AutoPatcher is back

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

AutoPatcher is back

by Brad Linder Nov 26th 2007

Once upon a time, AutoPatcher was the go to program for downloading and installing Windows Updates without connecting to Microsoft's servers. Say you've got a bunch of PCs that you need to update and you don't want to take the time to connect each to the internet and download updates one by one. Just use AutoPatcher, download the latest updates, burn the results to a CD and carry it from computer to computer.

But a few months back Microsoft effectively shut down the AutoPatcher project, saying that you could only install Windows Updates from Windows servers.

Now the AutoPatcher team is back, with a new utility that downloads updates directly from Microsoft's servers. AutoPatcher Updater is still in early beta, but it appears that the developers are getting around Microsoft's objections by requiring you to download updates on on the machine which you are updating. ~~You can't make those updates portable by burning them to a CD for carrying from PC to PC~~. Once you've downloaded the updates, you can run AutoPatcher.exe to install them. While this might all sound a lot like the built in Windows Update utility, the new AutoPatcher at least gives you a bit more control over your updates.

[via gHacks]

Tags: AutoPatcher, windows-update

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rob said 11:19AM on 11-26-2007

I dono if i would call this the second coming just yet.
This build is FAR from stable, and certainly not ready for DLS Prime time. I would hold of on this for some time. For now sit back and be thankful the project survived Microsoft's legal hammer.

Claus Valca said 2:19PM on 11-26-2007

I found auto-patcher really useful before it appeared on Microsoft's radars.

Since then I have been using heise Security's Offline Updater project to keep our systems patched off-line.

The latest version now supports the following OS's: Windows 2000, XP (Home/Pro), Server 2003, and Vista.

It also can build update disks for the following Microsoft Office products: Office 2000, XP, 2003, and 2007.

Packages (CD/DVD) can be made per platform or in an all-in-one DVD.

It is really incredible, and their program creates a WGET session to pull the patches directly from Microsoft's servers...avoiding MS's wrath. The initial run is long getting the updates for the first time, but after that, each subsequent run only pulls down new updates and updates that have, well, been updated since last download.

It's a really slick and great tool for IT staff (and home-use support folks) to have and use.

Worth considering while AutoPatcher still continues its new software version shakedown.

Program overview:
http://www.heise-security.co.uk/articles/80682

Update Vista and Office offline http://www.heise-security.co.uk/news/97355

Download link to latest version 4.1:
http://www.heise.de/ct/projekte/offlineupdate/download_uk.shtml

simkins said 3:10PM on 11-26-2007

Just a correction, you CAN burn these to CD or DVD, its basically the same as the old Autopatcher.

Peter said 5:41PM on 11-26-2007

If you've got a LOT of machines to update, use WSUS.
It seems like a risky savings to get updates for Windows from anyone other than MS.

Nick said 7:52PM on 11-26-2007

Unless I'm mistaken, you *can* burn this version of AutoPatcher to a CD or DVD for use on multiple machines. The only difference from the old AutoPatcher is that before you burn the updates to disc, AutoPatcher has to fetch them from Microsoft's servers. At that point, it's the same process as the old AutoPatcher everyone knew and loved.

The new AutoPatcher will function very similarly to Heise Security's "Offline Update," which accomplishes everything the new version of AutoPatcher will, but without the easy-to-use interface. It's still worth a look, however - at least until AutoPatcher reaches a final version.

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