Here are some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about AutoPatcher.

General

Q: What is AutoPatcher? A: AutoPatcher could be described as an offline Windows Update. AutoPatcher provides an interface to a large collection of updates, common applications and registry tweaks, that can be easily and quickly applied to your computer system. Q: What are the advantages of AutoPatcher over Windows Update? A: The main advantage is that you just have to do one download in order to have all the patches and add-ons, such as Sun Java, MSN Messenger 7.x and Windows Media Player 10. If you have many computers or if you format your computer frequently, it saves both time and bandwidth. With AutoPatcher, you can install critical patches offline, eliminating the risk of getting infected while using Windows Update. You can also come in handy when updating a friends PC, if he/she can't access the Internet (or uses a narrowband connection). Q: Where can I find more information on AutoPatcher? A: You can visit the official forum here: http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showforum=89, and the official website here: www.autopatcher.com Q: Is AutoPatcher legal? A: Yes, Antonis Kaladis (our project manager) once spoke to a Microsoft employee and apparently they know about us but don't care what we do! The AutoPatcher project has been going strong since 2003 and never had a sniff of trouble from Microsoft.

Windows Versions

Q: Which versions of Windows are supported? A: The main AutoPatcher releases are aimed at English Windows with the latest service pack. However, it will load on any Windows version, showing only the included items (modules) which match the running environment. Q: Does AutoPatcher include Windows service packs? A: No, including the service packs would significantly increase the size of our releases, you must get them separately. However, if you purchase a CD/DVD from the website, the disk should include the latest service pack as long as theres room for it. Q: Does AutoPatcher work with systems without the latest service pack? A: Yes and No! Yes, AutoPatcher will run fine on the system, however because the releases are aimed at the latest service packs, many things included will not be available for installation, and many updates will be missing that would otherwise be installed by the latest service pack. We strongly advise you to install the latest service pack. Q: Does AutoPatcher work with 64bit or XP-MCE systems? A: Yes, as of February 2007 we have 64-bit releases for Windows XP / Server 2003. As of May 2007 we now have an addon pack containing Windows XP MCE 2005 updates, you can add this addon pack to the main AutoPatcher for Windows XP (32-bit) release.

General Usage

Q: Does AutoPatcher install anything without my permission? A: Absolutely not! AutoPatcher does nothing secretly. The user has total control over the installation. Q: I've downloaded AutoPatcher and executed it but the program didn't install anything. A: When executing the downloaded file, you've only decompressed it to a folder. To proceed with the installation of the included patches, you must run the AutoPatcher program itself, use the shortcut created on the desktop. Q: In AutoPatcher's selection screen, I see some items in blue. What does that mean? A: AutoPatcher uses different colours as a way to provide the end user with additional information about an item. Blue is assigned to items which are detected as already installed. Q: I want to remove a tweak that I applied with AutoPatcher. How is it done? A: In previous versions of AutoPatcher (version 5.1) you have to use the 'tweak undo' tool. With the new AutoPatcher v5.6 you can right click an item in the selection window and choose the uninstall option. Q: Can i use AutoPatcher from a CD/DVD/Flash drive/external hard drive? A: Yes, simply copy the contents of C:\Program Files\AutoPatcher (default location) over. Q: Can i use AutoPatcher from a network share? A: Yes. Note, with a UNC path, either use this utility someone was working on, or follow rtk's instructions found here.

Releases

Q: What happened to 'Full' and 'Lite' releases? A: As of May 2007 we have scrapped full and lite releases in favour of just a 'Core' release and an 'Extras' addon pack. Q: What's an update release? A: Update releases are for updating the previous months release with the latest set of files. It would not be sensible for you to download new Core releases every month when only a small portion would have changed. Instead you should start out with a Core release and from then on, get an Update release every month. Update releases save a huge amount of time and bandwidth for us, our mirrors, and you! Note, they are not designed to be used on their own! Q: How should i use update releases? A: You should have a Core release acting as a 'base' to which you install them on, then every month you should download and install the latest update release on top of it. You should not skip any update releases! If you do, as of May 2007 you will not be able to install any further update releases. You could though delete what you have and start again with a new Core release (which we update every three or four months). Q: How should i NOT use update releases and why? A: Incorrect usage: on its own; without a base release; on a base release but skipping an update release in between. Q: I have just downloaded a new Core release, is it okay for me to install it over the top of an existing release? A: It is always recommended that you remove existing releases when installing a new Core release, unless you are combining AutoPatcher releases for different languages or versions of Windows, e.g. it would be okay to install the Windows 2000 and Windows XP Core releases together. Q: Can i combine releases of different types (Windows version/Language)? A: Yes, as long as the release author/translator has ensured the release is AIO compliant, you can simply install them on top of each other and there shouldn't be a problem. Q: Is there a difference in quality between update releases and core releases? i.e. should i go for new core releases when available? A: No, there is no difference in quality whatsoever. In-fact core releases are created directly from combining the contents of the last core release with the latest update releases. There is no need to go for new core releases when they become available, you can just continue adding update releases to the original core release you have.

