Restart after patch apply ? yes or no

[Vassilis Contogeorgos]

Ok, here is my question:

When we apply patches in Windows 2000 do we really need to restart between
the installations.
Let's say that i install 824146 patch. It says to restart i click no and
then i install 828749. again restart no...install XXXX...no restart. You get
the idea
I restart once and for all after the installation of all my patches. Is this
a safe method ? It's really annoying to restart after every single patch.
Especially for IE6 where for 3 patches i have to restart three times. What
if i apply all three patches and restart at the end.

Is their a reason not to ?

thank you.

[Dave Patrick]

This article may help.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=296861

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft MVP [Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect.

[philo]

"Vassilis Contogeorgos" <vcon@hate_spam_hol.gr> wrote in message
news:%23iJJrm2...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

I've never had any problems installing several patches all at once...

just don't try to update other software at the same time

[Torgeir Bakken (MVP)]

Vassilis Contogeorgos wrote:

> (snip)

> I restart once and for all after the installation of all my patches. Is this
> a safe method ? It's really annoying to restart after every single patch.
> Especially for IE6 where for 3 patches i have to restart three times. What
> if i apply all three patches and restart at the end.

Hi

What three patches for IE 6 do you have? It should only be one as far as I know,
because the IE update is c*mulative and includes previously released fixes.

And note that IE updates are actually the updates that are "dangerous"
to not do a reboot between, because they uses the IEXpress install engine.

Updates that uses Update.exe (e.g. the OS updates uses this one) usually
does not have a problem with this, they have built-in qchain functionality
that leave the latest version even if the updates are trying to update
files that are locked so the actual replacing will take place at the next
startup of the computer. But for updates that uses the IEXpress install
engine (e.g. the IE c*mulative updates), it can end up in a mess.

Actually, in a no reboot in between setting, even if you install IE updates in a
oldest to newest sequence, you can end up with downgraded files after the boot
(but as I stated further up, there is really only one IE update, so this is a
non-issue).

The OS related updates you can safely install without any reboot in between but
note if some of the updates are old (before December 2002), you should run the
Qchain.exe tool (newest version) after the installations but before the reboot.
More about this and a download link to qchain.exe here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=815062

So, this is how I would have done it:

Install the IE update (only 1!). Reboot. Then install all the OS updates. Run
qchain.exe just to be sure. Reboot (or all the OS updates first and then qchain
with a following reboot and then the IE update).

More details here:
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3FC2E360.9443FDA2%40hydro.com

and here:

How to Install Multiple Windows Updates or Hotfixes with Only One Reboot
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=296861

(I use * in the word c*mulative to avoid some filtering issues I have
experienced on the news server previously)

--
torgeir
Microsoft MVP Scripting and WMI, Porsgrunn Norway
Administration scripting examples and an ONLINE version of the 1328 page
Scripting Guide: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter