Windows Update Failure (SP2) [Office 2003 SP2]

this has just started happening today, 5 apparent critical updates were given. 1 has updated my office 2003 and the other 4 'critical' updates pertaining to junkmail filters and software that came with office like visio are failing.

i get the shield in my taskbar telling me the updates are ready but again and again, they fail. i've tried system restores to yesterday and last week and still get the same errors.

my comp as a whole is acting strange, i had to update my opera browser which lost all my bookmarks, my real arcade went awry.

what can i do, please help?

 

Tenchy--If the only problem you had was corrupted Windows Updates, I would refer you here
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1843311,00.asp
However, the other problems suggest that something more serious is happening.
You could try Start|Run|type sfc /scannow|OK and have your WinXP CD ready to insert if asked. However, I would not think that would fix Opera, etc.
Perhaps someone else can help. (And I guess you have little to lose by trying the referenced suggestion given above. Are you getting any error messages?)

 

At one stage I got a message saying ‘files that are required for windows to run properly must be copied to the DLL cache. Insert your windows XP home edition CD-rom now’ …. I got the message again a few of times so I then opted to retry after getting a message the disc didn’t match the running OS but there is absolutely no way that could be the case …. The scan went off in the end with no message so don’t know if that is ok???

I have tried to browse the XP CD in the past few month and get a message that the disc is a different version to the OS I am running. I put that down SP2 as the disc is SP1??

That may have been because of my system restore though not sure but it is no biggie, the main worry is the ‘critical’ stuff not installing.

I’m getting no error messages other than on the pop up window after clicking on the shield it says the updates have failed. The updates are …

Visio 2003 Service Pack 2
Office 2003 Service Pack 2 (I do use office but not visio, one note or outlook)
OneNote 2003 Service Pack 2
Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB904631)

Therefore the shield stays in my taskbar and I’m wary they are not installed when they are apparently ‘critical’. To be honest I don’t use any of them but again, the ‘critical’ bit makes me wary. Though reading the above link, could I try this? I don’t use outlook and never have for years as I prefer incredimail though always thought these kind of ‘critical’ updates affect the stability of the PC???

 

PeteC--I do not run Office so was not aware that there apparently is a problem with the latest update. That should help Tenchy.

Are you aware that MS now have a single Microsoft Update site that provides access to updates for other MS programs in addition to Windows Updates?
http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

Tenchy--If the Office Updates problem has now been resolved (using the suggestions in PeteC's links), but you still have problems with Opera, etc, please post back with more details.

 

edited this as i figured it out thanks, all the links looked daunting but they were all included in the one download.

 

Pete - based on the experience I've had with MS Office through quite a few versions, you are best off loading the whole thing and opting for 'run from my PC' or however they phrase it when asking about putting all of it on your hard drive.

Use what you want, don't use what you don't want, but the thing behaves better for updates if all it's little parts & pieces are available. Takes a little more drive space but these days, that is plentiful and cheap.

As an added note, you might want to give the latest version of Outlook a try as your email client - although not as your news reader probably. My wife had tried earlier versions and always gone back to OE. I use Outlook at work and was so impressed with improvements in 2003 vs. earlier versions that I asked her to try it once more. We are both now happily using Outlook at home.

 

great stuff guys, thanks a lot

i did get a message after installing the office SP2 that the update could not be applied but on shutting down the 4 items were installed apparently (is there a way to check?)

shall i follow instructions on how to remove these from windows update (the first link)?

as for opera, that really is no hassle. firefox is my primary browser with all the junk thrown into opera so what i have lost will be retrieved as my mind gets to it and what i have lost is no big thing, it will keep me occupied at least.

EDIT: i opened visio and under 'Help' i pressed 'About' and it said SP!, i tried through windows update and they were still failing so i don't know if it worked or not. i tried the SP2 update again and it said again that the update can not be applied HOWEVER i found the disc so will try the other option and get back to you

 

Tenchy--

If things are running OK, probably not, but (and here recognize that I do not run Office).

I hope someone with Office will help here.
If this were a Windows Update I would say go to ControlPanel|Add/Remove|somewhere in the list there should be a list of updates to Office, but since I do not run Office, I cannot tell you if that is the case or under what heading it would appear (Microsoft, Windows, Office???).
So wait for advice from those who know.

 

thanks for all the comments guys, the 2 files on the msupdate download page (both the full and the smaller which required the disc) have failed. from what i read i could try uninstalling the lot and then running from PC?

 

i have a windows installer 3.1 (KB893803)

my opera dilemna was solved after i undid the system restore, my real arcade i am beginning to lose patience with

 

I tried the detect/repair option that was mentioned in that link pete. All the Microsoft office entries gave a ‘fatal error’ during installation apart from one.

Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 …. This failed to repair
Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 …. This failed to repair
Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 …. This failed to repair
Microsoft Office Project Professional 2003 …. This was successful
Microsoft Office Visio Professional 2003 …. This failed to repair

i found this http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...fc-5f56-4a38-b838-de776fd4138c&displaylang=en as i was clutching at straws. don't know if it means anything???

 

for a while i've fancied a reboot but find the data loss of stuff i have on c: drive daunting, is there a way around this in which i can save data? maybe purchasing an extra hard drive? or do you mean uninstall and reboot of office, which would be no real problem i THINK.