Mirroring/Hosting

Q: I am mirroring AutoPatcher releases / I want to mirror AutoPatcher releases, what do i do? A: Just copy some or all of the files from another mirror and send us your links, email address, and the name you would like to be listed as. Your links can either be direct or can point to your own website (rules apply, see below). Q: Who do i contact? A: You may contact any member of the team via the forum and your details should be passed on to someone who will deal with them. Some of the team: Antonis Kaladis (aka raptor, the Project Manager), Lyndon Brown (aka blaze, x86 Release Manager), and Renato Ribeiro (aka gandolas, x64 Release Manager). Q: I want to be a regular mirror, how to i become one? A: Just contact us (preferably Lyndon or Renato), say so, and we'll add you to our contact list. Q: How much bandwidth does mirroring AutoPatcher require? A: Quite a lot, some of our regulars transfer between 1 and 6TB every month, and yes thats TeraBytes not GigaBytes!! Its recommended you have a least a 10Mbps upload capacity, and its also highly recommended you use a script to limit the number of concurrent connections per IP. Q: Would it be helpful if i uploaded AutoPatcher to as many free hosting services as possible and give out the links? A: No, not really, we may occasionally use free hosting services for smaller files but AutoPatcher requires a lot of bandwidth and we don't want to wear out free services. Q: If i use my own website to host my links, am i allowed to include my own ads/donation-links on it? A: Yes you are. However, please read the rules below. Q: What are the rules reguarding ads/donation-links on my mirror A: As follows (Subject to change at any time!):

Ads & Donation links: - If you earn more revenue collectively from ads and donation links than you need to cover your expenses mirroring AutoPatcher, please consider donating some to ourselves. Ads specific: - No inappropriate ads. - Abide by the ad providers TOS (terms of service). E.g. no requesting people click the ads. - Please do not clutter up the page with ads so its hard for users to see the download links. Donations link specific: - It must be clear that the user is donating to you and not to us

Q: Are there any other rules i need to know?

A: Yes, a few (Subject to change at any time!):

- Linking to downloads on other sites (unless they're yours) is generally unacceptable. You may be stopping the other mirror from gaining ad revenue thats rightly theirs, and if you have ads of your own, it could be considered stealing! Especially if you directly link to their downloads and not their download page! - You must display a visible link back to the AutoPatcher homepage (www.autopatcher.com) or forum (http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showforum=89). By visible i mean: 1) Dont disguise it (e.g. with coloring) so you can hardly tell its a link, and 2) Make sure its obvious (with text) where its pointing too. - You may use *some* AutoPatcher images on your mirror for as long as you mirror AutoPatcher for us. The images themselves are copyright to Antonis Kaladis, if you want to use them anywhere else you must ask him first for permission. Note that i said *some*, you should ask permission for the image you would like to use, he may not want you to use certain ones. - Please do not announce the availability of new releases on your mirror anywhere on neowin except in the main release threads and your signatures. its not fair to other mirrors if you make a new thread about it or post a message about it in the news item(s).

Q: Would you like me to provide you with SSH/FTP login details to my server?

A: No thank you, we don't have the time to upload to them all. Its better if you are in charge of your own mirror so you can control which releases you host, when, and therefore, how much bandwidth you use up. Also, we only need access to one regular mirror so we can upload the releases to it and use it as the primary location from which other mirrors should copy from.

Q: In exchange for mirroring for you, what can you do for me?

A: Your not happy enough with ad revenue and usually getting the releases before anyone else? Well, if you become a regular mirror we can add you to the thank you list at the bottom of every release thread in the forum. A link to your site can be used if you like.

I'm afraid we cant put images into the release threads, they are pretty full as they are and we cant clutter them up with images.

Once the new website is done, we may possibly be able to offer the same thank you list on the download page. The decision will be up to Antonis. Whether images could be used is gain up to him but the answer will probably be no.

Theres really not much more we can do, at least not at this time.

Common Problems

1) Run time error 429 - activeX component can't create object!

Install both the setup files in AutoPatchers \win9xnt folder

If that doesnt work, go to start > run, type REGSVR32 SCRRUN.DLL and press enter

If that doesnt work, copy files from C:\Program Files\AutoPatcher\bin to C:\Windows\System32

2) 35602: Key is not unique in collection

You've probably installed the release over an older version, and modules are conflicting.

Delete the folder your installing to, and reinstall the latest version.

Only 'update' releases should be installed on a previous release.

3) AutoPatcher stops with a red X when loading modules

The most common cause is that you've downloaded the English release and your trying to use it on a non-English system.

Modules only load on systems there designed for! In this case, the release is obviously not meant for your system!

4) Installation wizzes by in about 10 seconds but nothing installs

Likely cause: you have non-alphanumeric characters in your Windows username! I.E. only user names with numbers, letters and possibly spaces will work!

Note, altering your username in Windows User Accounts will, i believe, simply change what's displayed, not what is used behind the scenes! You should be able to change it properly via the admin tool 'computer management', or else create a new user account.

5) Networking problems after using AutoPatcher

Probably caused by the IPC$ security tweak. Run AutoPatchers tweakundo tool located in the \Tools directory, and undo the tweak.

This tweak is highly recommended for security reasons which is why im reluctant to remove it, but it can interfere with networking, so undo it if you have trouble.

6) When i double click the AutoPatcher shortcut nothing happens

Go to: C:\Program Files\AutoPatcher\tools, run 'AutoPatcher Module Editor.exe' and close it - next run autopatcher.

If that doesn't help, copy comdlg32.ocx from the AutoPatcher \bin folder to c:\windows\system32 (overwrite existing file if there is one).

7) Run-time error '380': Invalid property value

Copy files from C:\Program Files\AutoPatcher\bin to C:\Windows\System32

8) No text is displayed when autopatcher opens

AutoPatcher loads the text it displays to the user from language files in the \translation directory (note this is not related to module names and descriptions!). Either you've lost the translation file you need, its totally corrupt, or more likely one doesn't yet exist for the language of the system your using.

You may also experience this when mistakenly using an update release on its own. The full set of AutoPatcher program files (inc lang files) may not all be included in an update release because they take up ~5.5MB.