Standalone DirectX (& other MS files) download <--Where to find??

[kwo]

Hi all!

I *used* to be able to find a standalone version of DirectX and other Microsoft files to download for computers I maintain that are *NOT* connected to the internet. It seems they are continually making these files harder and harder to find.

Where are they? I'd like to download complete installations of DirectX, IE, etc....but can't seem to find them anymore.

Do any of y'all know where they might be located?

Thanks!

Ran

 

[mechBgon]

Go to Windows Update, then click "Personalize Windows Update," put a checkmark in "Show link to Windows Update Catalog under See Also," then click Save Settings. Now on the left there's a Windows Update Catalog link that gets you direct access to most patches and updates.

What I sometimes do is use one system as a test dummy, go to Windows Update with it, write down all those six-numeral patch numbers, then go to Windows Update Catalog and use Advanced Search to hunt them down, put them in the Download Basket and download them all.

If you dump them all into one folder, you can make a batch file that runs them all with the -? switch. Each patch will tell what command-line switches it has (-z -q -o -n, and so forth). Write down the switches you want for each patch, such as "overwrite OEM files without prompting, do not reboot after running, quiet mode" etc.

Now change your batch file so these switches follow the names of the respective patches, and have it run QChain.exe last of all. I currently have about 40 patches run in one fell swoop this way, and I organized it so the ones that demand user input are at the top. Just keep answering "no" when asked if you want to reboot now, for those patches that insist on asking, and you're set. Hope that helps!

 

[kwo]

Thanks for the reply, "mechbgon" (interesting name)...

Clearly you are quite adept at these technical things, so let's put you to the test. I only have access to networked **Apple** computers running MacOSX. So, considering I *can't* run windows update on them..how would you suggest I download the patches?

Ran

 

[mechBgon]

Here's Microsoft's download area, which you probably know about already: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en

If you need access to all the patches, my suggestion is to drag one of those PCs kicking & screaming onto the Internet with a $10 PCI network card, and follow the routine I described.

At work we run Win2000 SP3 with IE5.5SP2 and Windows Media Player 6.4... older stuff, but "mature." When they stop supporting IE5.5 then we'll move to IE6. On the chance that this coincides with what you use, here's some info that could be helpful:


My usual setup routine is

Install Win2000
Install IE5.5 w/SP2 (have on CD)
Install SP3 for Win2000 (have on CD)
Run my batch file of patches for the above (I'll post the contents of my current batch file once I get down to the office)
Install mobo drivers
Install other drivers

 

[kwo]

Thanks again for replying,

heh, I'd love to have some Windows machines at work, but unfortunately my boss is in love with Mac's, so all we have are Mac computers. My Windows machines are at home, and hence I'd have to bring them into work to do as you've suggested. One alternative is to do it all over the modem, but when one is trying to download literally hundreds of megabytes of data..that get's a little tiresome and usually irks the ISP.. heh.....
That's why I'm frustrated because MS used to offer standalone installers for their products that you could download - especially useful for distributing to many other non-networked computers..but it seems they're pulling away from that big time! Grrrr........


Anyway, thanks again.

Ran

 

[mechBgon]

Ok, just got off the clock here. Here is my QInstaller.bat file:

q329414.exe /Q
q810847.exe /Q
vbs55nen.exe
js56nen.exe /Q
Q322913.exe -z -m
q328389.exe
813489.exe /Q
REM *** put the updates that require user interaction above this point ***
Q320920.exe /Q
Q816093.exe -u -n -o -z -q
Q329115.exe -z -m
Q329170.exe -u -n -o -z -q
Q329251.exe -u -n -o -z -q
Q810030.exe -z -m
Q328310.exe -u -n -o -z -q
Q296185.EXE -z -m
Q299553.EXE -n -z -q- m
Q322842.exe -z -u -q -n -o
Q311967.exe -z -m -q
Q313450.exe -z -m -q
Q313829.exe -z -m -q
Q314147.exe -z -m -q
Q318138.exe -z -m -q
Q320206.exe -z -u -q -n -o
Q323172.exe -z -u -q -n -o
Q323255.exe -u -n -o -z -q
Q324096.exe -z -u -q -n -o
Q324380.exe -z -u -q -n -o
Q326830.exe -z -u -q -n -o
Q326886.exe -z -u -q -n -o
Q329834.exe -z -u -q -n -o
wm308567.exe -q
Q810649.exe -u -n -o -z -q
Q810833.exe -u -n -o -z -q
Q811630.exe -u -n -o -z -q
rbupdate.exe /Q
q815021.exe -u -n -o -z -q
q814033.exe -u -n -o -z -q
q331953.exe -u -n -o -z -q
Q811493.exe -u -n -o -z -q
330994.exe /Q
816093.exe -u -n -o -z -q
329553.exe -u -n -o -z -q
qchain.exe C:\QChainlog.txt
pause

The files usually have longer, unwieldy names like Q816093_W2K_SP4_X86_EN.exe, which I shorten to Q816093.exe or whatever. Periodically I take a patched system to Windows Update, or run Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 1.1 on it, to see if there's some new patch. If so, I add it to the collection. I can re-run the whole stack of patches without causing any problem. QChain makes it all come out in the wash at the reboot.

What particular Windows, Internet Exploder and Windows Media Player mixture do you have on the PCs you want to patch?

 

[Sephiroth]

There is a stand alone for Directx 9, but not 9a. Don't know the difference.

To get it...
go to www.microsoft.com
click on Downloads to your left
Under Keywords type in directx 9
the next page lists the results. You are looking for: DirectX 9.0 Redistributable for Software Developers
This is the stand-alone for Directx 9.

Good luck.