How do we know which update to integrate in a reduced offline image?

[seiferflo]

Hey,

I'm new here, just love Win Toolkit the fact that it is up to date. Awesome work.

I basically use Rt7lite to remove the components I don't want. Then I use Rt7 booster to make it even smaller and I use WinToolkit to integrates updates, drivers and to tweak my image.

However there is something I don't understand about the integration of updates in a new image. The Update Catalog offers almost 500updates and I don't really know which one to integrate.

Indeed I understood I don't need to use the ones from Additionnal if I don't plan to use the feature, but I am confused with the rest as I removed many functionalities with the Rt7 softs.

So my idea was to run my Rt7 booster image in Virtual box and launch windows update to see what he proposes. Then I note the name of the updates and integrate them with Wintoolkit (around 30 with a 1.2GB image). So far so good but when I run the Wintoolkit image with the updates, then I get a bunch of new ones from Windows updates and most of them are listed as "old" by the "Update Catalog" of WinToolkit.

Should I put those old ones? What does "old" mean by the way? Pre-SP1?

I don't get it. I assumed that Windows Update was able to know which update I need regarding what features are enabled but clearly not and I really don't want to install useless updates as I reduced my image as much as I wanted.

How do you guys proceed?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Flo

[ricktendo]

Only thing I can tell you is that it will not hurt your image if you "integrate" a update for a feature or something you removed will no break the installation. This is because of Windows anytime upgrade (any hotfix will install on any SKU of Windows,) the files will just stay in the winsxs folder until the feature is enabled or added

Notice I used the word 'integrate' not 'install', you cant manually install a hotfix if a feature is turned off it will say 'not aplicable' but you can integrate it

[bphlpt]

Other thing is I believe that you should integrate the updates before you do whatever removals you choose to do. This might effect the results you are seeing.

Cheers and Regards

[seiferflo]

Thanks for your answers.

So I tried to integrate all the updates from the Catalog first, then removing the components. The result is an image around 700MB bigger and almost 2GB more of used space after installation.

The thing is the Winsxs folder full of updates integrated and I'm pretty sure only few of them are installed; it's a waste of space, especially because I plan to install it on an small SSD.

Is there another way to know which updates my system really needs, to keep my image light? (outside the obvious one like IE9 which I will not integrate as I don't IE)

There must be a log or something who says which updates was installed, no? Am I dreaming right now?

[ricktendo]

KUC (it can also scan offline/mounted images, check the faq)

[nice_guy75]

According to me the best method is reverse integration.

[ricktendo]

LOL no thats not what reverse integration means, it sounds like what he wants but its not

[seiferflo]

Hey guys,

Thanks ricktendo64

I'm actually trying to make KUC working fine with my configuration. So its creator is helping me because there are many errors. RT7lite or Booster may be the cause, they probably deleted important files from winsxs.

Anyway, It's also not the ultimate tool I want for my image because it is still installing things I don't want, but it's the closest one.

I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for your help

Edited August 23, 2012 by seiferflo

[nice_guy75]

LOL no thats not what reverse integration means, it sounds like what he wants but its not

I mentioned reverse integration because different machines takes different updates. Some updates are hardware specific, so only I believe reverse integration is the best way to identify which updates are required. The catalog lists some 500 updates and my lappy download only 60-70 updates. Moreover, thread starter's ultimate aim is to create an updated ISO of windows 7.

Edited August 23, 2012 by nice_guy75

[ricktendo]

Now I understand, makes sense

[seiferflo]

Hi guys

After I tested KUC, our dear WUpdates, and the WinToolkit update catalog, I am still struggling to manually integrate the least update as possible. I still can't find the point of using 300 updates on a lite system where 80% of the features was removed.

I thought KUC was the solution, thanks ricktendo, but it still installs some useless updates and it is good only for a fresh install but I can't update it after. I surrendered myself now

I tried installing all the updates recommended by KUC, then removing all the features with RT7 solutions. It works like a charm, but then I have to stick with these updates. Indeed if I choose to use WU, it will install useless updates. KUC is showing me wrong results and don't operate properly.

I can understand no software are able to say, ok your system has these features enabled, so I can advise you to install this, ignore those ones. When new updates come in 5 months, the software still tells me you only need these updates and I can ignore the useless ones. Thanks to KUC, I know that all updates shown in WU after installation of my lite version can be ignored, but when there will be another set of correctives, I will not not which one I can ignore or not.

Hard to make the litest version possible in terms of size & performance...