How to update Windows and Office offline Computers which have fast Internet access can download and install Windows and Office updates automatically, through the Windows Automatic Updates service in the Control Panel. Computers which have slow, unreliable or non-existent Internet access often fall behind on these updates, which makes them more likely to have problems like virus infections. Thankfully, these computers can get Windows and Office updates in a different way – there are software tools available which let you download updates onto a USB drive or network shared folder, for installation on other computers which are not on the Internet. At the time of writing, there are two main tools available on the Internet to do this job: • Autopatcher • WSUS Offline Each of these tools has its own advantages and disadvantages, which make them suitable for different needs. Here’s a brief look at both of them:

1. Autopatcher 1.1 Getting the updates You can download the Autopatcher program from www.autopatcher.com/downloads. It comes as a zip file, which you need to unzip to the folder where you want to download the updates. I find it best to use a temporary folder on the hard drive – you can copy it to a USB drive or network share later. By the way, if your zip program has an option to “restore original folders” or “restore folder structure”, you will need to have it ticked. After unzipping you will see these files and folders:

The file apup.exe is used to download updates. When you launch it, you should see a list of possible updates to download, like the window below. If you don’t see this, make sure that your Internet connection is working, and that your firewall is not blocking the Autopatcher program.

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The modules “AutoPatcher Updater” and “AutoPatcher Engine” are automatically ticked. Leave them ticked, to make sure that you will have the latest version of the Autopatcher program itself. The other modules are mostly for different versions of Windows and Office, so tick the ones which you need. Of course, the more you tick, the bigger the total download size will be. Things to be aware of: • Some modules are suitable for any language version of Windows and Office (those which say “All” in the Language column), whereas some are for English, Italian or Portuguese versions only. • How Autopatcher works with service packs. For Windows, Autopatcher doesn’t include ANY service packs. In other words, you need to download service packs separately. Make sure you install the latest Windows service pack, and reboot the computer before you use Autopatcher to install Windows updates. For Office, Autopatcher seems to include some old service packs (eg SP1 for Office 2007). It’s a much better idea to ignore these, and download the latest service pack separately. Make sure you install the Office service pack before using Autopatcher to install Office updates. • There are a few other modules in the list which are not strictly Windows or Office updates – eg .Net Framework and Adobe Reader. It’s a personal choice whether you use Autopatcher to handle these updates – it can be just as easy to download and install them separately, without using Autopatcher. • DirectX is mainly of interest to games programmers – not so useful for us. • The Extras Addon Pack includes various tools, like Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP, and TweakUI. Probably not the sort of things you’ll want to install on every computer. • The Microsoft Security ENU Addon Pack includes the Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus program, but it does not include antivirus updates. It also includes Windows Defender, which is an anti-spyware program. When you have made your selections, click the Next button. During the download, you will see a progress window, which shows you approximately how much time it will take to download all the files – 13 minutes in the example below:

If all the updates get downloaded successfully, you will see a Finished! message:

If there is a problem, you may see an error message like the one below.

If this happens, try downloading the updates again. AutoPatcher will automatically recognise which updates you already have, so it will just try to download the one(s) which failed. Sometimes the problem is due to a bug in Autopatcher, or sometimes it can help if you delete the whole apup folder and download the updates again. 2

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Tip: If you keep getting problems downloading, try launching the file called hit_this_to_generate_a_log_file_for_apup.cmd, in the same folder as apup.exe. This will run apup.exe and create a file called apup.log, which may help you or someone else locate the problem.

1.2 Installing the updates on the target computer If you check the apup folder after downloading, you will find several new subfolders:

To install the updates on another computer, you need to copy the whole content of the apup folder onto a USB drive or network share, then run the file autopatcher.exe on the target computer. You can use a CD or DVD instead, but of course it will quickly become outdated, and will not be easy to update. You will see a licence agreement, like the one on the left below – just tick I agree and Next. Then the second licence agreement - tick I agree and Next again.

