don't know what I'm doing

[Auntie]

Hi,
I recently re-installed my Win7 OS and learned that many people are having trouble with Win7 Windows Updates, and since I'm one of these people, I've been looking for solutions. Seeing WSUS offline installation looked good, so I installed WSUS offline and it zipped it's way through a lengthy black window at a fast pace and at the end of this process, I had 205 out of 205 updates, but I don't know where they are or how to install them. Before I started this, I had been able to download and install IE 11, because I had had the hopes I could trick Win Updates into starting, and in fact, it did go get the updates it needed to update IE 11 (listed in my update history), but alas no others, except for some update from 2010 which has been useless. After running through the WSUS program, I no longer had any updates listed in my update history and I don't know what I'm doing, so I think I might have a lot of updates on my computer, but don't think they are installed.

Thanks for your patience.
Auntie

[boco]

First, UpdateGenerator only downloads the updates, but doesn't install them (normal use case for WSUSOU is updating target machines different from the downloading one). You need to still run the UpdateInstaller in the .\client subdirectory for installing.
Second, the Installer will install mostly security-critical updates. Most recommended, optional and important updates are not processed. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=172
Third, the updates installed through WSUSOU will, with a few exceptions, not display in Update history. They will display in "Installed updates", however.

[Auntie]

Thanks for your replay. I wrote a lovely answer, submitted it, and was sent to a login page, unfortunately without a copy of the post, so I will try to remember the gist of it.

I thought the list of installed updates was the same as the Windows Update history and since I am getting non-security updates, I'm guessing that my installation is proceeding now with Windows Update. I would be happy to know how to find the Windows Update History.

I don't know what .\client subdirectory is, nor do I know if WSUS installed things on my computer, and if so, where I can find them. I would be happy to know for any future arguments I have with Windows Updates, how to use an alternate installation method. And I would like very much to be able to install the most necessary updates offline. Since WSUS proceeded with alacrity and precision, I think there must be traces remaining in my computer. Thanks for any help in finding them and the installation ... program? Machinery?

[kayjay]

Hi Auntie,

You need to go to the folder where you have wsusoffline(version#) then go into folder wsusoffline and then client (so wsusoffline(version#)\wsusoffline\client and in that folder dbl-clk "updateinstaller.exe" to start the installation of the updates.

Then I had to select (after first try hung up) - "Automatic Reboot and recall" and it got a little further but now hanging up at "Listing ids of missing updates (please be patient, this will take a while)..."

Oh well.. Hope that helps you get further...

Crazy what MS has done to us with the Win 7 updates and we have to go thru this.

I am in the same predicament as you with a re-install of Win 7 OS, I made the mistake of updating to Win 10 and I changed hardware after on a multi-boot machine and got in a "Automatic Repair Loop" and couldn't get out of it.

I decided to say the heck with Win 10 and go back to Win 7 and here I am just like you trying to reload Win 7, sorry I ever tried going to Win 10 didn't like it when it did work.

good luck

-kayjay

[boco]

Please refer to the image.



WSUSOU already tries to ease the pain by installing a few selected updates as "Prerequisites". Those are supposed and known to shorten the time required for detecting update state. Unfortunately some of the Prereq's require a reboot by themselves to be effective, while WSUSOU doesn't request a reboot, yet.

Crazy what MS has done to us with the Win 7 updates and we have to go thru this.

Amen. WSUSOU does have already a few features against it:
- We got Prereq's
- We got adjusting WU state and service
- We got staging (update batches) against the horribly big resource usage (thought I'd mention it)

Some months are better than others. This month is particularly bad.

[Auntie]

Hi kayjay and Boco,

Wow! Thanks for your help. I found the wsus folder and the installation program for wsus and I checked the update history against the installed updates. It's so refreshing to add another chink to my understanding.