My tip is as follows:
1./ Slipstream the latest service pack. MS site tells you how to do this. But here is a summary. You run the service pack at the command line with the following switches. NO SPACES between integrate and the colons.
Code:
sp2udate.exe /integrate:c:\W2K3install
2./ Have the "hotfixes" and patches that are not yet part of a hotfix installed using qchain and a batch file. You need to have downloaded the updates, not "run" them directly from Windows Update. When there are new updates, you just download them, add them to the folder, and update the batch file.
Look, here is my .bat file for W2K3
Code:
@echo off
echo JAN 2009 version
setlocal
WindowsMedia6-KB925398-v2-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB921503-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB924667-v2-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB925876-v2-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB925902-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB926122-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB927891-v5-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB929123-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB930178-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB931784-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB932168-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB933729-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB933854-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB935839-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB935840-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB936021-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB936357-v2-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB936782-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB938127-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB938464-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB941202-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB941568-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB941569-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB941644-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB941693-x86-ENU.exe -z -m **
WindowsServer2003-KB942763-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB942840-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB943055-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB943460-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB943485-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB944338-v2-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB944653-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB945553-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB946026-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB947864-x86-ENU.exe -z -m **
WindowsServer2003-KB948590-x86-ENU.exe -z -m **
WindowsServer2003-KB948881-x86-ENU.exe -z -m **
WindowsServer2003-KB950762-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB950974-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB951066-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB951698-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB951748-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB952069-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB952954-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB954211-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB954600-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB955069-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB955839-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB958215-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB956802-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB956803-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB956841-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB957097-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB958644-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB958687-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
WindowsServer2003-KB960714-x86-ENU.exe -z -m
qchain.exe
echo ***
echo Installed and ready to reboot (WAIT MAYBE)
echo Type EXIT to return to Windows, then shutdown
What a lot of updates! What a shame MS has dumped SP3 for W2K3. It really wouldnt take too much resource to release one. I think they do it deliberately... so that it is FASTER to install a new versions of windows (Vista, win7, etc.) than to install you older versions and then update them.