Software Update... download folder

sohdubom · #1 January 2nd, 2009, 05:18 PM

hi. this is a newbie question ... when downloading files from Software Update... where is the default ddl directory?

ElDiabloConCaca · #2 January 2nd, 2009, 05:39 PM

http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=...nload+files%3F

Mikuro · #3 January 2nd, 2009, 07:04 PM

ElDiablo, that works better when the results of the Google search actually answer the question. :\

On my system, they're saved into ~/Downloads (that is to say, the "Downloads" folder in your home folder). That's in Leopard. In Tiger I'm not sure where they're saved.

If you want to save the updates for some reason, like to install them on multiple systems without re-downloading, it's best to download the updates from Apple's web site. The packages you get from the built-in Software Update are tailored to your specific system (to minimize download size), so they might not work on other systems. The packages you get from Apple's web site are designed to work on a wide range of systems.

ElDiabloConCaca · #4 January 2nd, 2009, 07:25 PM

The first result on the page I linked to gives the answer in no unclear terms (in the 4th forum posting).

I'm sure by modifying the search string slightly, we could get ALL the results to give the answer.

My point in posting that link was that the question was easily answered by one's self with a super-simple, 3-second Google search. Instead of asking others to do the legwork for you, it's much easier to bang in a quickly-formatted search string in Google... posting to a forum then waiting for a reply requires much more effort and time (not to mention it's his/her first post, so in addition to typing a question, they also had to register) to gain an answer to such a simple question. And, as I always say, "Work smarter, not harder."

Mikuro · #5 January 2nd, 2009, 07:48 PM

We must be getting different results for some reason, then, because the first result for me is AVG's (a Windows antivirus program) web site, and the subsequent results are no more relevant. Odd.

ElDiabloConCaca · #6 January 2nd, 2009, 08:24 PM

Following the link I posted, the first result is this:

http://forums.macnn.com/90/mac-os-x/...tore-software/

This is the direct link from my results page:

http://www.google.com/search?btnG=1&...nload+files%3F

Mikuro · #7 January 2nd, 2009, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElDiabloConCaca

This is the direct link from my results page:

http://www.google.com/search?btnG=1&...nload+files%3F

That link gives me the Windows-centric results, same as before. Which doesn't surprise me, really, since there's nothing in the search terms to suggest you're looking for Mac sites, and "software update" is a general term. I usually throw "mac os x" (in quotes) into my search phrase when looking for Mac stuff, otherwise all I get is Windows links.

I'm still confused as to why we're getting different results. Are you logged into your Google account? Maybe Google knows you're a Mac guy and adjusts your results accordingly.

FWIW, on my system they're saved in ~/Downloads, not /Library/Updates. But maybe that's just when I select "download only" intending to actually install them later when I'm ready to reboot.

ElDiabloConCaca · #8 January 2nd, 2009, 10:23 PM

Nope, not logged into Google. Using both Safari and Firefox on Mac OS X 10.5.6, Intel MacBook.

Weird.

At any rate, my point was more to educate the poster that there are easier and faster ways to get answers to simple questions other than posting to a forum and waiting for someone to do the work for you -- you know -- the whole "give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish."

If a person is deterred if they don't get the answer they're looking for after one Google search, that, to me, could indicate laziness. Simply modifying the search string, like you suggested, would yield more accurate results. I was simply showing what can be accomplished in a short amount of time with a simple (albeit malformed, as we've proven) Google search.