BatchPatch

Although they have their uses, Windows updates can be quite annoying, because they usually start in the most inconvenient moments, like when we are in a hurry to shut down or restart our computers. You may be able to overlook this situation for your own computer, but it is a completely different matter if you have a large number of computers in your care. If you wish to know when the operating system is being updated and keep all computers updated, BatchPatch can be of use to you. This lightweight application is capable of updating the Windows operating system on one or more remote computers. Even if you have a hundred computers in your care, you can start updating their operating systems immediately, with only one click.

You can try the application free of charge, but you will encounter certain restrictions. Although it doesn't need to be installed, BatchPatch has a few dependencies, so you should make sure you have a certain file in the Windows directory and that the firewall and permissions are configured in a certain way. The application provides support for Windows 2000 and all later versions, up to Windows 8, including various Server editions.

BatchPatch comes with a compact user interface, on which you may compile a list with your remote computers. All you have to do is type their names and MAC addresses on a separate window. Alternatively, you can import this information from a file, to load several computers at once. Once they are imported, you can select one or more computers and click a series of buttons, located on a toolbar, to ping those computers, get their boot times, MAC addresses or other information, to reboot or shut them down and, of course, to check for Windows updates and to install them.

When it comes to updating a remote operating system, the application allows you to choose between several tasks. You can simply check for available updates, download only, download and install them, download the updates, install them and reboot the remote computer if necessary and so on. Furthermore, BatchPatch allows you to schedule these tasks for individual computers. Another interesting feature is the possibility of preparing and executing batch jobs. You can select one or more of the aforementioned tasks and set the application to execute them in order on one or more computers, in a single run.