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After complaints from Microsoft in 2007, it was modified to download and distribute the patches direct from Microsoft’s own servers. AutoPatcher isn’t just a tool to apply Windows hotfixes though.
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Here are 4 applications that can do exactly that, you can even run them on a currently installed Windows to bring it up to date.ĪutoPatcher has been around for several years and used to be distributed as a huge executable file that included all the update patches inside. While it isn’t as quick as a slipstreamed disc, this method is an awful lot quicker than waiting for everything to be downloaded and installed from the internet, and can be left to it while you go and do something else. One solution is to use a slipstreaming application like nLite to integrate hotfixes into the install disc, but even these become outdated every month after the latest round of hotfixes. If waiting for all the updates to install doesn’t appeal, an alternative is to have a program store and automatically install the updates for you from a USB stick or external hard drive. NET Framework patches and subsequent updates after you install software like Internet Explorer 9 or 10 etc. Having just installed Windows 7 to see how many updates are available for the most popular version of Windows, it’s quite shocking to see it has 117 important updates ready to be downloaded! And that obviously doesn’t include recommended updates like the multitude of newer. Whether you’re installing a new Windows by choice or by necessity, you will soon be pretty sick of wasting hours downloading all the hotfixes from Windows Update and continuously downloading patch after patch. Hardware failures, viruses, or even computers with poor performing or highly abused operating systems are all reasons to have to wipe the old system and start again. Some users even install their operating system regularly to keep it clean and running at maximum performance. How often do you install a clean version of a Windows operating system either for yourself or somebody else? Although a lot of users are sensible and make full backups of their system using either disk imaging software or something like the Windows 7 System image function, there is sometimes no option but to reinstall because it can’t be avoided.
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