Here are some of the Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) 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 Adobe Flash Player, MSN Messenger 7.x and Windows Media Player 11. 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: www.autopatcher.com/forums/, and the official website here: www.autopatcher.com

Windows Versions

Q: Which versions of Windows are supported?

A: The main AutoPatcher releases are aimed at English language versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP and Vista with the latest Service Pack already installed. However, they 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, AutoPatcher does not install Windows Service Packs for you.

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: 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 the 'Full' and 'Lite' 'Core' and 'Update' releases?

A: As of May 2007 we have scrapped 'Full' and 'Lite' releases in favour of just a 'Core' release and a monthly 'Update' cumulative addon release. As of August 2007 we scrapped 'Core' and 'Update' releases too.

Q: How do I update my release now?

A: You use the new AutoPatcher Updater APUP, available on the Download page: www.autopatcher.com/downloads/

Q: I've downloaded APUP and executed it but the program didn't install anything.

A: When executing APUP, you've only downloaded the patches and other updates to local folders. To proceed with the installation of the patches, you must run the AutoPatcher program itself and select which updates you wish to install.

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 you are 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, it is totally corrupt, or more likely one doesn't yet exist for the language of the system you are using.