Windows Update KB913670 repeatedly fails

Windows Update is repeatedly trying to install KB913670 and failing.

I would like to stop this happening, it is annoying, and move my PC to a
state that KB913670 appears to have been installed or is no longer
required.

Additional facts regarding this problem:

1. The detailed failure event is

Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with
error 0xffffffff: Update for Windows XP (KB913670).

0000: 57 69 6e 33 32 48 52 65 Win32HRe
0008: 73 75 6c 74 3d 30 78 66 sult=0xf
0010: 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 20 fffffff
0018: 55 70 64 61 74 65 49 44 UpdateID
0020: 3d 7b 44 31 42 30 31 33 ={D1B013
0028: 39 44 2d 46 43 39 35 2d 9D-FC95-
0030: 34 45 39 45 2d 42 34 34 4E9E-B44
0038: 41 2d 46 30 35 45 42 32 A-F05EB2
0040: 36 42 46 30 38 41 7d 20 6BF08A}
0048: 52 65 76 69 73 69 6f 6e Revision
0050: 4e 75 6d 62 65 72 3d 31 Number=1
0058: 30 31 20 00 01 .

2. This update does a rollback of a previous update KB912475, installed
some time back in March 2006, but this rollback is impossible because I
regularly delete Windows Update caches from C:\Windows and delete the
uninstall keys for them, including the KB912475 uninstall information.

3. The research trail starting at Microsoft's information about
KB913670 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913670 as a final recourse
mentions to "manually uninstall KB 912475". This is impossible, due to
it's having been deleted off my PC.

Questions:

1. What can I do to stop Windows Update autodetecting that it must
install KB913670? It is annoying.

2. How can I move my system to the Daylight Savings Time info that
preceded the installation of KB912475 in March 2006? By failing to
install KB913670 my system now has erroneous DST information for
Australia.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Klavins

Sorry for re-posting an already existing problem before reading all
posts, BUT I STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS regarding this fix:

Download the "$NtUninstallKB912475$.zip" below and extract the folder to
C:\Windows
http://www.digitalforrest.com/images/killer7/myfiles/$NtUninstallKB912475$.zip
Now download the KB913670 update and it will install correctly this time.

1. Isn't this a bit dangerous, unzipping some other PC's record of
uninstall information for that PC's KB912475 install? Would all PC's
have had the same contents of files in KB912475?

2. If I use the "delete all registry entries named KB912475" trick to
trick the system into thinking that KB912475 wasn't installed, then
reinstalling it again, won't it cache the WRONG CONTENTS of Daylight
Savings Time files into the uninstall directory? I mean, my system
currently has the wrong files, so applying KB912475 will overwrite the
wrong files with the same wrong files, putting the wrong files in the
uninstall directory, then when I run the new KB913670 install, I'll
simply put back the wrong files? (Sorry about the multiple occurrences
of "wrong" but I think you'll get the idea.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Klavins

This solution worked for me. I wasn't so concerned about the update not
being from my compouter.

PS. Not sure about your daylight savings issue. Don't think it is related.
MikeT

"Peter K" wrote:

> Sorry for re-posting an already existing problem before reading all
> posts, BUT I STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS regarding this fix:
>
> Download the "$NtUninstallKB912475$.zip" below and extract the folder to
> C:\Windows
> http://www.digitalforrest.com/images/killer7/myfiles/$NtUninstallKB912475$.zip
> Now download the KB913670 update and it will install correctly this time.
>
> 1. Isn't this a bit dangerous, unzipping some other PC's record of
> uninstall information for that PC's KB912475 install? Would all PC's
> have had the same contents of files in KB912475?
>
> 2. If I use the "delete all registry entries named KB912475" trick to
> trick the system into thinking that KB912475 wasn't installed, then
> reinstalling it again, won't it cache the WRONG CONTENTS of Daylight
> Savings Time files into the uninstall directory? I mean, my system
> currently has the wrong files, so applying KB912475 will overwrite the
> wrong files with the same wrong files, putting the wrong files in the
> uninstall directory, then when I run the new KB913670 install, I'll
> simply put back the wrong files? (Sorry about the multiple occurrences
> of "wrong" but I think you'll get the idea.)
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Peter Klavins

Run regedit (START > RUN type regedit)
Find KB912475 (EDIT > FIND type KB912475)
Delete (EDIT > DELETE)
Repeat for all references to KB912475
Download the original KB912475 update and install it again.
http://au.download.windowsupdate.com...db899d851d.exe

Run the KB913670 update (START > All Programs > MicroSoft Update).

