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1.6.3.1 Installing Service Packs and Hotfixes
You can download the latest service packs for your operating system from the Microsoft Web site. These
service packs are distributed in two downloadable forms:
• Express Installation, which you can use when you do not need the software for additional computers.
This option scans the computer and downloads and installs only the updates that are needed.
• Network Installation, which you can use when you need to install the service pack on other computers or
deploy it across a network. This option includes the entire service pack in a single .exe file.
For enterprise deployment of service packs, you need the network installation download or a service pack
CD. The service pack is distributed in the form of an .exe file. You can execute this file directly to install the
service pack on the current computer. This extracts the files to a temporary directory and runs the
Update.exe program, which performs the update. Instead of installing a downloaded service pack on the
local computer, you can extract the files to a directory by specifying the
–x
option with the service pack
executable at a command prompt. This will prompt you for a destination directory for the service pack files
and allows you to make the service pack available over the network or to specify options to Update.exe.
Hotfixes are distributed as .exe files, similar to service packs, but they are smaller in size. Microsoft uses a
standard naming convention for hotfixes beginning with the Microsoft Knowledge Base article number
describing the hotfix.
To install a hotfix on a local computer, run the executable file. Because the changes made by hotfixes are
usually rolled into a service pack, the hotfix verifies that you have the correct service pack level. If you have
a newer service pack, the hotfix is not required, and the installer exits without making any changes. The
hotfix installation is performed by an Update.exe program located within the self-extracting archive. As with
service pack distributions, you can use the
-x
option with a hotfix to extract its files into a directory for later
use.
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