XP Updates - Hours to upload?

[eagledancer]

I just bought a Sony Vaio. I checked the XP home updates
and it shows probably 25 or more hours of updates. How
else can I update, or is there a dick available from
Microsoft? (I have a dial up connection.)

 

[Bill James]

It is a pain to do the initial updates, especially if one does not have a high speed connection. If your computer does not have Service Pack (A) installed, you can order that on CD, http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/pro/downloads/servicepacks/sp1/ordercd..asp, but there is no compiled CD for individual updates. The only option I know of is to have a friend with a high speed connection and CD burner to download the updates and burn them to CD so you can install them that way. To do that, go to the Windows Update Catalog page, http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/catalog/en/default.asp, select your Operating System and Service Pack level, add all to download basket and download, then burn. Just get the Critical Updates, the others should only be installed later if you are experiencing the specific problem addressed by the update. Install them in order from lowest Q number to highest.

To answer in advance a common question generated by using the Update Catalog, the 64-Bit version of Windows XP is a specialized version which you almost certainly do not have unless you specifically bought it and paid much more for it (retail or online sales would not be 64-Bit).

Don't delay on patching your new computer since there are several nasty security problems that can happen to unpatched computers, infecting you while on-line. At a minimum be sure the XP firewall is enabled.

--

Bill James
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User

Win9x VBScript Utilities » www.billsway.com/vbspage/
Windows Tweaks & Tips » www.billsway.com/notes_public/

 

[Joseph Conway [MSFT]]

You can get the service packs on CD I believe. Otherwise you will need to
download the installs over dialup.

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

Assuming that you spiffy new computer came with SP1 preinstalled, I would
enabled the Automatic Updates client. It will pull down the critical
patches in the background while you are surfing the web. If the connection
breaks (e.g. you need sleep), the downloads will resume where they left off.
(Right click on My Computer and select Automatic Updates.)

It is also a good idea that you turn on the personal firewall of Windows XP
to protect your computer if one wasn't already preinstalled by Sony.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/windowsxp/firewall.asp

 

[R. McCarty]

If you bought the Vaio from a retail shop, take the notebook
into the store and ask to hook up to their network and download
the 55 Megabytes of "Critical Updates" .
If that isn't possible, find a Wi_Fi coffee shop or other location
that offers Broadband connections. Yes it will cost a few dollars
but those Critical updates are important to get installed.
Hopefully, vendors will soon package a CD with all PC's that
contains Windows updates that became available after the PC
was factory imaged.
For my clients who use dial-up, I provide a CD-R disk with all
the Windows Catalog Critical on it. Once they are "caught up"
most new updates can be downloaded without consuming too
much time on-line.

 

[Bill James]

Closer to 100 MB right now for 46 Critical Updates since SP1.

--

Bill James
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User

Win9x VBScript Utilities » www.billsway.com/vbspage/
Windows Tweaks & Tips » www.billsway.com/notes_public/

 

[R. McCarty]

Just verified count - 40 ( Excluding non-English .Net) = 65.0 Meg
Maybe Microsoft could just create a "Master" critical, that has all
of them enclosed inside of one download package. Then Broadband
users could just download the single module to share with dial-up &
other XP users. Just call it a "Critical Pack".

Closer to 100 MB right now for 46 Critical Updates since SP1.

--

Bill James
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User

Win9x VBScript Utilities » www.billsway.com/vbspage/
Windows Tweaks & Tips » www.billsway.com/notes_public/

 

[Maureen Goldman]

I just bought a Sony Vaio. I checked the XP home updates
and it shows probably 25 or more hours of updates. How
else can I update, or is there a dick available from
Microsoft? (I have a dial up connection.)

Others have answered your question. However, I've run into a number of
messages indicating that problems can occur when all updates are done
at once. I'd do a few at a time, separated by days, and beginning with
whatever seems most urgent or pertinent to your situation.