README.

TXT
Dell System Software
February 2009
Dell System Software is a utility that provides critical updates and patches for
your operating system. Dell System Software is necessary for correct operation
of your Dell computer. The program automatically detects your computer and oper
ating system and installs updates appropriate for your configuration. If you a
re reinstalling the operating system it is important that this software be insta
lled first.
The System Software installer package is in Microsoft Windows Installer format, a
nd therefore can be manipulated with all the standard tools and techniques avail
able to Windows Installer (.msi) packages. Refer to the Microsoft Developer Netw
ork (MSDN) for complete documentation of all Windows Installer command-line opti
ons: http://msdn.microsoft.com.
Unattended Install:
-------------------
System Software can be installed in unattended mode as follows:
Usage:
msiexec.exe i systemsoftware.msi -qn
***Note: The System Software installer package must be launched from a command-
prompt with Administrator privileges.
Customization:
------------------------
The System Software application can be customized by two command-line public pro
perties, TESTONLY and BYPASS_SUPPORT_CHECK. The properties can be specified eac
h alone, or both together. These properties are described below.
TESTONLY
--------
The TESTONLY property can be passed to the System Software installer package to
see what changes System Software will make, but without actually making the chan
ges. After running the installer package with the TESTONLY property, a user can
look in the following Registry key to see what changes System Software would ha
ve made:
HKLM/Software/Dell/System Software/<version number>
Beneath this Registry key is a listing of all the operating system hot fixes tha
t would have been installed. The user may then decide to re-run the installer p
ackage without the TESTONLY property in order to actually commit the changes.
Usage:
msiexec.exe i systemsoftware.msi TESTONLY=1
***Note: TESTONLY is case-sensitive
BYPASS_SUPPORT_CHECK
--------------------
By default, System Software detects your computer and operating system and insta
lls only those updates appropriate for your configuration. However, Administrat
ors may wish to install System Software as part of a hard drive image which will
then be deployed to other machines, including those of different architectures
and feature sets. By using the BYPASS_SUPPORT_CHECK command-line property, Admi
nistrators can instruct System Software to by-pass its internal system/feature c
hecking and install all available updates. Therefore, when the hard drive image
is moved to other systems, they will have the benefit of all available updates.
Usage:
msiexec.exe i systemsoftware.msi BYPASS_SUPPORT_CHECK=1
***Note: BYPASS_SUPPORT_CHECK is case-sensitive
Special Note to Windows XP (32-bit) Users
-----------------------------------------
Microsoft hot fixes for the Windows XP operating system are separately compiled f
or each supported language, causing the Dell System Software package to become l
arge. As a result, for Windows XP (32-bit) Dell System Software breaks out ever
y language into an individual .CAB file containing all the hot fixes for that la
nguage. IT Administrators can deploy only those .CAB files that correspond to t
he "system language" of the operating systems in their organization. For exampl
e, if English is the only language in your environment, all the files except SYS
TEMSOFTWARE.MSI and ENG.CAB can be removed. Here is a key to the operating syst
em languages supported by System Software:
ARA - Arabic
CHS - Simplified Chinese
CHT - Traditional Chinese
CSY - Czech
DAN - Danish
DEU - German
ELL - Greek
ENU - English
ESN - Spanish
FIN - Finnish
FRA - French
HEB - Hebrew
HUN - Hungarian
ITA - Italian
JPN - Japanese
KOR - Korean
NLD - Dutch
NOR - Norwegian
PLK - Polish
PTB - Brazilian Portuguese
PTG - Iberian Portuguese
RUS - Russian
SVE - Sweden
TRK - Turkish
Note for organizations using MUI: Microsoft hot fixes target the "system languag
e" of the operating system. Typically, MUI is implemented on English Windows XP
and the languages are layered on top. Therefore, "ENG" would still be the corr
ect package to use, no matter the MUI pack providing the user interface.
========================
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
2008 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc
. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell is a trademark of Dell Inc.; Microsoft and Wi
ndows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either
the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaim
s any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.