Keep Windows 2000/Xp/2003 Update Painless

I have copy a bunch of info from Microsoft and had a fews comments. All my source are at the end.

You can configure automatic update via group policy in an Active Directory environment. In addition, Automatic Updates Control Panel options are disabled on the target computer when administrative policies have been set. This Group Policy setting (located in Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update) specifies whether this computer receives security updates and other important downloads through Automatic Updates. When enabled, it also specifies the download and installation behavior, just like the user options in Control Panel.

If the Automatic Updates service is enabled via this Group Policy setting, one of the following three options must be set (in the drop-down menu below Configure automatic updating):
Notify for download and notify for install, This option notifies a logged-on administrative user prior to the download and prior to the installation of the updates.
Auto download and notify for install. This option automatically begins downloading updates and then notifies a logged-on administrative user prior to installing the updates.
Auto download and schedule the install. Typically, if Automatic Updates is configured to perform a scheduled installation, the recurring scheduled installation day and time is also set.
Possible options for scheduled installation days and times are:
· Day: “Every day”, and “Every Sunday” to “Every Saturday”
· Time: 12 A.M. to 11 P.M. in 24-hour format (00:00 to 23:00)

Note: Setting the policy to perform scheduled installations disables the Remind Me Later button in the Ready to Install Update dialog box.


Important: If the “Remove access to use all Windows Update features” Group Policy setting (located in User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update) is enabled, Automatic Updates is disabled for that logged-on user. Because this is a user-based value, it makes a local administrator appear as a non-administrator so that user will not be able to install updates. With this policy enabled, Automatic Updates still runs and, if configured as such, a scheduled installation can still occur.

If you specify a server running Software Updates Services, computers running Automatic Updates use that server for updates. If you do not specify a server running Software Update Services, Automatic Updates gets updates from the public Windows Update service.

Policy templates
The Software Update Services installation package includes a policy template file, Wuau.adm, which contains the Group Policy settings described earlier in this paper. These settings can be loaded into Group Policy Editor for deployment. These policies are also included in the System.adm file in Windows_2000 Service Pack_3, and will be included in the Windows_.NET Server family, and Windows_XP Service Pack_1 when they are made available.

With all the information, you should be able to set up the group policy. If you have a Windows NT 4.0 Server like me, go read the document. I'll help you setting those in a Poledit. Then, all you need to do, it to set-up the group policy to do update very morning at 5:00am. You'll tell me that all the computer are shut down at this time. This is when a WakeOnLan Utilites become very handy! (See Attach File to Download a WakeOnLan Utilites). All you need to is to set up a batch file running the WakeOnLan Utilites for all the MAC Address in the schedule task of your server to run a 4:45am. If you need a program to get all the MAC Address of your network, use Aida32 http://www.aida32.hu/aida32.php . If you set up everythink correctly, all the computer will wake up at 4:45am and a 5:00am, will apply all the update download from Windows Update or your Software update server. (Software Update Server or SUS is another story).



Keep Office XP Update almost Painless

Note : All the link and information will be about Office XP but it should work with all version of Office.

I shouldn't say keeping Office update is painless because I have yet to found a way to run my script without logging administrator first! For a while, I have been using an Office Administrative Installation Point. Those administrative installation points of Office are very handy when installing Office on a new computer. To install an administrative installations point, I'll refer you to Microsoft website.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/xp/one/depb01.htm

Next, you have to update your administrative installations point with the latest update. For this, you must download the update for administrative installation point. Those update are special update for the administrative installation point.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/...xp/default.htm

When you had downloaded all the update you need, you need to extract them into a directory. In this directory, you'll create a batch file with this command.

msiexec /p %1 /a "\\Server\Office XP Installation Share\pro.msi" SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE /qb
But I found this command to very paint full! I was creating shortcut and I didn't want so I look around MSDN from Microsoft and I found all the code for the REINSTALLMODE options.
p Reinstall only if file is missing (i.e., verify that the file is present).
o Reinstall if file is missing, or an older version is present.
e Reinstall if file is missing, or an equal or older version is present
d Reinstall if file is missing, or a different version is present
c Reinstall if file is missing, or corrupt. This option only repairs files that have msidbFileAttributesChecksum in the Attributes column of the File table.
a Force all files to be reinstalled, regardless of checksum or version.
u Rewrite all required registry entries from the Registry table that go to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER or HKEY_USERS registry hive.
m Rewrite all required registry entries from the Registry table that go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT registry hive. Rewrite all information from the Class table, Verb table, PublishComponent table, ProgID table, MIME table, Icon table, Extension table, and AppID table regardless of machine or user assignment. Reinstall all qualified components.
s Reinstall all shortcuts and re-cache all icons overwriting any existing shortcuts and icons.
v Use to run from the source package and re-cache the local package. Do not use the v reinstall option code for the first installation of an application or feature.
Now, if you run this command
msiexec /i "\\Server\Office XP Installation Share\pro.msi" REINSTALL=All REINSTALLMODE=vo /qb
You'll only update file that are missing, or an older version is present. The fun part of this is that command will update any Office installation even those made with a normal installation so you do longer need to be time on office update! You just log administrator of the machine and run this batch file and update will be done under 2-5 minutes depending on the machine.

That all folk! My english is not very good but I hope you all learn a lot from this tutorial!

Source :
Modified Version of http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...soverview.mspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...e_property.asp