Questions About Microcsoft Validation tool

Christer,
I don't really want that in my MBR when I do the final. So If I FDISK the MBR (FDISK /MBR) I will erase the mark and probably get the nag screen everytime I use GHOST 03?
Also, why did you assume I was using Ghost 9/10 since I said I make a 'base image'. All I meant from that is that it is the first level image to roll back to-just basic XP install.

Milt

 

Christer,
I thought you would catch that (using FDISK). I do video editing, and actually am running FAT32 (I know, behind the times-loose some NTFS benifits) on the OS partition for the sake of some programs I am running. I use NTFS on the VIDEO Drives.
That naming convention in Ghost 9/10 sounds kind of nice for a set of images. Not necessary, but handy. A base image to me is always just the original after OS install.

Milt

 

Christer,
I downloaded your critical updates list last night. I downloaded to a dual boot Win98/XP machine, within 98, and saved to a folder. The following occurred:
1.) KB887472/KB816688/KB904706: Could not be found at the download center. I copied and pasted the #'s, checked several times, and they could not be found. Are they part of one of the cumulative updates in brackets? Question:
Using your list, do you use the cumulative updates, and if so which? I did not download any.
2.) There were several I do not think apply to me?
1.) 885884: Pertains to Office XP-I am runningOffice 03
2.) 899587: Pertains to users on a Domain-I am on a peer-to-peer
with a cable modem and rounter (4-systems)
3.) 899591: Relates to Remote Desktop. I turn this off, is there any
reason to update?
4.) 893756: Pertains to telephony: I am not using.
There many be others, but for the most part, everything else appears to be general security updates.
3.) 887742/893803/898461: Require validation. They appear to be related to the Windows installer update.
4.) A number of the updates never went through the 'save as' dialouge screen-I just received a sort of 'boink' sound, followed by the 'thankyou for dowloaded xxxxx update" page. Is this because the download found the updates installed in the XP partition? The following were the updates: 888113,
885258,890859,896422,893066,901214,899591,893756,012400,899589,
905414,905749,900725

Milt

 

Christer,
I have been away since this thread was active last week. I saw your last post-thanks for all the work and updating, I will go through the revised list!

Milt

 

ok. sound like u've got a plan ... i still don't see what any of this has to do w/ activation tho. it will not affect any of these variables u mention.

i should add that i've got a valid copy of xp pro that i reinstall all the time. i've been on the phone w/ ms activation so many times it's silly. i told them that at one point and, while it used to take 3x to start objecting to my 'change of hardware', it no longer does. least thru the last 10x installs.

it seems they got tired of me as well

 

Hi all,

I haven't yet installed the Validation tool. But about a week ago my updates tried to run - they didn't load but after about three days it downloaded 7updates. Has this happened to anyone else?

It seemed weird as I thought we would not be offered any updates unless we installed the validation.

 

i'm fairly sure that u get critical updates regardless

 

Oh ok then. That would be good. I might install the validation tool one day.

 

i THINK the critical updates work w/o the activation tool installed only thru 'autoupdates' ... so u can't do it manually. least that's my observation to this point. not confirmed mind u. i'm just saying that i've seen that to date.

 

latest CD with all updates

so looking at this thread, everybody seems to like the idea of having a CD with all the latest updates, etc. so that it's fast/easy to do an install locally. this seems like a great idea to me too. so the obvious question is why doesnt m-soft put up an iso file with all this on it for one easy download for each major OS they support? this would seem like a no-brainer to me. each time they issue a new update, they could refresh the iso image so that it was always current. that way you could, in *one* download, always be sure of getting the latest stuff to do a new install. Think of how short this would make re-installs! W2K is now past SP4 + ie + whatever else... whew!!

when I look at the list of what's necessary to download, it just makes me dizzy.... seems like such a hassle of downloading all these patches, etc one-by-one yourself.... and then everyone else all have to do it themselves too... what a waste of everyone's time all doing the same thing...!!

what am i missing here?

 

I agree - it is a pain to have to install all the updates again. Especially on 56kb connections. Does anyone know a way of actually being able to make a clean install of XP but keep the updates that you have already downloaded?

 

I've only found wpa.dbl on my machine. Can't find wpa.bak. Does it matter that I don't have wpa.bak? I have a legal full OEM version of Windows XP Professional SP1. I hate using the telephone and I really do not want to hold on the line for hours with Microsoft just for an activation number. That's why I loath piracy it ruins it for everyone who purchase the products they want and need.

 

I do my updates using the Update Catalog site accessable thu the Admin options on the update site (left panel).

I download the update setup files themselves, manually install them, then archive them.

This is a bit of extra work - have to have AU scan, then jot down the KB #'s, but as you point out, great to have the updates handy on installs.

Regards - Charles

 

all updates in one iso file

Quote:


"Do you have ANY idea of the download capacity this would require???? When MS posts a new Windows Vista beta (to roughly 10-15K testers), their servers start crawling.... 30-40KB/s on my connection where I can get 250KB/s normally.

This is obviously no solution, and would (if it would work) only be feasible for the 20-30% of users who have a broadband connection. "

Humm - You're in the know, but I guess I don't see why this would be so. The total bytes are the same... it's just a question of downloading endless updates one at a time, or one big file. When I have to reinstall win2k i start from my distribution disk and go through a long manual process to end up with the current rev. All i am suggesting is that m-soft make it less painful and have one click to do the sum total of all applicable downloads as one iso file. Again, no more/less bytes.... just less pain.

Also, I have to assume that the big boys are using T3/OC3-12 connections to big iron routers and farms of servers, so I don't quite understand how this variation on the existing theme would bring the system to its knees... It's not like a new rev where everyone is d-loading at the same time.. this would be random and again, would simply replace the existing file-by-file method. Please correct me if I have the facts wrong.