How branching works for installing updates

re: How branching works for installing updates

Pronichkin — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:08:15 GMT

*milestone, of course :)

re: How branching works for installing updates

Pronichkin — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:07:59 GMT

Well, I personally would aviod saying that Service Pack is GDR. It is a separate mailstone. It effectively brings both LDR and GDR updated files to a new “common denominator”. From where they can be updated further on.

Secondly, even if you'd like to play with the -bf mums, you should not use pkgmgr for this since it is a deprected commain in Win7. Please use DISM instead (social.technet.microsoft.com/.../3323.aspx).

re: How branching works for installing updates

joscon [Microsoft] — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:42:17 GMT

I guess I'm not getting what you're looking for answer-wise here.

A Service Pack is not an OS, so no, it does not contain all of the files that are included within the OS installation disk. A Service Pack typically includes all of the Windows Updates from a specific point in time and may include some new features as part of its release.

When the Service Pack is installed, it updates the files it contains to the GDR branch from the files that currently reside on the system, regardless of that files current branch UNLESS that file is a post service pack update, in which case its not touched.

So yes, you would be correct in saying that post Service Pack install, "most" files would be at GDR branch but "all" of the files would not be at GDR.

re: How branching works for installing updates

Dean — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:35:08 GMT

Wasn't trying to bait anything. Just trying to get a straight answer.

You said "unless that update is a Service Pack, in which case you move to GDR for those files"

So then my mind asked the question for WHAT files. ALL of the windows files ?

Now your saying " Service Pack install will update all files it contains"

So now what your saying is that a service pack does NOT update ALL of the windows files but only SOME of them ? So in the end not ALL of the files will end up GDR files and there will still be LDR files left ?

You don't understand how confusing this is.

re: How branching works for installing updates

joscon [Microsoft] — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:44:02 GMT

Sounds like you're trying to bait me into some sort of answer here and I am not sure why. But to answer the question, a Service Pack install will update all files it contains with SP1 GDR branched editions of those files unless a post Service Pack version of the file was already installed on the system.

re: How branching works for installing updates

Dean — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:52:05 GMT

So a service pack always always always replaces EVERY single windows file with NO exceptions ?

re: How branching works for installing updates

joscon [Microsoft] — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:18:05 GMT

Branching and supersedence are different concepts here. What I was getting at was that update applicability is determined by supersedence within the branching for the file, unless that update is a Service Pack, in which case you move to GDR for those files.

re: How branching works for installing updates

joscon [Microsoft] — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:18:04 GMT

re: How branching works for installing updates

Dean — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:56:14 GMT

Joseph,

I'm not understanding how whether the VERSION of the file ( if it's newer or older ) has to do with if it's GDR or LDR. Can't you have FOUR versions ? An old and new ( GDR ) and an old and new ( LDR ) ?

re: How branching works for installing updates

Andre.Ziegler — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:53:36 GMT

@Dean

the installation is the same like always. The installer, in NT6.x the servicing stack, looks which branch the file is ( in Nt 6.x which component becasue >= Vista are component based operation systems based on packages) and if you already have a LDR fix installed for that component you get the LDR version if the update has both version included (like security fixes). Only the parameter to force the installation of LDR files was removed. In this case extract the update and use pkgmgr.

But I suggested several years on connect, that users should get better error messages why an update "doesn't apply to your computer'. I think this is why you ask Joseph this.