Now Autopatcher checks through the available updates.

Tip: Don’t believe “This should not last more than 30 seconds”. It can take much longer, which can be frustrating. To save time, you may want to keep a copy of the Autopatcher program in several separate folders, and use each one to download just one or two modules.

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When the checking is finished, you will see a menu like this:

If you want to see the specific updates which are included, click the see a list:

sign on the left and you will

Updates which are already installed on the computer are shown in blue and are unticked, since there is no need to install them. • By default, all critical updates are selected. • Recommended updates usually include fixes for specific problems. None of them are selected by default – you need to click on the sign to see the individual updates, then you can select which ones you want. • Updated components include things like Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. None of them are selected by default. It is wise to tick Internet Explorer for security reasons, but other components are not really necessary. • Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage is not needed. • Registry tweaks can be useful. I have only tested the “Speed” ones, which change a few minor Windows settings. This really does speed up your computer a bit.

When you have made your selections, click Next and you will see a window like this during the installation:

The time estimate at the bottom is usually quite accurate.

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When the installation is finished, you will see a window like this:

Tip: If Autopatcher installs a lot of updates, reboot the computer and run Autopatcher again. Why? Some updates cannot be installed until other updates are installed first – so you need to run Autopatcher again to make sure the computer is really fully updated.

1.3 An advanced tip – command line options AutoPatcher has some useful command line options, which you can see if you open a command prompt window, navigate to the apup folder, and type autopatcher.exe/? Here are the options:

The /nolicence option is a good time saver, as it means you don’t have to tick the two licence agreements when you install the updates.

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2. WSUS Offline 2.1 Getting the updates You can download the WSUS Offline program from http://download.wsusoffline.net. It comes as a zip file, which you need to unzip to the folder where you want to download the updates. I find it best to use a temporary folder on the hard drive – you can copy it to a USB drive or network share later. By the way, if your zip program has an option to “restore original folders” or “restore folder structure”, you will need to have it ticked. After unzipping you will see these files and folders:

The file UpdateGenerator.exe is used to download updates. When you launch it, you should see a list of possible updates to download, like the window below.

In the top part of the window (marked above with the rectangle), you can choose which languages of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to download updates for. For Windows Vista and Windows 7, the updates include all languages, with separate updates for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.

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If you click on the Office tab at the top (marked below with an arrow), you will see options to download updates for different versions and languages of Office:

For Office 2010, the updates include all languages in one package. Tip: You can download updates for Windows and Office together if you want to. Here’s a summary of the other options available in the bottom part of the window:

• Clean up download directories If this is ticked, the program will delete any downloads which were made before to this folder. If you want to keep those downloads, untick the box. • Include service packs WSUS Offline gives you the option of downloading the most recent service packs. If you already have the service packs downloaded, there is no point in downloading them again. However, this is a convenient way to download service packs for non-English versions of Windows and Office. Note that service packs for Windows XP, Office 2003 and Office 2007 are language specific – eg the English service pack will not work for French Windows. • Include Microsoft Security Essentials Adds the Microsoft Security Essentials program (including the antivirus updates) • Verify downloaded updates Helps ensure files are not corrupted – keep this ticked. • Include .NET Frameworks Can be useful – .Net is needed to run programs such as Paratext 7 and Fieldworks. • Include Windows Defender definitions Windows Defender is an anti-spyware program. If your target computers have it already installed, you might want to tick this box. • Create ISO images Can be useful for making a CD or DVD of updates – check the documentation at http://www.wsusoffline.net/docs. • USB stick Personally I prefer to keep this unticked, and copy the updates manually, after the downloading has finished. 7

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When you have made your selections, make a note of the time shown on your computer (you will understand why in a few moments), and then click the Start button. A Command Prompt window will open, with a lot of information, including the progress of the downloading.

