Slow log in on XP workstations

I'm not the only one who has noticed that Linux is Geoff answer to all windows related problems and world hunger

Right had a quiet afternoon today, so I thought I would record an example of the difference one little patch can make.

2 identical 3 year old RM laptops P4 / 512MB RAM / 54mps Wireless Cards

Logging onto the school domain via wireless

As you can see almost 30 second difference.

File is an MP4 video file just unzip and play

[alan-d]

Nice one

We are installing it tomorrow

[E1uSiV3]

Thats ridiculous, why has microsoft not publicly released this update?

Im gonna do some testing now

[ChrisH]

Very interesting. I will be doing some experimentation of my own as well

[indiegirl]

Can I just check - the XP update is to go on all workstations presumably... and the server one - just on the DC??

[mrforgetful]

I think it's just the DC yeh, though it might need to go on each one that has folders that are redirected.

Any reason why you can't put it on them all to be sure?

[tarquel]

Can I just check - the XP update is to go on all workstations presumably... and the server one - just on the DC??

Yep

trying it now too

Is the possibility of adding it to WSUS a option? - the client one, the server one aint needed on WSUS i thinks lol

If not, can it be made MSI-able or some way to GP it? Don't think i can be bothered to walk around all the machines lol

Nath.

[alan-d]

Not sure about the MSI yet - we are reimaging all our kit so just stuck it on the image

May try and MSI it for the odds & sods we have about

[Geoff]

Can I just check - the XP update is to go on all workstations presumably... and the server one - just on the DC??

Yep

trying it now too

Is the possibility of adding it to WSUS a option? - the client one, the server one aint needed on WSUS i thinks lol

If not, can it be made MSI-able or some way to GP it? Don't think i can be bothered to walk around all the machines lol

Nath.

See KB 262841 for command line options for Windows update packages. You'll be able to roll th e update out via a machine startup script in a group policy using the correct command line options.

[markesmith]

Hello All
Many thanks for all your help and support on this one. We start at the school on Monday so I'll let you know how we get on. Cheers.

For remote install you could use psexec

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/PsExec.html

Just tried it and seems to work fine

[Geoff]

The license has changed on the sysinternals free tools preventing them from being used in a school enviroment (amongst others).

[spc-rocket]

HI all,

We designed a vbscript to deploy the patch via the startup script. The problem we are having is that the script runs when you double-click on it but doesn't work when used as a startup script. Any ideas as to why this may be, i have give the domain computers read and execute access to the hotfix files etc.

I'll post the script here on Monday when i'm back at work again.

The script first checks to see if the hotfix is installed and if it isn't then it installed it otherwise it just skips it.

Ashok.

[spc-rocket]

Hi all,

Here's the script that will install the patch:

'sExePath = "\\admin_server\packages$\XPHotfixes\kb899409.exe" 

'sSwitches = "/quiet /norestart" 

Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") 

sRegKey = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate" 

' suppress error in case values does not exist 

On Error Resume Next 

' check for marker 

sRegMarkerValue = "" ' init value 

sRegMarkerValue = oShell.RegRead( sRegKey & "\Hotfix899409Installed") 

On Error Goto 0 

' to be sure update is installed only once, test on marker 

If sRegMarkerValue <> "yes" Then 

oShell.Run("\\admin_server\packages$\XPhotfixes\KB899409.exe /quiet /norestart"), 1, True 

' create marker 

oShell.RegWrite sRegKey & "\Hotfix899409Installed", "yes" 

End If

Set oShell = Nothing

You need to replace the patch referenced in this code:

oShell.Run("\\admin_server\packages$\XPhotfixes\KB 899409.exe /quiet /norestart"), 1, True

to the path where you patch is located - UNC path will do.

The /quiet and /norestart will cause the patch to install silently and will not restart the computer.

HTH,

Ashok.

Credit goes to someone, don't know where i found this script, somewhere from the net.