Daily Cup of Tech

Every single IT person will tell you to maintain your Windows security updates. It is critical, we are told, so that we can keep our computers safe. While I don’t completely agree with the statement (I’ve personally experienced an “update” that has completely killed a mission critical server), it is important to be able to update your system with the required patches.

Most people use Windows Update and many IT administrators use Windows Software Update Services (WSUS) to deploy these patches. While both works well, I personally prefer AutoPatcher. And here’s why:

1. It uses way less bandwidth than Windows Update. You download the patches once and you are done. You can now easily deploy all of the update to several computers, even computers without Internet access.
2. AutoPatcher does more than just update Microsoft applications. It is completely customizable and you can use it to install pretty much anything you want.
3. You can deploy AutoPatcher updates over a network without a bunch of registry hacks. Unless you are running Active Directory, you need to perform a number of registry hacks to get WSUS to work.
4. You do not need to install the Windows Genuine Advantage “critical” update in order to install other updates. You can keep your information to yourself.
5. AutoPatcher can be run unattended over a network or from a log-on script.

If you have never used this amazing tool, I would really encourage you to give it a try. It’s freeware so all it will cost you is your time.

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A number of programs that used to work just fine in Windows XP have difficulty in Vista because of the new security model. When I discover one of these applications that requires me to run it as an administrator, I reconfigure the shortcut so that it will automatically run the application properly.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log in as a user with local administrative privileges.
2. Right click on the application shortcut and select Properties.
3. In the Properties window, click on the Advanced… button near the bottom.
   
4. Check off the Run as administrator box.
   
5. close the Advanced Properties box by clicking on the OK button.
6. Close the Properties box by clicking on the OK button.

The next time that you run the application from the modified shortcut, it will run with administrative privileges.

Trackback link - http://www.dailycupoftech.com/2007/08/14/run-a-program-as-administrator-automatically-in-vista/trackback/

I get a lot of support from DCoT readers in various ways and I think that it is only fair that I help others that are trying to do the same. I received an e-mail from DCoT reader Nick a couple of weeks ago about a new website that he has put together called Windvis.com.

Windvis.com is a site dedicated to helping users with Windows Vista. Here is how the website described itself:

Windvis.com was created for users that are beginners or intermediate, but if you have been using Windows Vista since its early versions and became an expert, we may have some interesting things for you too!

WindVis is all about helping you protect your privacy when surfing the internet, keeping your computer secure and optimize your Windows Vista for better performance.

If you’re looking for free or commercial software that’s better than what you already got inside your Windows Vista edition, our software reviews can help you in making the right choice.

Don’t forget to return and check us for updates and tell all your friends that Windows Vista is no longer a mystery with WindVis.com!

There are some very interesting and useful articles at this site. Here are some that immediately caught my eye:

• Find out what programs slow down your computer
• Using a partition for your swap file
• Free up disk space
• Speed up windows vista startup time

The site is well laid out and easy to follow. If you get a few minutes, spend some time walking through Windvis.com.

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I always dread the question each time I go to my parents’ place. “Can you do the updates on our computer?”. Being a good son, I say “Yes” and then immediately regret my promise.

You see, the problem is that my parents live in the country and all they have is dial-up for Internet connectivity. Pulling down 300 MB of updates over a noisy 56k line with people picking up the receiver every few minutes and asking, “Are you done on the Internet yet?” can get pretty frustrating.

So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered AutoPatcher. Just what does AutoPatcher do for me? Well, here is what the website says:

AutoPatcher is based on the functionality of these special updates, automating their installation process. This way, with only a few mouse clicks and two minutes of your time, AutoPatcher is able to continue with the installation of the items you selected. In short, AutoPatcher combines the advantage of both Windows Update (presentation and description of updates and automated installation), and the special administrative updates (portability and installation without the need of an Internet connection).

That’s right! I can download AutoPatcher back home with my high speed Internet connection and then just run the disk on my parents, computer without taxing their Internet connection (and my patience).

AutoPatcher comes in the following versions:

• AutoPatcher 2000
• AutoPatcher XP
• AutoPatcher 2003
• AutoPatcher XP/2003 x64
• AutoPatcher Vista

There is also an Office version in the works but it still needs to be completed.

There are also three different package types, as well, which let’s you download just what you need. The package types are:

• The Full release, which comes with everything (updates, add-ons, tweaks).
• The Lite release, which lacks heavy add-ons (such as ’sunjava’).
• The Update release, which is installed over last month’s Full or Lite.

The only downside (which isn’t really a downside if you know your computer stuff) is that the disks are only distributed via bittorrent. You can download the files as a self-extracting executable or as a bittorrent. (Thanks for the update, Penguin Geek.) If you are not familiar with bittorrent, you can get up to speed. If you are looking for a bittorrent client, I would suggest μTorrent.

There are other users for AutoPatcher other than parents’ computers with slow Internet connections. It is really useful in a corporate environment where you need to update remote systems on a regular basis. You can create the disks and send them out to the remote systems for updating or you can extract the contents of the AutoPatcher files and share them on the network for remote updates, especially if you aren’t interested in installing Windows Server Update Services.

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I have been working with Vista now for a couple of weeks and I an starting to get a feel for some of the odd quirks that are occurring to me. Many of these are because of how I have done things in the past and I will probably have to make some changes in how I do things in the future.

But, I thought that I would start documenting some of these odd things, what caused them, and how I have worked around them. Please keep in mind that I am writing this after only working with the system for a couple of weeks. I am no where even close to being an expert with this OS and I would greatly appreciate any (gentle) correction and addition that you can supply.

Too Far On the Secure Side

One of the things that I have discovered over time is that there is a sliding scale between a secure system and an easy to use system. Read the rest of the story…

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