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Push MS Updates to networked computers with ABC-Update.

By Johan van Soest.

Published : 2021-04-18.

Last updated : 2021-04-18.

ABC-Update

ABC-Update is a freeware tool from ABC-Deploy. The tool has a GUI version to push MS Updates to networked computers, and a command line utility for the scripting guys.

ABC-Update connects to MS Update servers, or own managed server (WSUS), and optionally download and install or uninstall update categories of choice.

You can do things like schedule activity to an off-hour's service window, control reboot loops and allow users to keep using their computers. Windows 10/11 feature upgrades can be treated as normal updates. SysAdmins with responsibility of patching Windows servers and endpoints often face a few frustrations with MS Update or WSUS. One such is that we want the ability to get these updates installed NOW, when we want, where we want, not when Automatic Update Services decides to.

Another frustration among many admins is that the "Automatic Updates Service" since Vista is such a performance hog. Often severely slowing down the end user experience even hours before patch installations begin, and therefore you can use ABC-Update to schedule patch activity off office hours. And many of us share the need to easily see which updates are installed or missing without having to manually be clicking through many windows.

This gap between what Microsoft is offering out of the box, and what many admins really want is what the ABC-Update tool is made to fill.

Windows versions

ABC-Update can manage stand-alone and Active Directory Domain bound computers from Windows XP/2003 and up.

Screen shot

ABC-Update main screen.

License

ABC-Update is provided as freeware, also free for commercial use.

Download

This great tool and extensive manual can be downloaded from: https://abc-deploy.com/Files/ABC-Update.zip

Suggested

This tool was suggested by my former colleague Leon Poortvliet. Thanks Leon.

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