Q: Can I exclude patches from download and/or installation?
A: Yes, that's possible through customizing the download- and update scripts according to your requirements. You may add new patches or exclude existing ones. Please follow this guide:
1. Exclude patches from download
You have to differentiate between statically defined updates (like the latest Service Packs, for example) and updates that are determined dynamically at runtime of the script.
a) Statically defined updates
Should you desire to exclude all static updates from download, simply check the "Exclude statically defined updates" checkbox inside the Update Generator before downloading. Please be aware that updates you downloaded earlier, which are now excluded, will be deleted on the run.
b) Dynamically determined updates
To exclude dynamically determined updates from download, insert their knowledge base ID (KBxxxxxx or simply xxxxxx) into the matching exclude file named "ExcludeList-<platform>[-<architecture>].txt".
2. Excluding updates from installation
Once again you have to make a difference between statically defined and dynamically determined updates.
a) Statically defined updates
The statically defined updates (latest version each) are:
- Service Pack (SP)
- Windows Update Agent (WUA)
- Microsoft Installer (MSI)
- Windows Script Host (WSH)
- Internet Explorer (IE)
These updates will be installed only if the version installed on the target system is lower than the versions defined in the file "SetTargetEnvVars.cmd" (directory .\client\cmd). If you generally want to prevent installation of one of those updates, you have to modify the expected values in the "SetTargetEnvVars.cmd" or insert jump marks into the "DoUpdate.cmd" (which controls the installation process). You should do this in very special cases only, as with SP, WUA, MSI and WSH, certain versions are required as preconditions.
b) Dynamically determined updates
To exclude dynamically determined updates from installation, insert their knowledge base ID (KBxxxxxx or simply xxxxxx) into the file "ExcludeList.txt" (directory .\client\exclude). These updates will now be ignored; and you'll receive a warning in the log.