Why won't this #$%@$ hotfix install

First things first, remember to do an rdisk /s before messing with the registry or changing any settings on your system. The Thin Net or any other parties mentioned on this page will not be responsible for any damage you may do to your system from these hints. Be sure and read the MSTerminalServices.org Terms and Conditions so that you fully understand this.

Have you ever gotten a hotfix and tried to install it only to get the message that the hotfix is older than the current file? Huh?

This threw me for a loop when I was installing hotfixes across my servers and for some reason one hotfix refused to install on two of my servers but not on the other 4. The error I got was hotfix is older than the current file. Well I left it as is for a month or two until the two servers started having problems related to the hotfix that wouldn't install and so I went back and checked all of the hotfixes and none of the ones I had were updates to the one I was trying to install that wouldn't. Suddenly a light went on above my head and I realized the error was pointing to the hotfix.exe file in the winframe/system32 that it was newer than the hotfix file I was trying to run. I copied hotfix.exe from the hotfix that wouldn't install into the system32 directory ran hotfix /i again and the hotfix installed without a problem.

Here is another thing that may come up. You get the error file does not exist or hotfix wont install or something along those lines. What is happening is the hotfix is trying to install files for a service you have not installed and ceases. A workaround for this is to backup the files in the system32 directory that the hotfix is going to replace and then copy them all over except hotfix.exe. Dont worry if you get a file in use error just continue with copying the rest of them. Then rerun the hotfix /I command from the hotfix directory and it should install without a problem.

To verify all your hotfixes type in hotfix /v at a command prompt.