Unblock Windows XP updates with this member-submitted admin script

by Guest Contributor | Oct 26, 2005 5:26:00 PM

Tags: Workstations, Patches, NETWORKING, Guest Contributor, Tina Shields

Takeaway: In 2005, TechRepublic asked members to submit their favorite Network Administration scripts and this is one of the responses. You can use this script to automate the cleanup of old BITS jobs that may have stuck in the queue during a previous Windows update.

In 2005, TechRepublic asked members to submit their favorite Network Administration scripts for possible publication. One of the first to make a submission was Tina Shields.

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Tina Shields' script in her own words

I am a network admin, and have been using SUS and then WSUS to keep my 50+ servers up to date on Windows patches for the past few years. The desktop group used Service Pack Manager for workstations, but it required too much management. So, I assumed responsibility of updating 600+ workstations. I ran into some issues with XP machines not having correct security identifiers for the Automatic Updates and Background Intelligent Transfer Services (BITS), and old BITS jobs from the previous version stuck in the queue. I wrote this script to "clean up AU." It works like a charm.

Table A

'================================================================
' SCRIPT NAME:  cleanau.vbs
' AUTHOR:   TDShields,
' DATE:     8/18/2005
' COMMENT: To remove old BITS jobs
'================================================================

Option Explicit

on error resume next
dim oAU, oBITS, oComputer
dim oCommand, oFSO, oShell

do while lcase(oComputer) <> "quit"

   ' gather input
   oComputer = InputBox("Enter the workstation's name, or type quit to exit")

   ' stop services
   set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
   set oBITS = GetObject("WinNT://" & oComputer & "/BITS")
   oBITS.stop
  
   set oAU = GetObject("WinNT://" & oComputer & "/wuauserv")
   oAU.stop

   ' delete old jobs
   set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting,Filesystemobject")
   oFso.DeleteFile("\\" & oComputer & "\c$\Documents and Settings\All Users\application data\microsoft\network\downloader\*.*" & chr(34)), DeleteReadOnly

   ' set security descriptors on services
   Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.shell")
   oCommand = "sc \\" & oComputer & " sdset bits " & chr(34) &"D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)
(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)
(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)" & chr(34)
   oShell.RunoCommand

   oCommand = "sc \\" & oComputer & " sdsetwuauserv " & chr(34) & "D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)
(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)
(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)" & chr(34)
   oShell.RunoCommand

   ' start services
   oBITS.start
   oAU.start
loop

Print/View all Posts Comments on this article

Admin scripts: Automate BITS cleanup Mark W. Kaelin | 10/26/05

Admin scripts.. Great ideas.. tsiskin@... | 11/10/05

Good suggestion Mark W. Kaelin | 11/11/05

Script log ricnavarro@... | 11/22/05

Good idea TinaShields | 11/25/05

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