Is there a proper sequence to install Windows Critical Updates / SP's?

GreyMack,

In the future save yourself a lot of time and trouble. Order the Microsoft Security CD from here. It's free and it contains all the critical updates through October 2003 (including SP1). For those of us on dial up connections, it's a godsend.

SP-2 final should be out in two to three weeks, if everything goes as planned, and that is all you will need until more problems are discovered and a new update is needed.  You don't need to install SP-1 first, SP-2 cover's everything up to the release date of SP-2 final.  When I was in your position and had to download all the updates, I would do it all at once and with a cable modem it was very fast, but painfully slow with dial up. No problems at all. 

I'm using SP-2 RC-2 Version 2162 right now and everything is working just fine...Good luck

SR

Dell Dim 4400 ( Purchase June 2002 )
2.6 ghz (Upgraded from 1.7 ghz)
400 Mhz bus
512 Mb DDR 2100 Ram
Windows XP Home SP-2 RC-2 Version 2162
Roadrunner Cable modem
17 Inch Dell 1703 FP monitor
15 Inch NEC 1560 NX LCD
Dell sound bar for monitor
Microsoft firewall SP-2 RC-2 Version 2162
AVG 6.0 Free edition anti virus
Gainward Nvidia Ti 4200, 128 Mb video card
USB 2.0 and 1.1
48 X CDRW SAMSUNG SW-252S
Bios A06
APC CS 500 UPS Back up
250 watt (345 max) power supply

Message Edited by Thirdrockfromsun on 07-26-2004 04:06 PM

Thanks Denny, I did just a couple of days ago order the CD. I d/l'ed the updates over a DSL line, so it wasn't too bad awaiting the downloads, just reading and trying to understand (lost cause?) the updates and trying to figure out a proper sequence, and doing them only two or three at a time. And re-scanning my PC to see what updates still remained to be d/l'ed and installed. Perhaps if I had installed SP1 as my first update there would have been fewer updates subsequently offered? Or have there been nearly four dozen critical updates since SP1 was issued? Quite a few of these show up in my add/remove pograms window, but I think some don't?

Third Rock - so you could download them all and then during installation you would get a prompt to re-boot whenever it was necessary and then it would continue installing the updates? I should've tried that, but I didn't want to risk any problems at that point so I was plodding along doing just two or three at a time, rebooting, and repeating the whole process. (Perhaps I also wasted too much time trying to read and understand the update release notes!)

When I install SP2, will I be able to then remove some of the earlier patches in my Add/Remove programs window or would I need to reinstall XP and then just SP2 and any subsequent critical updates to avoid having all those previous entries?

GM

Once the install is complete, you can either keep the XP firewall or better, turn it off and use a third party firewall instead.  Don't use both however.  The forum member, Denny is a good source of information if you need assistance.  He has been around since the birth of our nation and has helped many including me when I had a different forum name.  However, the cd that you have just sent for is  out of date, your downloads are all up to date now, and the final version of SP-2 will be very near, ( I Hope ), so if you are planning on doing a clean format and re-install of window's, with the update cd that is in the mail, you may have to do it all over again, when the final version comes out.  Try to hold off until sp-2 final if you can.

When something as major as SP-2 final comes out, most of us want to do a reformat and re-install.  Not that hard to do once you have done it.  The windows registry get messed around so much as it does with all the installs, un-installs of programs, not to mention windows updates, that a clean reformat and re-installation of windows cleans things up.    Good luck to ya

Message Edited by Thirdrockfromsun on 07-26-2004 07:43 PM

Message Edited by Thirdrockfromsun on 07-26-2004 07:51 PM

I would, and many will agree, that a clean reformat and re-installation would be the best method.  The order of the re-install of window's and everything else should be, 1)  Window's XP,  2)  SP-2 final version,  3)  Chipset driver,  4)  Video card driver,  5)  Any critical updates ( Should not be any when SP-2 final comes out ),   6)  Everything else.    Got this information from PC World Mag not too long ago.

I don't know what problems you are having in downloading the critical updates all at once.  I have done it so many times now, I have lost count and never once had a problem.  Just click on updates and window update site will download all the critical updates at once.  After the download a box would appear to restart windows and just do so. 

SR

Dell Dim 4400 ( Purchase June 2002 )
2.6 ghz (Upgraded from 1.7 ghz)
400 Mhz bus
512 Mb DDR 2100 Ram
Windows XP Home SP-2 RC-2
Roadrunner Cable modem
17 Inch Dell 1703 FP monitor
15 Inch NEC 1560 NX LCD
Dell sound bar for monitor
Microsoft firewall SP-2 RC-2
AVG 6.0 Free edition anti virus
Gainward Nvidia Ti 4200, 128 Mb video card
USB 2.0 and 1.1
48 X CDRW SAMSUNG SW-252S
Bios A06
APC CS 500 UPS Back up
250 watt (345 max) power supply

Two years and counting on this forum

Thanks for the perspective. I didn't even try downloading everything at once, having read some caution against it in an article somewhere. Gee, only one update to load when SP2 comes out. I might reinstall just for the novelty.

GM

Good luck to ya...Reformat and a Re-install cleans out everything, so back up what ever you want to keep.

SR

Dell Dim 4400 ( Purchase June 2002 )
2.6 ghz (Upgraded from 1.7 ghz)
400 Mhz bus
512 Mb DDR 2100 Ram
Windows XP Home SP-2 RC-2
Roadrunner Cable modem
17 Inch Dell 1703 FP monitor
15 Inch NEC 1560 NX LCD
Dell sound bar for monitor
Microsoft firewall SP-2 RC-2
AVG 6.0 Free edition anti virus
Gainward Nvidia Ti 4200, 128 Mb video card
USB 2.0 and 1.1
48 X CDRW SAMSUNG SW-252S
Bios A06
APC CS 500 UPS Back up
250 watt (345 max) power supply