Technical Articles XP Distribute Windows XP SP2 with NT 4.0 logon
| Distribute Windows XP SP2 with NT 4.0 logon |
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| Written by Kerry |
 Group policies make it easier to centrally distribute Windows XP Service Pack 2 from Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003, but Windows NT servers don't offer group policies. Instead, NT administrators can distribute Windows XP SP2 using logon scripts.
You can install Windows XP service packs through logon scripts as easily as you can execute other workstation configuration settings. If you don't use logon scripts on your server, you'll have a little bit of extra work because you'll need to create the initial logon scripts and then add them to every user in User Manager For Domains--or at least those to which you want to deploy SP 2. Once the files are in place, you can modify the logon script you'll use to deploy the service pack. From your Windows NT Server, open the C:\Winnt\System32\Repl\Import\Scripts folder. In this folder, either edit your current logon script, or create a new one. In the file, include the following lines: \\servername\netlogon\ifmember.exe "WinXP Users"
if errorlevel 1 \\spservername\sharename\update\update /passive /forcerestart /d:c:\sp2backup Replace servername with the name of the primary domain controller where you store your logon scripts. Replace spservername with the name of the server where you're storing the extracted Service Pack 2 files, and sharename should be the name of the share you created for Service Pack 2. We've included a few extra switches for the Update command. The /passive switch displays a progress bar that users can watch to ensure that Service Pack 2 installs properly. The /forcerestart switch will cause the Windows XP workstation to reboot automatically when Service Pack 2 finishes installing. The /d: switch sets the location for the backup files that Service Pack 2 will use to store old Windows XP files in case you need to back out of the Service Pack. With the logon script in place, the next time your Windows XP workstations reboot and a user whom you've made a member of the WinXP Users group logs in, Service Pack 2 will install. The service pack will install in unattended mode but, unlike applying Service Pack 2 from a group policy in Windows 2000, it will install after the user logs on. Because the service pack is so large, it's a good idea to warn your users in advance that it will take a while for the package to install when they log on to their machines. |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 17 July 2008 13:51 |
