How do I know if a specific patch is REALLY installed?

I recently REPAIRED my WinXP Home system. It was an SP1 platform with ALL
most recent updates (but not SP2). Of course, I used my original CD to
repair it, a flat (not even SP1) operating system. After repair I installed
SP1a too.

Now I expected to have to reinstall ALL patches published after SP1. However
I gave first a look at Control Panel->Add or Remove Programs list. I was
surprised to see all previously installed patches there. I wonder now if
they are REAL patches or simply fake records.

How do I know if a patch is REALLY installed if I cannot trust the record
listed in Installed Program list?
Thank you in advance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Dario de Judicibus - Italy (EU)
Site: http://www.dejudicibus.it/
Blog: http://lindipendente.splinder.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Microsoft Baseline Security Advisor can help identify which updates are
actually installed:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec.../mbsahome.mspx

Add/Remove is not intended as a tool to determine which updates are
installed and in fact does not show all installed updates.
Updates with an uninstall option are displayed but many updates can not be
uninstalled and thus are not in Add/Remove Programs.

Do not worry about SP-1 since SP-2 is all inclusive.
Install SP-2:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar
http://www.dts-l.org


"Dario de Judicibus" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I recently REPAIRED my WinXP Home system. It was an SP1 platform with ALL
> most recent updates (but not SP2). Of course, I used my original CD to
> repair it, a flat (not even SP1) operating system. After repair I
> installed
> SP1a too.
>
> Now I expected to have to reinstall ALL patches published after SP1.
> However
> I gave first a look at Control Panel->Add or Remove Programs list. I was
> surprised to see all previously installed patches there. I wonder now if
> they are REAL patches or simply fake records.
>
> How do I know if a patch is REALLY installed if I cannot trust the record
> listed in Installed Program list?
> Thank you in advance.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Dr. Dario de Judicibus - Italy (EU)
> Site: http://www.dejudicibus.it/
> Blog: http://lindipendente.splinder.com
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~