<s>
AutoPatcher	B-Application
is	O
an	O
offline	O
updater	O
and	O
alternative	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
Update	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
installing	O
software	O
patches	O
,	O
service	O
packs	O
and	O
other	O
updates	O
for	O
certain	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
allows	O
these	O
to	O
be	O
downloaded	B-Application
on	O
a	O
different	O
machine	O
or	O
in	O
advance	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
installed	O
without	O
an	O
internet	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
doing	O
this	O
,	O
system	O
updates	O
can	O
be	O
automated	B-Application
and	O
scripted	B-Language
,	O
time	O
and	O
bandwidth	O
required	O
to	O
download	B-Application
relevant	O
updates	O
is	O
reduced	O
,	O
and	O
exposure	O
of	O
unsecured	O
systems	O
online	O
can	O
be	O
avoided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AutoPatcher	B-Application
also	O
allows	O
installation	O
of	O
some	O
common	O
additional	O
software	O
,	O
registry	B-Protocol
settings	O
,	O
and	O
patches	O
for	O
other	O
Microsoft	O
software	O
,	O
notably	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
AutoPatcher	B-Application
currently	O
exists	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
,	O
XP	B-Application
,	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
7	B-Device
,	O
8	B-Application
,	O
10	B-Operating_System
and	O
some	O
server	O
equivalents	O
(	O
Windows	B-Application
2003	I-Application
and	O
2008	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
some	O
years	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
provide	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
or	O
older	O
systems	O
,	O
nor	O
for	O
some	O
64	B-Device
bit	I-Device
operating	O
systems	O
;	O
updates	O
are	O
now	O
possible	O
for	O
some	O
of	O
these	O
in	O
the	O
2014	O
version	O
of	O
Autopatcher	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
software	O
patches	O
were	O
distributed	O
with	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
but	O
,	O
following	O
legal	O
complaints	O
the	O
software	O
was	O
modified	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
now	O
downloads	B-Application
all	O
patches	O
to	O
a	O
local	O
hard	O
drive	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
servers	B-Application
(	O
ensuring	O
the	O
files	O
are	O
original	O
and	O
unmodified	O
)	O
and	O
then	O
allows	O
their	O
offline	O
use	O
as	O
before	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
program	O
was	O
a	O
simple	O
batch	O
script	O
created	O
by	O
Jason	O
Kelley	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
15	O
,	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
original	O
release	O
contained	O
22	O
updates	O
and	O
could	O
only	O
be	O
used	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
SP1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jason	O
was	O
contacted	O
by	O
Antonis	O
Kaladis	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
of	O
them	O
rewrote	O
the	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
program	O
and	O
began	O
maintaining	O
and	O
distributing	O
the	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
only	O
one	O
release	O
created	O
for	O
this	O
series	O
,	O
the	O
Full	O
release	O
that	O
contained	O
all	O
critical	O
,	O
recommended	O
and	O
component	O
updates	O
,	O
commonly	O
used	O
applications	O
such	O
as	O
Sun	O
Microsystems	O
's	O
Java	B-Device
Platform	I-Device
,	O
and	O
registry	B-Protocol
tweaks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Full	O
release	O
contained	O
critical	O
,	O
recommended	O
and	O
component	O
updates	O
,	O
commonly	O
used	O
applications	O
such	O
as	O
Java	B-Device
,	O
and	O
registry	B-Protocol
tweaks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
three	O
'	O
release	O
types	O
 '	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
5.1-era	O
;	O
Full	O
and	O
Lite	O
releases	O
both	O
contained	O
critical	O
,	O
recommended	O
and	O
component	O
updates	O
,	O
commonly	O
used	O
applications	O
such	O
as	O
Java	B-Device
,	O
and	O
registry	B-Protocol
tweaks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Update	O
releases	O
were	O
for	O
updating	O
previous	O
months	O
releases	O
with	O
the	O
latest	O
copies	O
of	O
files	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
latest	O
Full	O
&	O
Lite	O
releases	O
,	O
these	O
smaller	O
downloads	B-Application
were	O
designed	O
to	O
reduce	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
bandwidth	O
needed	O
for	O
distribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
5.6	O
of	O
the	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
engine	O
included	O
a	O
new	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
and	O
more	O
"	O
intelligent	O
"	O
scripting	B-Language
than	O
the	O
previous	O
version	O
,	O
5.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Media	I-Application
Center	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
;	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
detections	O
:	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
,	O
Windows	O
Live	O
Messenger/MSN	O
Messenger	O
,	O
DirectX	B-Application
,	O
.NET	B-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Installer	I-Application
;	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
components	O
detection	O
:	O
Word	B-Application
,	O
Excel	B-Application
,	O
PowerPoint	B-Application
,	O
Outlook	B-Application
,	O
Access	B-Application
,	O
Project	B-Operating_System
,	O
Publisher	O
,	O
OneNote	B-Application
,	O
FrontPage	B-Operating_System
,	O
InfoPath	B-Protocol
,	O
Visio	B-Application
,	O
SharePoint	B-Application
Designer	I-Application
and	O
Groove	B-Application
;	O
</s>
<s>
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Core	O
releases	O
were	O
cumulative	O
;	O
previous	O
versions	O
are	O
not	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Update	O
releases	O
were	O
incremental	O
;	O
All	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
Update	O
releases	O
since	O
the	O
latest	O
Core	O
release	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
installed	O
first	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
