XP Updates - Dialup vs Broadband Downnoad

I am helping a friend get her computer up to date and protected. She has a fairly new Dell that came with SP1 but hasn't done any updates since. She is using AOL dialup which I fear would take quite a while for a download.

My computer has all the updates and I have cable internet access. Is it possible for me to determine from her machine the updates she needs and then download to my computer, burn to a CD, copy onto her computer, and then do an install?

 

Hi Robert,

Is it possible for me to determine from her machine the updates she needs
She's going to have to do the update scan - start > all programs > windows updates - which will tell you what updates are needed. You simply stop it before the update phase. If you have SP2, the updates wouldn't match with yours, SP1 needs more updates.

and then download to my computer, burn to a CD, copy onto her computer, and then do an install?
Yes, from here http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp?corporate=true which is the download site. The category you would be looking in, at least initially would be in be XP Home (assuming Home) SP1. Now you may not find all of them. So look around in the other XP Home categories as well, one instance may be IE criticals I think. The ones you can't find will have to be done the normal way by her system.

Then you would download the MS update setup file on her system and install the same way you would any other software.

Regards - Charles

 

Charles - Thanks

I thought I could do it that way. It will take me a couple of days to get the logistics worked out but I will post back to let you know if I was able to get it accomplished - or if I fouled it up.

 

What about using the "Remote Assistance" feature, which enables one to tie into another person's pc and actually work on the problems remotely? Ive never used it, and wonder if I could let a geek help me with my pc issues?? Pablo

 

Depending upon what kind of broadband you have, you could simply hook her computer to your modem and download through it. Lemme put this in perspective....

I have Earthlink HighSpeed Cable. My cable modem, which feeds my router, then is feeding my PC. I recently rebuilt my sister's computer, which I had to download all the updates for XP Home. She also uses AOL DialUp. I just let IE detect the network connection (plugged her system into my router) and downloaded the updates.

If I didnt have a router, I could have simply unplugged my modem (to erase the stored MAC Address), plugged into her system, and restarted my modem. Now her computer has access to my broadband.


Does this help?

 

WinXP SP2 CD...

Virginia,

You can get a SP2 CD from Microsoft for *free*. You can order it HERE. This would only leave you the updates that came out after SP2, which would be a much smaller download.

B

 

Thanks for the input from everyone. Had the opportunity to do a direct (though lengthy) downoad from the Update site directly to the computer and now have it all updated. However, all your input is appreciated and may need to use it on another computer shortly. How do I get myself in these messes?

So - all is well - and thanks.