Autopatcher XP is the way I do my updates..
I've never had any issues with it, and in the newer versions the updater retrieves the files directly from MS anyway, making it faster to download and is as good as if not better than autoupdates.

Oh, and it's seems to always be a total of a single reboot afterwards, no matter how many updates you apply.

In addition to that I prefer to do it this way because I only need to download them once, not for every system and VM I use.

Am I the only person who has NEVER had a problem with an update from MS? Any problem I have is usually caused by another product and NOT the Windows OS or a patch to one of its components.

WOOT! 1500 Posts!

Even ive had no problems with windows updates ever. Now that I think of it, its surprising.

Thanks 40hz, i'm going to try "Heise Security's ct-offline-updater" now.

Man!  You guys/gals are just teasing me!

OK, it's not like I have problems with every update; just maybe three (or so?) that have really gotten me.

First one was back in April 2006, maybe? The update that installed a program that somehow facilitates the prefetch function. That same update also added, I believe, the new and - IMO, not improved - WinSxS manifest mess, which in turn messed big time with XP's DEP, or Data Execution Prevention. That update and the idiocy of a few developers caused me a lot of grief. TechSmith was one, and Mindjet was another. Both got lazy and when Windows Installer 3 was released instead of building new installer packages in WI3 they simply copied over the code they had used in Windows Installer 2 to the new WI3. Version 2 hadn't had to deal with the new WinSxS manifest stuff, but 3 did. That made both SnagIt and Mind Manager Pro go haywire after I installed them.

Both now must be listed in my DEP exclusion list or they will not even appear when I try to start them. (Or at least until I reinstalled Windows after that!)

Now this post will draw out another dozen members here who will post how they are soooo lucky!  (Creeps!) 

Jim