World Magazine 2024
Installing and Checking Hotfixes
You can use three different methods to install hotfixes:
The first method:
Hotfixes include the Hotfix.exe utility. When you double-click the hotfix executable, this utility checks the currently installed service pack and automatically installs the hotfix if the hotfix date is later than the service pack and the language of the hotfix is the same as the installed language.
Hotfix.exe registers the fix under the following registry key pursuant to the entries found in the hotfix.ini file.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Hotfix
Each hotfix has a Registry value entry called Installed that is set to 1 when you install the hotfix.
The second method:
The second method relies on the hfx.exe utility, which is a more comprehensive version of hotfix.exe. You can obtain this utility from Microsoft Support that tracks hotfixes installed with either hotfix.exe or hfx.exe. You can install new hotfixes, delete old ones, or simply view the hotfixes installed on your system. According to the online documentation, Hfx might not be aware of fixes you’ve installed with older versions of hotfix.exe or hfx.exe, but you can always check the Hotfix Registry key above to verify which you’ve installed. And if you decide to go with this smarter version, you can remove and reinstall all active hotfixes to ensure that hfx.exe knows about all the updates you’ve applied.
The third method:
In the third method requires that you use a utility to do a direct replacement of files in the system root. You locate and rename the component updated by the hotfix and copy the new version to the same directory path with the same name.
This method requires the Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit utility mv.exe, which lets you replace system files that are active when the OS is running. Mv.exe asks you to reboot and performs the file replacement during the next boot operation.
Because this technique leaves no record in the Registry of the update applied, you should use it only as a quick and dirty patch maneuver.
You can refer to Microsoft’s Knowledge Base documentation for these three techniques at:
Q238552 – How to Install Hotfixes and Check Versions of Installed Hotfixes
Caution: You must reinstall hotfixes any time you load files from the distribution media that contains your current service pack (e.g., NT packaged with Service Pack 3—SP3) and after you reapply a service pack.