This should Install KB913670 to remove KB912475. If not, then write an
e-mail to Bill.

What a bloody joke!



"MikeT" wrote:

> This solution worked for me. I wasn't so concerned about the update not
> being from my compouter.
>
> PS. Not sure about your daylight savings issue. Don't think it is related.
> MikeT
>
> "Peter K" wrote:
>
> > Sorry for re-posting an already existing problem before reading all
> > posts, BUT I STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS regarding this fix:
> >
> > Download the "$NtUninstallKB912475$.zip" below and extract the folder to
> > C:\Windows
> > http://www.digitalforrest.com/images/killer7/myfiles/$NtUninstallKB912475$.zip
> > Now download the KB913670 update and it will install correctly this time.
> >
> > 1. Isn't this a bit dangerous, unzipping some other PC's record of
> > uninstall information for that PC's KB912475 install? Would all PC's
> > have had the same contents of files in KB912475?
> >
> > 2. If I use the "delete all registry entries named KB912475" trick to
> > trick the system into thinking that KB912475 wasn't installed, then
> > reinstalling it again, won't it cache the WRONG CONTENTS of Daylight
> > Savings Time files into the uninstall directory? I mean, my system
> > currently has the wrong files, so applying KB912475 will overwrite the
> > wrong files with the same wrong files, putting the wrong files in the
> > uninstall directory, then when I run the new KB913670 install, I'll
> > simply put back the wrong files? (Sorry about the multiple occurrences
> > of "wrong" but I think you'll get the idea.)
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Peter Klavins

Thanks for your help. In my situation where I delete directories then
fix up the registry with Crap Cleaner, I needed to do the complete
registry delete, download and install old update, run WU for new update.

It's bloody atrocious that an update depends on the capability to
UNINSTALL a previous update.

I really think someone made a mistake here. Up until now it was
possible to remove all uninstall capability to save disk clutter,
implicitly "trusting" the correctness of updates...

Now what will the new procedure be? Wait for 6 months before deleting
uninstall information just in case a new update will require the
uninstall of a previous one?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Klavins

Peter K <> wrote:

> Thanks for your help. In my situation where I delete directories then
> fix up the registry with Crap Cleaner, I needed to do the complete
> registry delete, download and install old update, run WU for new
> update.
>
> It's bloody atrocious that an update depends on the capability to
> UNINSTALL a previous update.
>
> I really think someone made a mistake here. Up until now it was
> possible to remove all uninstall capability to save disk clutter,
> implicitly "trusting" the correctness of updates...

This removal of the update uninstall folders was never, I think, sanctioned
by Microsoft. Those folders were marked "hidden" for a good reason:
Microsoft did not want users to mess with them. Methods of deleting these
folders have become widely discussed and disseminated in public forums, but
there has always been a danger associated with removal of uninstall folders,
a danger which the disseminators of the information either omitted or played
down.

Now Microsoft have issued an update which relied on being able to uninstall
a previous update: a not unreasonable strategy given the temporary nature of
the Australian time-zone changes. Suddenly, users who had been
indiscriminately deleting the uninstall folders have now been
inconvenienced. They seek to blame Microsoft for an issue which is largely
of the user's own making. Looked at from Microsoft's view, those users have
made unauthorised modifications to the operating system, and left the system
in an inconsistent state (the registry said one thing, the absence of the
uninstall folders said another). It is difficult to see how Microsoft can
be expected to code updates that take account of all possible improper
modifications of their system.

A user who has never interfered with the uninstall folders (the vast
majority worldwide) will have had no problems with the 913670 update.

> Now what will the new procedure be? Wait for 6 months before deleting
> uninstall information just in case a new update will require the
> uninstall of a previous one?

To be completely safe, you should never remove those uninstall folders.

