[mgibbs]

how can i specify where to store or set the download location of windows updates for XP home

[Macboatmaster]

You do not normally store them anywhere, as such. If you are on Automatic Updates they are downloaded and installed in the system, registry etc, where ever they need to be according to the update.
If you are on Automatic Download, but chose when to install, they are downloaded to a file hidden in the Windows System and you are notified on the taskbar that Updates are downloaded and ready to be installed.
If you go to the Update site to check yourself. OR you have selected Notifiy etc. You then select which you want and download and install.
The only time you can actually see the updates downloaded to your computer BUT NOT installed is when you have selected that option ie: Download, but let me chose when to install.
When you go to the download site and click Review your update history it will list every update, whether it was successfull or not, the date etc. Removal of installed updates is NOT generally recommended unless done in the Add/Remove programms box. After it has been installed attempting to remove it any other way will usually lead to problems.
IF YOU have downloaded updates that are not installed and you tell me why you would want to delete them. I will tell you where to find them.
In short YOU cannot (effectively) choose where to save them to.

[raybro]

I do not believe this addresses your specific question, but there is a way to download updates and place them wherever you choose to place them, but you cannot do this using the normal Windows update site. Here is how I update my Windows operating systems.

First, I set the Automatic Updates to Notify me when an update is released ( as alluded to by Macboatmaster) Next, i manually go to the Windows Update site and click the "Custom" button. I review the update(s) to determine whether I want it/them. I uncheck the ones I do not want and check the "Hide this update" box. I make a note of the KBxxxxxx number(s) I do want.

Next I go to the Windows Update Catalog site, enter the KBxxxxxx number in the search box and add it to my basket. When finished selecting the updates wanted, click the "view my basket" link. Click "Browse" and navigate to wherever you want to store the update (I keep mine on an external hard drive) and click "Download". After downloading, you click the folder and an executable file (*exe) can now be launched which will install the update.

Couple of things to know about. You will probably have to install a M$ software program in order to use the site the same as is required on the normal updates site, but different in content. Also, when you do the search, you will find in most cases there will be the same update number for different OS's and OS types. You must be knowledgeable regarding the specific system you are using and the difference with others. For instance, you would not download the update for an XP 64 bit OS to install on a XP 32 bit system.

I updates in this manner for numerous reasons, the principle one being one time I was running an update and power went off. I had to do a clean install to correct the problem which resulted from that event. I also never have need to download the update again, which has value because I'm in dialup.

Raybro

[TheOutcaste]

As Macboatmaster says, you can't chose the location when using Automatic Updates.

You can download most of them directly like any other file and store them where ever you want. Either search the Download center, the Windows Update Catalog, or use the link in the KB article for each update.
Microsoft Download Center
Microsoft Update Catalog
The KB articles can be found using this format for the URL:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/XXXXXX where XXXXXX is the 6 digit KB article number.
If you are wanting to download all the updates and put them on a CD/DVD that you can use to automatically install them, take a look here:
WSUS Offline Update

And a thread about using it:
http://forums.techguy.org/windows-xp...ould-true.html

[mgibbs]

Yes I am trying to be prepared for the next clean install & wish to save time on the update stage.
Thank you all so much!!! I will follow up on this information & see which works best for me.

[flavallee]

Originally Posted by mgibbs

Yes I am trying to be prepared for the next clean install & wish to save time on the update stage.
Thank you all so much!!! I will follow up on this information & see which works best for me.

You didn't mention if you would be doing a clean install of XP original, XP SP1, or XP SP2.

Assuming that you'll be doing a clean install of XP SP2, go here to download the full 316 MB SP3 upgrade and then burn it off to a CD-R.

Go into the Device Manager and obtain the description of the display adapter, sound device, network adapters(wired and wireless), and chipset, then locate and download the latest drivers for these devices and then burn them off to a CD-R.

By having the SP3 upgrade and latest device drivers burned off to CD-R's, you can save yourself a lot of time and aggravation when it comes time to do a clean install of XP.

I go one step further by keeping an updated CD-R with the current versions of the programs that I install and use.

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[mgibbs]

OK the more I learn, the more I see that I don't know. Can you tell me how to determine (after the fact) which version (or updated stage) of XP I started out with before I updated?
Thanx so much for all your help!!

[raybro]

Originally Posted by mgibbs

OK the more I learn, the more I see that I don't know. Can you tell me how to determine (after the fact) which version (or updated stage) of XP I started out with before I updated?
Thanx so much for all your help!!

Right-click My computer and select Properties. In the General tab under "System", the information about your OS will be listed.

Raybro

[Elvandil]

There are sites like Winfuture.de where you can download a single executable file that installs all updates. Installing all updates one at a time could take many hours. Of course, the service packs include all previous updates.

But it is a far better idea to make an image of your hard drive after you get updated and get your programs installed. Then, you can restore that image, updates, programs, and all, to a new drive or the olod drive when you need to.

Free Disk Imaging Tools:

EASEUS Todo Backup
Runtime Shadow Copy
SelfImage (Open-source)
O&O DiskImage Express
Macrium Reflect
PING (Partimage Is Not Ghost) (Free alternative to Ghost with more features)
Paragon Drive Backup Express
Drive Image XML
G4U - Ghost For Unix (Platform-independent, floppy or CD)
DiscWizard (For Seagate or Maxtor drives - contains reduced version of Acronis)

Don't forget to make the boot CD whichever one you choose. If the machine will not boot the operating system, you can still boot from the CD and use its tools to restore the image you made on the external drive.

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I know of no way of telling what you started with except to look at the CD that installed it. If the CD did not contain any service packs, for example, then you started with XP "Gold", or the original version.

[TheOutcaste]

Other than looking at the disk, all you can do is check to see what Service Packs (if any) have been installed. If the current SP is not listed as an installed update, it was included on the disk that did the install.

For example, if System Properties shows you have SP3, but SP3 is not listed as an installed update, then an XP disk with SP3 was used to install.
If only SP3 is listed, then the install was done with an SP1 or SP2 disk, but not an RTM, or Gold disk (SP0).

You can use SIW - System Information for Windows or BelArc Advisor to find out what updates have been installed, or, on XP Pro, run systeminfo in a command prompt. The updates to look for are:
SP1a - Q324720 - Service Pack
SP2 - KB811113 - Service Pack
SP3 - KB936929 - Service Pack

I don't know if SP1 has a different number, as I never saved a copy of SP1

[Elvandil]

Using nLite or Autopatcher is even easier because all your updates can then be included in the installation CD. They then do not need to be reinstalled after you reinstall XP (provided you have no image and need to reinstall instead of taking 15-20 minutes to restore an image ).