Unfortunately, you won’t see an estimate of the time left to download all the files in this window. However, there is an estimate of the time to download the current file at the bottom right. It is normal for the window to show no activity sometimes for a while, especially if your Internet is slow. If the window shows messages like “failed” when trying to download, make sure that your Internet connection is working and that your firewall is not blocking the WSUS Offline program. Then start downloading again from the beginning.

At the end of the downloading, you will see this message:

Important: This message does not mean that the download was successful – you will see this same message even if no files were downloaded! I recommend clicking Yes, which will automatically open the log file in Notepad. Then search the file (Ctrl+F) for the word “failed”. Note that the log file may contain information about several downloads – this is why you need to know the time you started downloading, so you can see if the “Failed” message is from this download or a previous attempt to download. In case some downloads are marked with “failed”, check your Internet connection and try downloading the same updates again. Bear in mind that a failure does not always mean a problem with your Internet connection – it could be a different issue that is out of your control, for example an update file has moved to a new location and WSUS Offline is trying to download it from the wrong place. Sometimes it can help if you delete the whole wsusoffline folder and download the updates again.

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2.2 Installing the updates on the target computer To install the updates on another computer, you need to copy the whole of the wsusoffline folder onto a USB drive or network share. Then on the target computer, go into the subfolder client, and run the file UpdateInstaller.exe on the target computer:

You will see a window like this:

There is no way to choose individual critical updates – all of them will be installed. • Back up existing system files gives you a way of uninstalling the updates later through Add/Remove Programs (I think). This is a good option to tick, unless disk space is low. • Update DirectX Runtime Libraries and Update Windows Media Player are not really necessary. • Update Terminal Services Client is good to keep ticked. • Install Microsoft Security Essentials – leave unticked unless you need to install it anyway. MSE is an antivirus program; remember that it is not good for a computer to have more than one antivirus program installed at once. • Install Windows Defender – this is a personal choice. Windows Defender is an antispyware program which some people like. • Verify installation packages – keep this ticked, so that WSUS Offline will check for corrupted update files. • Shut down after updating – your choice. • Automatic reboot and recall – The computer will be rebooted automatically when needed during the updates. I have not tested this option, but it sounds like a good idea if it works. • Show log file – the log file will automatically open after the updates are finished, so you can check for installation problems.

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When you have made your selections, click Start and you will see a window like this during the installation:

At the end, you should see a message like this:

Tip: If WSUS Offline installs a lot of updates, reboot the computer and run the update again. Why? Some updates cannot be installed until other updates are installed first – so you need to run WSUS Offline again to make sure the computer is really fully updated.

3. Comparing Autopatcher and WSUS Offline 3.1 Advantages of Autopatcher • Gives user control over exactly which updates get installed – easy to select and deselect before installation • Displays the total time remaining while downloading and installing updates (WSUS Offline does not) • Shows a failure message if downloading updates has failed (whereas WSUS Offline requires you to remember to search a log file) • DirectX is included as an option (whereas WSUS Offline always downloads it as part of the updates for Windows, adding 100MB or so to the download size) • Includes Adobe Reader updates • Includes Extras Addon Pack (Windows PowerToys and other utilities) • Includes registry tweaks

3.2 Advantages of WSUS Offline • Suitable for multiple language versions of Windows and Office (Autopatcher offers just English, Italian and Portuguese) • Supports the following operating systems, which Autopatcher does not: XP 64-bit, Vista 64-bit, Windows Server 2003 32/64 bit, Windows Server 2008 32/64 bit, Windows Server 2008 R2 • Faster to use than Autopatcher for installing updates, as it brings up the install menu almost instantly, without checking each update first. • Option to shut down automatically after downloading or installing updates. • Option to automatically reboot and recall when updating • Optional inclusion of service packs • Includes Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus updates (Autopatcher can download the MSE program, but not the updates) • Can download updates straight from a WSUS server, rather than the Internet. This is an advanced topic of interest to those running a network with Windows Server – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_Update_Services for more information.

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