--
Robin Walker [MVP Networking]

"Robin Walker [MVP]" <> wrote:
> Peter K <> wrote:

[$NTuninstall* needed to uninstall patches]

> A user who has never interfered with the uninstall folders (the vast
> majority worldwide) will have had no problems with the 913670 update.

No, thats simply wrong!

Any user who slipstreamed this patch into an installation share experiences
the problem now. The same holds for all users who install patches using
the /N[obackup] switch. And it's true for all the patches like 905474
where Microsoft deliberately chose to place an entry NoHotfixUninstall=1
in the [Version] section of the UPDATE.INI

Stefan

On 7/03/2006, Robin Walker [MVP] posted this:
> Peter K <> wrote:
>
>> Thanks for your help. In my situation where I delete directories then
>> fix up the registry with Crap Cleaner, I needed to do the complete
>> registry delete, download and install old update, run WU for new
>> update.
>>
>> It's bloody atrocious that an update depends on the capability to
>> UNINSTALL a previous update.
>>
>> I really think someone made a mistake here. Up until now it was
>> possible to remove all uninstall capability to save disk clutter,
>> implicitly "trusting" the correctness of updates...
>
> This removal of the update uninstall folders was never, I think, sanctioned
> by Microsoft. Those folders were marked "hidden" for a good reason:
> Microsoft did not want users to mess with them. Methods of deleting these
> folders have become widely discussed and disseminated in public forums, but
> there has always been a danger associated with removal of uninstall folders,
> a danger which the disseminators of the information either omitted or played
> down.
>
> Now Microsoft have issued an update which relied on being able to uninstall a
> previous update: a not unreasonable strategy given the temporary nature of
> the Australian time-zone changes. Suddenly, users who had been
> indiscriminately deleting the uninstall folders have now been inconvenienced.
> They seek to blame Microsoft for an issue which is largely of the user's own
> making. Looked at from Microsoft's view, those users have made unauthorised
> modifications to the operating system, and left the system in an inconsistent
> state (the registry said one thing, the absence of the uninstall folders said
> another). It is difficult to see how Microsoft can be expected to code
> updates that take account of all possible improper modifications of their
> system.
>
> A user who has never interfered with the uninstall folders (the vast majority
> worldwide) will have had no problems with the 913670 update.
>
>> Now what will the new procedure be? Wait for 6 months before deleting
>> uninstall information just in case a new update will require the
>> uninstall of a previous one?
>
> To be completely safe, you should never remove those uninstall folders.

I have to say that I think your argument is disingenuous.

Why should users have to scroll over literally dozens of folders for
updates they never plan to uninstall because they know, as if by
telepathy, that Microsoft will plan to use the folder sometime during
the 21st century? Or, for the same reason, waste 126 MB of disk space
(to pick a random number from my collection of these files, and thereby
not counting the ones I've already dumped)? Or maybe twice that, if
another unidentified hidden folder relates to this problem also.

Microsoft could easily have decided to save all of these folders in a
single folder under Windows, such as C:\Windows\MasterUninstall. This
would have minimized the visible clutter, although with no effect on
the mostly wasted space.

Microsoft could also have chosen to inform us *explicitly* that these
files might someday be needed.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Gino)
letters617blochg3251
(replace the numbers by "at" and "dotcom")

Gene E. Bloch <> wrote:

> Why should users have to scroll over literally dozens of folders for
> updates they never plan to uninstall because they know, as if by
> telepathy, that Microsoft will plan to use the folder sometime during
> the 21st century?

I don't quite understand your point. These folders were hidden, and
therefore never visible to the normal end-user.

--
Robin Walker [MVP Networking]

On 7/04/2006, Robin Walker [MVP] posted this:
> Gene E. Bloch <> wrote:
>
>> Why should users have to scroll over literally dozens of folders for
>> updates they never plan to uninstall because they know, as if by
>> telepathy, that Microsoft will plan to use the folder sometime during
>> the 21st century?
>
> I don't quite understand your point. These folders were hidden, and
> therefore never visible to the normal end-user.

OK - imagine them not being hidden.

In either case, they take up large chunks of disk space.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Gino)
letters617blochg3251
(replace the numbers by "at" and "dotcom")