Updating Windows

[keekwai]

Here?s a slick way I came across to check and install Windows updates without connecting to the Windows update site:

 

http://unattended.msfn.org/beginner/gethotfixes.htm

"Instead of accessing Windows Update, grab the freeware HFNetChk Utility. As it explains on its site: "HFNetChk.exe is the multi-threaded command-line tool you can use to assess a computer or selected group of computers for the absence of security patches."

 

Install HFNetChk and open up Command Prompt (Start > Run > CMD). Change to the directory where HFNetChk is installed (Usually C:\Program Files\Shavlik Technologies\HFNetChk\), and type: hfnetchk -v

 

After you have taken note of all the 6 digit numbers on every security update, you need to attach them to the end of this URL: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=xxxxxx replacing the xxxxxx with the numbers you wrote down. Then download from the link provided at the Knowledge Base Article (some articles will link to a Technet Security Bulletin). Repeat for the other updates shown on Windows Update.

 

 

 

From the HFNetCHK website:

http://www.shavlik.com/hfn_exe.aspx

 

You can use HFNetChk? to assess patch status for the Windows NT 4.0, Windows NT Terminal Server, Windows 2000, Windows XP operating systems, as well as hotfixes and service packs for IIS 4.0, IIS 5.0, SQL Server 7.0, SQL Server 2000 (including MSDE), Exchange Server 5.5, Exchange Server 2000, Windows Media Player, Front Page Server Extensions, Microsoft Java Virtual Machine, Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), and Internet Explorer 5.01 or later

 

Page with working download link for free download:

http://www.shavlik.com/products.aspx

 

 

Here?s an example of when I ran hfnetchk ?v command (I had already changed to the HFNChk directory at the command prompt in this example):

 

C:\Program Files\Shavlik Technologies\HFNetChk>hfnetchk -v

Shavlik Technologies Network Security Hotfix Checker 3.86

Copyright © 2001-2002 Shavlik Technologies, LLC

Shavlik Technologies, LLC

info@shavlik.com (www.shavlik.com), 651-426-6624

All Rights Reserved

 

 

Attempting to download the CAB from:

http://xml.shavlik.com/mssecure.cab

 

File was successfully downloaded.

 

Attempting to load .\mssecure.xml.

 

===============================================================

 

Scan performed Sun Mar 27 08:49:26 2005

Shavlik Technologies Network Security Hotfix Checker, 3.86

Using XML data version = 1.1.2.370 Last modified on 3/8/2005.

 

 

 

Scanning ?COMPUTER NAME?

................

Done scanning ?COMPUTER NAME?

----------------------------

?COMPUTER NAME? (192.168.X.X)

----------------------------

 

* WINDOWS XP SP2

 

Patch NOT Installed MS05-007 Q888302

File C:\WINDOWS\system32\srvsvc.dll has a file version

[5.1.2600.2180] that is less than what is expected [5.1.2600.2577].

 

??.and so on.

 

Everything went smooth except for when I first went to install HFNetChk it found another instance of hfnetchk on my computer, turned out to be in my windows\prefetch folder which is part of the Windows installation. I chose the option not to upgrade this and went on to install HFNetChk in the Program Files folder instead.