Windows Updates (Office Updates)

[LilAznAccommodator]

Dear Readers,

For some reason lately I noticed that whenever there are updates... And I instlal them everything goes normally EXCEPT that if the update relates to Microsfot Office, the installation always fails.. And I can't necessarily 'uninstall' the update as I don't see the 'Title' of the update anywhere on my Computer.. So I don't know if this error is of my Office being corrupt or there is another problem at hand... I mean if the Update doesn't relate to Office, it installs just fine but if Office related it fails... Any ideas?

[Appzalien]

If it fails there is nothing to remove because it never got installed. I found that sometimes it was possible to get this type of failed update by grabbing it yourself and installing separately from windows auto install. First MS downloads to a temp folder then installs, so if you find the location of the temp folder you can copy the program before the downloads finish and paste it somewhere else (MS usually deletes the temp files when its done). The trick is to find the download location. It used to be a folder under the windows directory (WAB or something) but they changed it. I can't remember the last time I did this it may be something like WinSxs > Install temp, you just have to look around in all the temp areas you can think of, there is a Download Installations folder under the Windows directory as well as the Installer folder. You could look before you try downloading again, it might still be there or at least you can see whats there so you will notice any change during the download. If you open a bunch of windows to different locations first you can bring them up during the download for a quick check.

[LilAznAccommodator]

Hmmm I'll check the Temp folders, thanks for a lead.

Edit: Nope searched through all temp folders and came up with nothing...

[peat moss]

Have you tryed Windiz update ? I see they have Office XP updates .


http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/

I forgot but if you scroll down our forum page you see Similar Threads ,maybe help is there ?

[LilAznAccommodator]

hHehe didn't notice those as I rarely scroll all the way down, thanks for botht he link + tip.

Edit:Hehe those bottom links weren't helpful.

[Appzalien]

MS is real tricky when it comes to its temp folders for the downloads. Believe me they are being downloaded to your computer before the install. Usually if you can't find the temp storage its because they hide it from the folder tree. It may be a folder under your C drive or a folder under the Windows directory but you will not see it in the tree, you have to look directly under the drive or directory in the right pane and then click on it to explore. You may have seen this before, when you install something to C > Program files and then go to look for it it is not visible in the left pane tree but it is in the right pane tree and doesn't show up in the left unless you click on it. So you need to be looking for a temp folder created in the right pane and its possible it may be in an office temp folder. There are apps out there that will watch the drive and report any changes that could help you in this reguard. Remember though, MS is not always right in offering updates on its site, I have gotten screwed good letting it install drivers for sound that were incompatible with my system. Just cause they say the drivers or updates are for you they may not be really and this could explain the failure.

[niko2003]

best option:

intagrate all update to your windows install cd (using nlite)

www.msfn.org

[LilAznAccommodator]

I do have nLite but never relaly know how to use it to its full potential..

And sorry but Appzalien lol, that confused the heck out of me ><<

[Appzalien]

Sorry, but it is really cool when you find the stuff MS is installing and I was trying to point you in the right direction. If you find their directory you can copy stuff to use on another computer that is not on the internet or you don't want to update thru the MS site. Windows Explorer is split into two panes, the right and left. In the left pane if you highlight your C drive letter in that same pane you see only folders but on the right is shows folders and files. When MS is installing something in a temp area it hides it from the left pane so you have to look in the right. By compairing the two you can find the extra folder and then click it to explore and only then would you see the updates being downloaded. I wish I could be more specific and give you a folder to look for but I have had no need to do this in awhile and right now I have no updates to download. If you want to play around to find them what you can do is, after the updates are downloaded but not yet installed, hit the cancel button and it will popup saying are you sure? then just leave it there and do your searching. All this will be of no use of course if you find the updates and they still won't install. This is also a cool way to grab the contents of an install .exe file. When you go to install a downloaded program, and it goes thru the "install shield is copying files" and then it gets to the license page or "are you sure you want to install", you can stop and go to your My Documents folder and under your name look in the temp folder for the install files and copy them to another folder and you have the install files for that program. At that point you can make an autorun file for it (so you can put it on cd) or change files around to make a trial to a full program, or in the case of making the autorun.inf file for the cd install, you can add fixes to the files that will then end up on the cd. I once took the autorun.inf file from a photoshop elements 1.0, modified it and added it to the downloaded files of PS Elements 4.0 and ended up with an installable Elements 4.0 on cd. easy as pie.

[LilAznAccommodator]

Hhehe I still dont' follow through and I tried but without result.. So now I just trying this way:

Reinstalling Office 2k3 and see if that does anything.

Edit: Seems that reinstlaling did the trick ^_^