Windows Update Log

I have a Compaq Computer with 98SE. It seems I heard that there is a file of some kind on my computer some where that lists the updates that have been installed.
I may be off base here, but if anyone knows, I would appreciate any information.
Thank's

 

There is a file named "Windows Update.Log" in the Windows folder. But that one is hard to understand for most people. There is a file also there named "Qfecheck.Exe ", double click that one. This will show Windows specific updates, what they are and which files. If a file has been replaced by a non updated version, it will have a red X.
IE will show the updates that has been done to it by going to Help\About Internet Explorer in IE This will not show the files updated, but which updates were installed.

 

Gee thanks. This is what I was loooking for.
wahlroot

 

wahlroot--Also try running Windows Update but in the left panel click Show Installation History. That might show some additional installations and may be easier to read.

 

Thanks. Iwent to the update site and checked the installation history. It tells me what I have downloaded and installed, and when. This does not tell me what is on the computer now, because I have reinstalled Win98SE a couple of times and, I think some of these are not on there now. Also I note some have been installed at least twice. I have downloaded a bunch of updates from the Microsoft catalog to a file on my hard drive. May try to install one that does not show on a list and, then check the list and see if it is there. Since Microsoft no longer supports Win98SE, seems that is about all I can do.

 

wahlroot--MS still supports Win98SE--certainly as far as Windows Update is concerned.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycleconsumer.asp
See table at bottom of page 1.
If you have reinstalled Windows, you may need to reinstall updates that you previously installed, especially Critical Updates. Windows Updates, itself, if pretty accurate in telling you what you do not have. If Windows Updates is not offering you any Critical Updates then maybe you have everything. As you know there have been no updates to Windows98, per se, for over three years, but there are plenty of security updates and updates for IE, OE, Windows Media Player, etc.
See
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/corporate.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/default.asp

 

Thanks WELSHJIM.
Glad to hear us 98SE'rs have not been left out in the cold yet. I am also glad you posted these web sites.
I have been to a couple of them and downloaded some updates to a file on my hard drive. Will check again for any new ones. Also read them closer for information that may be useful. Just now went to the Microsoft Update site and downloaded a new driver for my audio card.
Guess maybe it is still good for something. Thanks again.

 

wahlroot--Do I understand the Windows Update site is offering you no Critical Updates? Many of the MS03-XXX documents describing updates will also offer ways to check whether the update has been effected. Often this requires checking the version numbers of certain files. (Click on the + next to Additional Information, Technical Information, etc.)
You can quickly check to see (for most of the IE updates) whether they are installed. IE Help|About Internet Explorer. What is indicated on lines "Version" and "Update Version "?
As mentioned, if you are offered no Critical Updates, you may already have the updates installed.
P.S. Be sure to check when you visit those sites I suggested to be sure a particular update is for Win98. (That, of course, will not be necessary for the Win98 site, but will be important when you visit the Security site.)
P.P.S. I have never had problems, but many people say not to install driver updates offered by MS.

 

wahlroot--I forgot there are also two other update logs on your PC--qfecheck.exe and windowsupdate.log. The latter is really only a log of the times you have accessed Windows Update. The former has much more data, but I cannot remember whether it changes if you ever remove an update, like during a re-installation.

 

Theres also (on win me) maybe 98 too
C:\Program Files\WindowsUpdate\V4\iuhist.xml
open with internet explorer,, but all it is is exactly what the windows update history says..


Jim I for get how to wipe the record clean,, say if I were to do an overinstall,, winup would still see ive installed everything ..
probaly just delete that xml.. but I cant be sure..

Yes qfecheck will see updates the were installed and are no longer.
start run "qfecheck" ,enter anything shown in red,, and probaly already expaned will need installing again.

Lonny

 

Lonny Jones--Thanks!
Yes, iuhist.xml exists on Win98 as well; at least I have it!! Very interesting, though somewhat hard to read.
Not sure I understood what you said about the deletion of data in qfecheck when you reinstall an OS or some other component like IE.
I know that if you remove and re-install a new version of IE you have to go back to Windows Update to get the updates made available since the newly re-installed version was written. But I do not know if qfecheck will still show what was installed on the old version.

 

Been gone for a few days. Have now opened iuhist.xml and wow that is a lot of information. It goes back a long ways. It even shows an update to IE5.5 which I no longer have. Must show everything I have updated, not just what is on the machine now. I went to the update site and checked for criticals and it found none. When it checked my computer, I hope it checked for what is on there now, not what I have added in the past.

 

wahlroot--Did you run qfecheck.exe ? It will be informative to compare what you see there to iuhist.xml and to whether you can figure out if it reports only what is actually installed. I think Windows Update diagnoses fairly accurately. But many of the recent updates tell you how to determine if you have actually have installed the update. See my post (#6) above.

 

Have looked at both qfecheck.exe and iuhist.xml and notice they do not use the same way of listing the updates. It may take sometime to compare them, but will try.

 

Checked qfecheck.exe against iuhist.xml. It appears that iuhist.xml is a record of downloads and installs, because it gives dates and whether it was complete or failed. I am not quite sure what qfecheck.exe is. There are at least 4 updates on iuhist that are not on qfecheck. there at least 11 updates on qfecheck that are not on iuhist. there are several updates on iuhist that do not have a number, such as QXXXXXX, so I am not sure if this would skew the differences.

 

Hi
Keep in mind iuhist.xml is exactly the same as looking at your history at windows update, and will be inacurate if youve over the top reinstalled the OS
The next time you reinstall the OS,, you can >

Clear the Contents of the WindowsUpdate Folder
Click Start, click Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
In the left pane, double-click the Program Files folder.
In the left pane, double-click the WindowsUpdate folder.
In the right pane, click the V4 folder, click Edit, and then click Invert Selection.
Press DELETE, and then click Yes to confirm.
Open the V4 folder, then in the right pane, click to select the IUHIST.XML file, click Edit, and then click Invert Selection.
Press DELETE, and then click Yes to confirm.

Note When you delete the IUHIST.XML file from the WindowsUpdate folder, you clear the whole Windows Update installation history. Microsoft does not recommend that you do this because you lose your record of previous downloads. The steps in this section delete all your files except the IUHIST.XML file.

Mentioned here (unrelated article)>
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;193385

since youve already been to winup(windows update center) qfecheck is the way to go..anything in red take note of and maybe post the number here for us.
if you would like to read more about it,
>
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;206071&Product=w98

Lonny

 

HI Lonny
I had a few red marks, and updated & got rid of most of them. One is left.
SP2
UPD236934 Win 98SE USBHUB Update
VTCP.386 4.10.0.2222 Invalid
I do not know what this is and cannot find a download on the Microsoft site. Only have one USB in use, and that is my printer, and it works. Have never got my Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer to work on USB, but it works OK on the PS2 port, so it is ok with me. I guess that since I got rid of some of the red marks, qfecheck must be a list of updates that I have Installed now.

 

VTCP.386 --See here
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/633

UPD236934 --See here
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=236934

 

Went to the first link and got rid of the red mark for VTCP.386. The other link does not offer a download for UPD236934, but after reading the information, I find that I do not need this update, so I will ignore it for now.
Hey thanks everyone for your help. walroot!!!

 

wahlroot/walroot--Good to hear the good news. Glad I could be of some help.