progs dont work anymore

[rab]

Recently used windows update after a gap of about a year.
I left the machine to download whatever critical updates
it thought I needed, now several of my older progs wont
work, whereas they worked perfectly in XP before. In
add/remove progs there are dozens of updates installed all
identified by codes. How do I tell which to uninstall to
get my progs back? I have tried reinstalling them, using
them in different compatibility modes and used system
restore back as far as I can go, but to no avail. The
particular prog I need back is WEB PRO, (which runs fine
on my partners XP machine and she has never used Windows
Update.

 

[Ron Martell]

Recently used windows update after a gap of about a year.
I left the machine to download whatever critical updates
it thought I needed, now several of my older progs wont
work, whereas they worked perfectly in XP before. In
add/remove progs there are dozens of updates installed all
identified by codes. How do I tell which to uninstall to
get my progs back? I have tried reinstalling them, using
them in different compatibility modes and used system
restore back as far as I can go, but to no avail. The
particular prog I need back is WEB PRO, (which runs fine
on my partners XP machine and she has never used Windows
Update.

If System Restore will not work then you will have to do a Repair
Install of your Windows XP as per the instructions at
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

Note that all of the Windows Updates will have to be reinstalled after
the repair install. Installed applications, your data files, and
configuration settings will all be preserved.


You should understand that critical updates are given that name
because that is exactly what they are - updates that are critical in
order to ensure the safe and continued proper functioning of your
Windows XP. Running without *all* of these updates in place is
comparable to jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.

Many of these critical updates address system vulnerabilities that can
be exploited by hackers and/or viruses; and once such a vulnerability
is announced there is usually a flood of virus and/or hacker attacks
attempting to exploit any unpatched systems. For example the Blaster
virus (msblast.exe) was only released after the vulnerability it
attacks was discovered and Microsoft released a critical update patch
to fix it. The virus writers reverse engineered the update patch to
identify the actual vulnerability then wrote msblast.exe to exploit
this and released it. Millions of computers were infected even though
the update to prevent this had been released weeks earlier.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[Alex Nichol]

Recently used windows update after a gap of about a year.
I left the machine to download whatever critical updates
it thought I needed, now several of my older progs wont
work, whereas they worked perfectly in XP before. In
add/remove progs there are dozens of updates installed all
identified by codes. How do I tell which to uninstall to
get my progs back?

For each number - eg Q123456 or KB123456
there is an article you can consult at
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;123456

which one is causing the trouble may still be difficult to identify -
but that at least should give you a basis for judgement.

You might be best to remove more than you think needed and then
reinstall them selectively (but make certain the Firewall is enabled
first). Two - 826939 and 824145
are consolidated updates that cover most all the security issues