In "Windows Update Feature" (February 2003, InstantDoc ID 27561), I discuss a method for customizing Windows XP Professional Edition's or XP Home Edition's Windows Update settings. I've since discovered another technique for saving updates.
From Microsoft Internet Explorer's (IE's) Tools menu, select Windows Update. On the Microsoft Windows Update Web page that opens, select Personalize Windows Update in the Other Options section. Select the check box for Display the link to the Windows Update Catalog under See Also, and click Save Settings. The Windows Update Catalog link will appear in the See Also section.
Next, click Scan for updates to see a list of the updates you need. Record the updates you need (e.g., Q329441), but don't install the updates. Select Windows Update Catalog in the See Also section, and click Find Updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems. Select your OS and language from the drop-down menus, then click Search. Select the updates category, whose name will match the updates category you saw when you clicked Scan for updates earlier.
Find the updates you need (i.e., the updates you recorded). Click Add for each update you want to install. Finally, click Go to Download Basket, browse to the folder in which you want to download the updates, and click Download Now.
The updates you selected will download to the folder you specified. To install the updates, run their executable files. You can also back up the updates or move them to other devices.