Why do Windows updates take so long to apply?

Last time I updated a Vista RTM install to SP2, I let it run all night, and it still wasn't even half finished the next morning. And mind, I had turned off System Restore on the Vista install.

Compare pretty much any Linux distribution; a similar quantity of Fedora updates for instance (say about 500 MB compressed) installs in about an hour on the same machine.

This wouldn't be too bad, except that Vista also slows down a lot during updates - even more so than Fedora (which can get pretty slow if you don't renice Yum). Basic stuff like browsing becomes very annoying, until Windows finishes updating.

The situation is not quite as bad with XP and 7, but not good either. Both take several hours to apply the first round of updates.

Why is this, and is there anything I can do about it? Obviously the post-install patch storm is not something one encounters often, but dealing with it is painful enough... And running Windows without those patches is asking for trouble. Can anyone advise me?

BTW, no trolling is intended with the comparison to Fedora. I'm making it because Fedora also gets very frequent updates, and because the contrast in update speed between it and Vista is so stark.

 

My desktop came with Vista 4 or 5 years ago, and I remember seeing a very big difference in the speed of things when I installed 7. So yeah, Vista did seem to be really slow at doing updates and installing drivers and similar things. I have no idea why though. 7 is better, but it still takes me a little over 3 hours to install a 7 SP1 disk and do all the updates. Vista was almost twice as long... It's painful..

 

Vista itself took a century and a half just to install, so I'm sure any updates/software would take a while too. I remember the reduction in time being a boasted point of Windows 7. I installed Windows 8 in a few minutes on my SSD.

 

You could download an ISO with SP2 included, which would at least start you off caught up to spring of 2009. I don't know if you're "supposed" to do that if you didn't purchase it digitally, but I don't see anything ethically wrong with it as long as your product key is genuine.

 

I think I'll pass on that, thanks. As inconvenient as Windows updates are, rootkits are worse.

 

I don't find it "unethical" either, but that doesn't mean it'll fly with legal departments. Besides, if it's an OEM machine like a Gateway or something, chances are pretty high that method will fail (or at least you'll soon start getting "Not genuine" messages). Windows activation has been made a major PITA. Also, getting caught up to 2009 isn't going to put that big of a dent in the install time. You've then got over 3 and a half years worth of Patch Tuesdays to deal with, all of which will ever so slowly download and ever more slowly install until you're finally asked to reboot...only to have more updates likely pop up 20 minutes later. Updating Windows just plain sucks.

The rootkit thing is a concern yes, but generally only if you're going to be getting the ISO through lesser sources.

 

That is legal to do because you need to use your product key to register and activate it.

Edit: There should be no problems activating OEM machines too.

 

No, it is not legal. Windows is not distributed under a shareware license; distributing install images without Microsoft's permission is prohibited.

And no offense, but can we please stay on topic so this thread doesn't get locked?

 

We are talking about downloading, not distributing here.

Microsoft does provide evaluation copies of various versions of Windows to download.

There is one authorised distributor [that I know of] of Windows that provides freely downloadable ISO, DigitalRiver.

Cheers, Nick

 

This is what I meant, NOT to get it from some sketchy torrent or a "warez" site.

Anyway, other than that I'm not sure how you could make the time to install updates go faster unless you decide to slipstream them into an ISO. Of course some will also suggest creating an image at the point where the updates were installed.

 

Thank you very much, I'd actually never heard of DigitalRiver.

 

Yep, that's where I downloaded my Win 7 x64 SP1 ISO's from. I don't know if you can get Vista there anymore, but I should think so.

 

I tried getting Vista through those official sources around a month ago. They only have SP1 and you have to deal with an .exe and 2 .wim files instead of a simple old ISO.

Way too much trouble, and how can you validate the checksums of torrents? Therefore, I gave up the virtual machine idea.

 

Yeah, that sounds ridiculous. On Win 7 x64 SP1, I got the checksums on the ISO's from the MSDN site (I think) and verified them.

 

If you download Vista via a torrent, as long as it is not precracked or an all in one version which lets you select what edition of Vista you want to install, you will be getting an unedited Vista ISO.

