Can I save XP Updates ?

[tellboy]

Is it possible to save to DVD or Ext HDD all the updates to XP since SP2.?
I frequently have to go back to the original as shipped setup and my PC then spends ages connecting and using up broadband time downloading them all again.
Are they somewhere on the PC ?

[vehelpfulguy]

Yes you can save them, i have done it in the past.

When you get a list of updates, there is an option like "tell me more" or something like that.

Go to the page that tells you more about the fix and one of the options is to download the actual fix.

Download the file for each fix and then install them one by one.

This is the main problem though, each fix needs to be installed one by one, whereas Windows update does them all in one go.

[vehelpfulguy]

Also, each fix is given a number, like KB905474, so you should be able to search the Microsoft website for each fix and download them from there.

[stevie21]

Go back to the original shipped setup, install all the updates etc. and once you're happy with the way your PC is, use Norton Ghost (or something similar) to clone your hard drive.
That way you can revert back to this snapshot rather than reverting back to the shipped setup.

If you then subsequently install more updates, delete the old clone file and create a new one.