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Best
Practices for Successfully Deploying Microsoft
Service Packs
Service Packs are a compilation of bug fixes and
updates to the code base of Microsoft's operating systems
(Windows NT/2000/XP) or applications (Office, Exchange, SQL).
They are suppose to improve stability and enhance security, but
Microsoft's service packs have a history of creating instabilities
other serious problems of their own. Before you jump right in
and deploy the
next service pack in your environment, take a minute to review
our best practices for testing and deploying Microsoft Service
Packs.
Surviving
a Service Pack
Tips and best practices for performing a service pack
installation.
Best
Practices for Applying Service Packs, Hotfixes and
Security Patches
This paper recommends a series of best practices
for deploying Microsoft service packs, hotfixes and
security patches. The information contained in this
document has been derived from Microsoft Technical
Account Managers, Microsoft Product Support
Services (PSS) engineers, and well-known Microsoft
subscription products like Microsoft TechNet and
Microsoft Developer's Network (MSDN). Source: Microsoft.com
Checking Service Pack and DLL Versions
Learn how you can check your system to find out which service pack, which dll, and which version of Internet Explorer you're running.
Source: Windows & .NET Magazine (Sept 1999)
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How to Use the SPCheck Tool in Windows XP
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 312646 -
This article describes how to use the SPCheck.exe tool in Windows XP to determine the service pack level of installed components on a file-by-file basis. SPCheck.exe is included with the Windows XP Support Tools
package.
How to Use the SPCheck Tool to Determine the Service Pack Level
of Components
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 279631 - This article
describes how to use the SPCheck tool to determine the service
pack level of installed components on a file-by-file basis.
Microsoft Guide to Security Patch Management
This guide provides concise information,
prescriptive techniques, tools, and templates to
help organizations cost-effectively maintain a
secure and reliable Microsoft environment through
the proactive assessment of vulnerabilities and the
application of security patches and appropriate
countermeasures. This guide is divided into two
parts: the first providing essential security patch
management information that is valuable to everyone
and the second providing detailed process
descriptions and techniques. Source: Microsoft
Technet
Required Service Packs before upgrading to Windows 2000
Current Microsoft server applications and server suites—and even legacy applications—are fully supported on Microsoft Windows® 2000 Server. However, some product versions require service packs for full support. Check this table before upgrading your NT 4
Servers if they have SQL. SMS, Exchange, Proxy, SNA, Site Server, SBS, or the BackOffice Server Suite installed.
Roll-up
Patching
What's the difference between a hotfix, security
update patch, cumulative patch and security roll-up
patch? Source: Information Security
Magazine
Why Service packs are better than patches...
When most people think about keeping their systems secure, they
think about security patches rather than service packs. In fact,
one of the most frequent mistakes people make when performing
security maintenance is to over-rely on patches and under-rely
on service packs. You may be surprised to know that there are
significant differences between the two, and that service packs,
rather than patches, should be used for the heavy lifting. In
this article, we'll discuss the differences between patches and
service packs, and the most effective strategy for using them.
Source: Microsoft.com (Nov. 2000)
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Ahead
of the Service Pack
Two service pack management programs help you organize service packs and hotfixes on your systems.
Source: Windows & .NET Magazine (Nov 2000)
Before Installing a Windows NT Service Pack
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 165418 - This article describes the steps that should be performed before installing a Windows NT Service Pack, maintenance required after installing a Service Pack, and also discusses Service Pack 2 for Windows NT 4.0 specifically.
Considerations Before You Uninstall Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 268989 - You can use the uninstallation feature in Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to restore your computer to its previous state. When you run the Update.exe program to install Windows 2000 SP1, a subfolder that is named
$ntservicepackuninstall$
is created in your %systemroot% folder.
HOW TO: Apply Microsoft Hotfixes to a Windows 2000 Server Running IIS
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 311135 - This article describes how to identify and apply Microsoft updates and hotfixes after you install Windows 2000 Server and IIS on your computer. You can use some Microsoft tools to help you check your system for missing patches and then
install
How to Install Service Packs in a Cluster
TechNet article Q174799 - The original Microsoft Cluster Server
(MSCS) product ships with NT 4.0 Server Enterprise Edition and Service Pack 3 on the first CD-ROM, however you may want to apply later service packs as they are released for fixes or improvements.
How to Obtain the Windows Installer Package
(Update.msi) for Windows 2000 Service Packs Microsoft Knowledge Base Article:
269732 - This article discusses how to obtain the Windows Installer package file (Update.msi) for Windows 2000 service
packs.
How to Use the SPCheck Tool in Windows XP
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 312646 -
This article describes how to use the SPCheck.exe tool in Windows XP to determine the service pack level of installed components on a file-by-file basis. SPCheck.exe is included with the Windows XP Support Tools
package.
How to Remove the Service Pack Restore Files and Folders in Windows
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 290402 - This article provides instructions and discusses the precautions for safely deleting the Service Pack Uninstall folder ($NtServicePackUninstall$). It also provides guidance for relocating the ServicePackFiles folder without losing functionality.
File Version Information May Be Incorrect in Windows 2000 Multilanguage Version
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 263212 - After you apply a hotfix or service pack to Windows 2000 Multilanguage version, the file version that is displayed in Windows Explorer (when you right-click a file in Windows Explorer and then click
Properties) may be incorrect.
Not Necessary to Reinstall Windows 2000 Service Packs After System State Changes
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 274215 - After you change the system state by adding or changing additional Windows 2000 components, you do not need to reapply Windows 2000 service
packs.
Service Pack Management
Get a handle on service pack and hotfix complexity with Service Pack Management.
Source: Windows & .NET Magazine (Sept
1999)
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Troubleshooting
Service Pack Upgrades
Discover how service pack upgrades work, why hidden
desktop applications don't always stay hidden, and
problems with using port 443 for automatic updates.
Source: Windows & .NET Magazine
Err
Msg: Service Pack Setup Could Not Find the Setup.log File in Your Repair Directory
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 175960 - When you install a Microsoft Windows NT Service Pack, you may receive any of the following error
messages:
Service Pack Installation May Not Work on Computers with Small System Partition
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article The installation of a Windows 2000 service pack may not succeed on a computer with a small system partition.
Windows Update Site Incorrectly Identifies Windows 2000 Retail as Beta
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article: 256962 - When you attempt to use the Microsoft Windows Update Web site from a retail copy of Windows 2000, you may receive the following message: You appear to be running a beta version of Windows 2000. In order to use Windows Update you need to upgrade your system to the released version of Windows 2000.
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