 

I found this posted somewhere, if it's useful to anyone:

MSDN/TechNet Releases:

Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (x64) - DVD (English)
Includes: Home Basic; Home Premium; Business-Retail; Ultimate;
File Name: en_windows_vista_sp2_x64_dvd_342267.iso
SHA1: AAEE3C04533899F9F8C4AE0C4250EF5FAFBE29A3
ISO/CRC: 80B2EDB5

Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (x86) - DVD (English)
Includes: Home Basic; Home Premium; Business-Retail; Ultimate;
File Name: en_windows_vista_with_sp2_x86_dvd_342266.iso
SHA1: 25AD9A776503E6A583BEC07879DBCC5DFD20CD6E
ISO/CRC: E2AD10F9

Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (x64) - DVD (English)
Includes: Home Basic; Home Premium; Business-Retail; Ultimate;
File Name: en_windows_vista_with_service_pack_1_x64_dvd_x14-29595.iso
SHA1: BDADC46A263A7BF67EB38609770E4FDBD05247CB
ISO/CRC: 5CC5BE14

Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (x86) - DVD (English)
Includes: Home Basic; Home Premium; Business-Retail; Ultimate;
File Name: en_windows_vista_with_service_pack_1_x86_dvd_x14-29594.iso
SHA1: BCD715A02739809E477C726AE4B5CAA914156429
ISO/CRC: CE4CB528

Windows Vista with NO Server Pack (x64) - DVD (English)
Includes: Home Basic; Home Premium; Business-Retail; Ultimate;
File Name: en_windows_vista_x64_dvd_X12-40712.iso
SHA1: 04671CE6713921983FF23AB9FC3E7A9280712B94
ISO/CRC: CE211A58

Windows Vista with NO Server Pack (x86) - DVD (English)
Includes: Home Basic; Home Premium; Business-Retail; Ultimate;
File Name: en_windows_vista_x86_dvd_X12-34293.iso
SHA1: B71E04564CA22E4D9928E59298EFF87CF62B382B
ISO/CRC: C11363AA

 

The difference is in Unix/Linux rebooting is usually not necessary except for applying kernel updates.

In Windows the updates have to be applied while Windows is shutting down and then configured upon reboot and before startup. That is why Windows updates can take awhile to get set up.

Usually, this has to be done once a month.

 

Most Linux distros also get (important) kernel updates on a monthly basis or thereabouts... And it's not like it matters much, a desktop can be rebooted in ~1 minute.

Anyway it looks like DigitalRiver no longer offers Windows ISOs of any sort. Boo.

 

If you look around a little, you can still find at least links posted for Win 7 SP1 ISO downloads direct from Digital River servers. For example, the links posted in this thread appear to work, and come from the right source:

http://forums.mydigitallife.info/th...t-links-Multiple-Languages-X86-amp-X64/page72

So the content is still there, it's just a matter of how to access it.

As for Vista, that could be tougher to find....

 

@Gullible Jones

What I usually do is to use the latest SP (instead of the first RTM) and offline update utilities. In times when you want/need to do a fresh install of Windows, offline update utilities serve as a great way to reduce the time to get updated because you no longer have to wait for each patch/update to be re-downloaded again (and you save bandwidth)

Offline Update Utilities

WSUS Offline Update (doesn't cover all updates but serve as a good baseline for MBSA)

Portable Update (covers all updates on the installed OS)

=======================================

Additional info just in case anyone needs it...

Direct download links for MS products from Digital River

Easiest way to find direct download links for MS products (Windows, Office) from Digital River is to look at HeiDoc.net.

Direct download links for Vista SP1 from Digital River

The only Vista setup files still hosted on Digital River are for Ultimate versions and only includes SP1. (you would need to install SP2 afterwards)

Windows Vista Ultimate x86 SP1 English (USA)
-http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msoffice/pub/X14-63452/X14-63452.exe-
-http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/msshus/vista32/boot.wim-
-http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/msshus/vista32/install.wim-

Windows Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 English (USA)
-http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msoffice/pub/X14-63453/X14-63453.exe-
-http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/msshus/vista64/boot.wim-
-http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/msshus/vista64/install.wim-

Source:
Vista Direct Download Links (HeiDoc.net)
[Direct Download Links] Download Genuine Windows Vista RTM with SP1 Setup Files (AskVG)

Despite the "Ultimate" name, the matter of fact is Vista setup contain all the Editions (versions) and can be used to
install any one of them. If you input a valid Windows Vista product key, it will determine the version.
If you don't put in a key, you will get the option to opt for the edition of Vista you wish to install.

