Windows is, by far, the most popular operating system in the world. Simplicity, extremely user-friendly interface and availability of plenty of programs etc. are the core features that earned Windows such worldwide usage. In fact, more than 80% PC uses Windows. There’s a very good chance that you’re reading this page on Windows. To keep Windows perfect, Windows keeps itself updated using integrated Windows Update system.
Microsoft continually checks Windows for any bug, flaw, and others. That’s why the, release patches, updates etc. via the Windows Update system. It’s always strongly recommended to update your Windows regularly, or once in a month to stay secured and enjoy the best possible performance. However, you already know how annoying Windows Update might be.
I always found it difficult to update Windows. The default system is so slow and eats up a big percentage of my bandwidth. Moreover, Windows restarted in the middle of nowhere. If you faced the issues like me, WSUS Offline Update is the perfect solution.
Using this tool, you also can download MS Office updates to install offline. When you’re free, you can set this tool to update your system using an automation process. No more wacky Windows updating.
1. Setup the download directory
For using WSUS Offline Update, you need almost 5GB free space. The tool itself is very small (>3MB), but the Windows update files altogether may take the rest.
- Download WSUS Offline Update.
- Extract the zip file into a folder. Ensure that the related Hard Disk Drive has, at least, 5GB free space.
Your directory is set.
Note: Follow these steps to boost your download speed.
- Go to the folder.
- Navigate to “cmd” folder.
- Double-click the “ActivateAria2Downloads.cmd” file.
This will enable “Aria2” downloader for WSUS Offline Update.
2. Download Windows updates
It’s time to download Windows updates and save them offline.
- Double-click “UpdateGenerator.exe”.
- Check your Windows version and architecture. Ensure that you chose the right one.
- Click “Start”.
Wait patiently for this step, as it’ll take a long time to download the updates. Run this process when you’re free. Gigabytes of Windows update files will be downloaded and saved into the directory where you saved the tool.
3. Install the updates
After the updates are downloaded, it’s time to install the Windows updates.
- Go to the folder where you saved WSUS Offline Update >> clients
- Double-click “UpdateInstaller.exe” >> click “Yes”.
- Check all boxes under the “Updating” section.
- From “Control” section, check all except “Shut down on completion” (if installing the update before going to sleep, check this option).
- Click “Start”.
The updates are going to be installed accordingly. It’s a lengthy process when installing for the first time. I recommend running the process when you don’t have to use your PC for about a couple hours. Your PC will automatically restart and continue the installation process.
Updating the local Windows update repository
Microsoft regularly releases Windows updates for all the Windows versions until “End of support”. You can check the list here. So, it’s necessary to keep your local update repository updated with all the latest Windows update(s).
- Go to WSUS folder.
- Double-click “UpdateGenerator.exe”.
- Select your Windows version and architecture.
- Click “Start”.
Now, the tool will check for any available latest update(s) and download/update files accordingly.
Caution
When using the first time, this tool might seem a bit troublesome. Here’re some cautions that new users do (even I did).
- Don’t delete any file in the folder. All files & folders are important. I also strongly recommend not to TOUCH any files + folders (unless you understand what you’re doing).
- If you’re using an antivirus, it’ll give false positive when updating Windows. Besides, in each restart, the antivirus will load and make the system heavy. To avoid such incident, it’s strongly recommended to disable antivirus and auto start with Windows startup. WSUS Offline Update is an open-source tool and there’s no virus/malware.
The tool is really useful. If you have multiple PCs, you can even have a USB flash drive dedicated to updating Windows using this tool. Just extract the zip into the flash drive and everything’s simple. WSUS Offline Update lets you take control of your Windows.
