you situation.
But anyway, it would not hurt to put in a callout to qchain.exe after the last
install, before the reboot (just be sure to use the latest version of qchain,
older versions has a bug in it).
More info here:
How to Install Multiple Windows Updates or Hotfixes with Only One Reboot
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;296861
Latest version of qchain.exe can be found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;815062