team	O
was	O
forced	O
to	O
shut	O
down	O
the	O
project	B-Operating_System
after	O
receiving	O
e-mail	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
requesting	O
them	O
to	O
stop	O
distribution	O
on	O
August	O
29	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
I	O
asked	O
the	O
representative	O
if	O
Windows	O
Genuine	O
Advantage	O
had	O
anything	O
to	O
do	O
with	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
categorically	O
told	O
me	O
this	O
was	O
not	O
the	O
case	O
,	O
he	O
added	O
that	O
Windows	O
Update	O
for	O
pre-Vista	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
can	O
now	O
be	O
accessed	O
using	O
Firefox	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
concern	O
at	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
more	O
to	O
do	O
with	O
the	O
possible	O
malicious	O
code	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
redistributed	O
with	O
certified	O
Microsoft	O
updates.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Kaladis	O
revealed	O
in	O
the	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Blog	O
that	O
his	O
biggest	O
concern	O
after	O
the	O
project	B-Operating_System
was	O
shut	O
down	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
that	O
"	O
people	O
around	O
the	O
globe	O
 [ would ] 	O
start	O
writing	O
their	O
own	O
custom	O
modules	O
and	O
start	O
redistributing	O
their	O
own	O
releases	O
"	O
,	O
adding	O
that	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
security	O
features	O
in	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
"	O
would	O
automatically	O
flag	O
these	O
releases	O
as	O
unofficial	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
if	O
end-users	O
only	O
had	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
unofficial	O
releases	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
malicious	O
software	O
would	O
be	O
very	O
easy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
the	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Updater	O
(	O
"	O
APUP	O
"	O
)	O
tool	O
was	O
created	O
to	O
automatically	O
download	B-Application
the	O
required	O
patches	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
web	O
servers	B-Application
and	O
store	O
them	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
file	O
structure	O
used	O
in	O
previous	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
these	O
files	O
are	O
downloaded	B-Application
"	O
everything	O
remains	O
as	O
you	O
know	O
it.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
comeback	O
the	O
project	B-Operating_System
had	O
once	O
again	O
stagnated	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
loss	O
of	O
its	O
remaining	O
programmer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
APUP	O
tool	O
allows	O
updated	O
scripts	O
and	O
updates	O
to	O
be	O
downloaded	B-Application
but	O
,	O
the	O
script	O
maintainers	O
were	O
unable	O
to	O
fix	O
errors	O
in	O
the	O
programs	O
or	O
expand	O
on	O
its	O
abilities	O
without	O
a	O
programmer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
a	O
user	O
stepped	O
in	O
to	O
bring	O
new	O
life	O
to	O
the	O
project	B-Operating_System
once	O
again	O
by	O
creating	O
newer	O
updated	O
programs	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
originals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plans	O
exist	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
more	O
dynamic	O
script	O
system	O
for	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
to	O
allow	O
script	O
maintainers	O
to	O
detect	O
anything	O
via	O
registry	B-Protocol
entries	O
instead	O
of	O
relying	O
upon	O
a	O
static	O
preprogrammed	O
detection	O
set	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
Win	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
Win	B-Application
8	I-Application
were	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
APUP	O
was	O
deprecated	O
because	O
it	O
was	O
absorbed	O
into	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
's	O
main	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
You	O
can	O
still	O
download	B-Application
and	O
use	O
it	O
though	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
Windows	O
versions	O
:	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
XP	B-Application
were	O
dropped	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
You	O
can	O
still	O
get	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
to	O
update	O
XP	B-Application
but	O
,	O
the	O
script	O
is	O
not	O
receiving	O
much	O
attention	O
since	O
Microsoft	O
dropped	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
packages	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
were	O
released	O
on	O
August	O
20	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
consisting	O
of	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Office	O
2002	O
Core	O
,	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Office	O
2003	O
Core	O
,	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Office	O
2007	O
Core	O
and	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
OfficePack	O
Addon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Office	O
releases	O
follow	O
the	O
same	O
naming	O
structure	O
as	O
the	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
Windows	O
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
produce	O
custom	O
"	O
Stand	O
Alone	O
"	O
modules	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
to	O
install	O
other	O
third-party	O
programs	O
,	O
tweaks	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
can	O
be	O
useful	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
inside	O
businesses	O
where	O
bespoke	B-Application
software	I-Application
needs	O
to	O
be	O
maintained	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
team	O
maintained	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
stand	O
alone	O
modules	O
that	O
have	O
been	O
authenticated	O
,	O
signed	O
and	O
packaged	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
AutoPatcher	B-Application
,	O
but	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
eligible	O
for	O
inclusion	O
into	O
the	O
add-on	O
packs	O
.	O
</s>
