Saving Windows Updates

Microsoft has a little used option in the Windows updates which allows you to save all your updates. This means that a company, could download the security update once for the entire company. It also means that you could download the update and install it locally, which is always more reliabe than doing the updates through the browser while connected. It means that consultants can download the updates for their clients and that someone with a fast internet connection could download it for a friend (or your home computer) with only  a dialup connection.

To enable this important feature of Windows updates go to Windows update: v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com⁄en⁄default.asp. Then select Personalize Windows Update from the Other Options menu on the left. Check Display the link to the Windows Catalog under See Also.

Now you will have a new option on the left under See Also entitled: Windows Update Catalog. This option allows you to build a catalog on your local computer of Windows updates for any operating system currently being supported. Hint to Windows 98 users: Get these now while you can.

If your computer crashes or for any other reason, you can have a local download of the Windows updates.

What I do not know, but need to is this. How can I be sure which updates supersede or replace previous updates? How would I know which ones no longer need to be installed and which ones break previous ones? Hopefully someone will tell me and I'll include it in my next Newsletter. I hope to be able to report this information to you next time.