HotFix

[Linda]

I just went to the add/remove program section to look at
something I'd added and found 17 programs referred to as
HotFix items with different SKU# for each. Before I
remove them I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue
and knew about them. I'm not sure if these came from the
download I did back in September when there was a virus
patch to be installed and this was the "fix".

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You should not be tempted to "uninstall" any "Hotfixes" listed in the
Add or Remove Programs section. They are listed there in case
your computer does not function properly after they are installed.
Uninstalling them will uninstall the actual patch that was installed
via Windows Update.

If you wish to safely remove the "uninstall files" for the
Hotfixes (i.e. $NtUninstallQxxxxxx$ files shown in Windows Explorer)
and cleanup your Add/Remove Programs list, visit MS-MVP Doug Knox's
excellent website for instructions.

Remove Hotfix Backup files and the Add/Remove Programs Registry entries
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm

Note: Doug's program only removes the uninstall files and Hotfix entries
in the Add/Remove Programs listing. It does not remove the
actual updates.


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| I just went to the add/remove program section to look at
| something I'd added and found 17 programs referred to as
| HotFix items with different SKU# for each. Before I
| remove them I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue
| and knew about them. I'm not sure if these came from the
| download I did back in September when there was a virus
| patch to be installed and this was the "fix".

 

[Tom Pepper Willett]

You certainly do not want to remove them.

Tom

 

[Michael Milnes]

Linda:

Go ahead and uninstall them if you want... you'll just
expose yourself to problems that you fixed.

Hotfixes are patches for winXP that plug up holes, fix
errors, and the like. Deleteing / uninstalling them would
reopen the holes that you filled in.

The only time that you uninstall the hotfix is if the
hotfix broke something.

Hope that helps.

 

[RonK]

Those are Windows Updates. Your system is setup to do Automatic Updates. You
normally will be bettering your system by allowing these but sometimes an
Update can cause some problems.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I just went to the add/remove program section to look at
something I'd added and found 17 programs referred to as
HotFix items with different SKU# for each. Before I
remove them I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue
and knew about them. I'm not sure if these came from the
download I did back in September when there was a virus
patch to be installed and this was the "fix".

This is not an "issue." Almost everyone has these. These are the
security (and other) updates to Windows XP that you've been
installing all along.

Remove them at your peril! Doing so will re-expose to you to all
the security issues that they were designed to correct.