Create a bootable Vista SP1 ISO from these files

You can use these tools:
http://www.askvg.com/wbi-creator-fr...ootable-iso-for-windows-xp-vista-and-7-setup/
http://forums.mydigitallife.info/th...ssional-The-All-in-One-Windows-Setup-Solution

Download SP2 for Vista (KB948465)

Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd262148

x86
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone (KB948465)

Direct download link:
-http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/7/7/E77CBA41-0B6B-4398-BBBF-EE121EEC0535/Windows6.0-KB948465-X86.exe-
Windows6.0-KB948465-X86.exe

x64
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone for x64-based systems (KB948465)

Direct download link: -http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/7/3/473B909B-7B52-49FE-A443-2E2985D3DFC3/Windows6.0-KB948465-X64.exe-
Windows6.0-KB948465-X64.exe

ISO
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone DVD ISO (KB948465)

Direct download link:
-http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/A/F/0AF6A5D0-6B5B-4629-BDC9-38CD41D7655B/6002.18005.090410-1830_iso_update_sp_wave0-RTMSP2.0_DVD.iso-
6002.18005.090410-1830_iso_update_sp_wave0-RTMSP2.0_DVD.iso

Source:

Windows Vista and Server 2008 SP2 Official Direct Download Links (5 Languages Standalone EXE and ISO)

======================================

Vista with SP2 slip-streamed

Windows Vista with SP2 slip-streamed were only released to Technet/MSDN subscribers. If you are not one, you can do a reverse integration to slipstream SP2 into Vista SP1 image (or use any one of those tools like vLite, etc)

Alternatively, you can download it from other sources if you know the file hashes.

As for concerns of copyright laws, the act of distributing may violate it but the act of downloading is more blurred as it may not necessarily be a copyright infringement in all countries. To complicate things further, assuming you have a valid license and you are downloading it because you are not provided with clean install discs or even recovery media from your PC maker; it may be considered as fair use since there is a moral argument/justification to be made as you are not pirating it (media of installation vs the license). However, I'm digressing here.

If you are strict on the legal status of doing so, stick with Vista SP1 and install SP2 later.

How to verify the integrity of your downloads with file hashes

Prior to and after downloading, you would need to verify the integrity of the file. You can search for file hashes information from MSDN Subscriber Downloads page. You don't have to be a subscriber to check.

Windows Vista with SP2 file hashes from MSDN Subscriptions

Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (x86) - DVD (English)
ISO|English|Release Date: 5/11/2009|Details
3093 MB
This file includes the following Windows Vista editions: Business, Business N, Home Basic, Home Basic N, Home Premium, and Ultimate. Access to each of the multiple editions in this file is determined by your subscription program and level.
File Name: en_windows_vista_with_sp2_x86_dvd_342266.iso
Languages: English
SHA1: 25AD9A776503E6A583BEC07879DBCC5DFD20CD6E

Source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sub...Languages=en&PageSize=10&PageIndex=2&FileId=0

Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (x64) - DVD (English)
ISO|English|Release Date: 5/12/2009|Details
3683 MB

This file includes the following Windows Vista editions: Business, Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate. Access to each of the multiple editions in this file is determined by your subscription program and level.
File Name: en_windows_vista_sp2_x64_dvd_342267.iso
Languages: English
SHA1: AAEE3C04533899F9F8C4AE0C4250EF5FAFBE29A3

Source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sub...Languages=en&PageSize=10&PageIndex=1&FileId=0

================================================

 

I've always wondered the same thing, Windows updates takes an obscene amount of time to finish.

 

The latest security updates for Microsoft Office 2007 have been installed FOUR TIMES on my 64 bit machine.

 

Also happening to me on 32-bit Windows XP. This issue has been reported here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...b2760583/ef2ff8c5-64aa-4751-b38e-2dd53f7fee72

 

Thanks for the update.

 

You're welcome.

As the updates were successfully applied, I left them installed but told Windows Update to ignore them in order to stop the repeated notifications until Microsoft comes up with a fix.