Bend in the Weather

Even as a Linux desktop user, I still have a need to run various pieces of legacy software under Windows.
Ideally, I would love to find a Linux alternative, but whilst the itch remains, I still need to scratch it.

As such, I run various Virtualbox Virtual Machines running Windows XP.

This gives me the added benefit of still being able to run my preferred operating system as my main desktop (Linux), whilst still using some legacy applications under Windows.

This is nothing new, and most people do this all the time. With most modern CPU chipsets from both AMD (AMD-V) and Intel (VT-x) providing hardware assisted virtualization solutions - it has become a simple task for many people.

One thing that has annoyed me, and any user that has ever had to reinstall a Windows machine (it happens to the best of us -- Windows often decides to eat it's own registry), is that whilst you might install straight from CD, it also means you have to then spend a good few hours applying all the service packs and then all the updates from the Microsoft website (and sit back and watch a dozen or so reboots between multiple updates). It's enough to send any sane person around the bend.

Once you've done it - you vow never to do it again, yet as Murphy would have it... it's bound to happen again. This is partly due to the fact that Windows Deteriorates over time, until one day the performance is so shoddy you can swear you saw a snail push the cursor on your screen. Once it comes to that, it's time to reinstall again.

Microsoft also recognised it's a problem, particularly in corporate environments that run many desktop PCs. As such they released WSUS. That's fine and well -- if you run a Microsoft Windows 2003/2008 Server. Unfortunately most home users don't.

Don't dispair! Some geeky German's have released a GPLv3 licensed utility that will pretty much undertake the task for you without the need for an expensive Microsoft Windows Server anywhere in sight. c't Offline Update, allows you to use either Linux or Windows to download all the updates for both Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows platforms. In addition it can handle different language versions, and even build a nice ISO off all the updates so you can take it on the road, hand it to friends, etc.

Why on earth would they code it to download the Windows Updates on Linux? Well, it makes it easier to install in a central location -- say on a Samba server so that all your desktop machines can then install the updates from a central location over your LAN. (Call it a poor man's WSUS!)

To run under Linux it couldn't be easier. Once you have downloaded c't Offline Update and extracted it... change into the sh subdirectory. It's then just a matter of running the DownloadUpdates.sh shell script with the right arguments:

$ ./DownloadUpdates.sh -help

**********************************************************
*** c't Offline Update Downloader ***
*** for Linux Systems ***
*** ***
*** http://www.heise.de/ct/projekte/offlineupdate/ ***
*** Authors: Tobias Breitling, Stefan Joehnke ***
**********************************************************

Usage: ./DownloadUpdates.sh [system] [language] [parameter]

Supported systems:
w2k, wxp, wxp-x64, w2k3, w2k3-x64, w60, w60-x64, oxp, o2k, o2k3, o2k7, all-x64, all-x86

Supported languages:
enu, deu, nld, esn, fra, ptg, ptb, ita, rus, plk, ell, csy
dan, nor, sve, fin, jpn, kor, chs, cht, hun, trk, ara, heb

Parameter:
/excludesp - do not download servicepacks
/makeiso - create ISO-Image
/dotnet - download .NET-Framework
/nocleanup - do not cleanup client directory
/proxy - define proxyserver( /proxy http://[username:password@]:)

Example: ./DownloadUpdates.sh wxp deu /dotnet /makeiso

$

c't Update also provides a simple Windows GUI to automate the task:

Installing the updates on the client.
Once you've downloaded the updates and either burnt them to a CD/DVD (for easy portability) or made them available on a network share (Tip: share the sub-directory called client) Windows users can then easily apply the updates.

A user can run UpdateInstaller.exe (in the root directory of the CD or the share). The UpdateInstaller will determine what you have installed already (and grey these options out). It's then just a case of selecting the options you want.Now for those family members who are in dire need of a 'computer fix' and need me to reinstall Windows for them, they'll be given burnt copies of the latest ISOs, so they can in future undertake the task themselves. I would rather educate someone how to undertake the rebuild themselves for future use. (That, and I really don't have the spare time/desire to rebuild dozens of Windows machines a year! )

Finally it's also worthwhile downloading and running the free Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer which will ensure you have all the updates applied (and inform you if you are missing any). It's also a good idea to disable any non-essential services the tool recommends.

Hopefully this tip will speed up the time it takes to fully patch a Windows desktop after a reinstall.