Windows XP forum: Windows Update doesn't work

My advise? see inbetween ====='s 1st

http://www.theeldergeek.com/repair_reinstall_ie_and_oe_6.htm

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/msupdates.mspx
=======================================================
To repair or reinstall Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in Windows XP, complete the following procedure while you are logged on as an administrator:
Use the System File Checker tool to scan all of the protected files on your computer:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type sfc /scannow, and then click OK.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/community/centers/management/windowsupdate_faq.mspx
=======================================================

Note that you may be prompted for the Windows XP or Windows XP Service Pack 1 or Windows XP Service Pack 2 installation media.
Test to determine if the issue is resolved. If the issue is resolved, skip the remaining steps. If the issue is not resolved, continue to the next step.
Complete an in-place upgrade of Windows XP, a repair of Windows XP, or reinstall Windows XP. For additional information about how to complete an in-place upgrade or repair of Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
315341 How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
If you are using Windows 2000, 98, 98se, 95, 95b
1. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
2. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Microsoft Internet Explorer 5,
3. click Add/Remove, click Repair the current installation of Internet Explorer, and then click OK.
To reinstall Windows XP updates, visit the following Microsoft Windows Update Web site:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en

http://search.microsoft.com/search/results.aspx?st=b&na=88&View=en-us&qu=Repair+IE+6+Service+pack+1

http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/ProductInfo/terminal/default.asp.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;318378

2.5 Service Pack Uninstall

This Service Pack contains an uninstall feature that you can use to restore your computer to its previous state.

To enable the uninstall option, run Update.exe. A subfolder named $NtServicePackUninstall$ is created in your Windows NT folder. This requires at least 120 megabytes (MB) of free space on the disk on which Windows NT 4.0 is installed, 60 MB for the uninstall folder, and 60 MB for the Service Pack-updated system files.

To uninstall SP6 using Add/Remove Programs

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click Add/Remove Programs, click Windows NT Terminal Server 4.0 Service Pack 6, and then click Add/Remove.
Follow the instructions that appear.
To uninstall SP6 from the command prompt

Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Command Prompt.
Change the folder to \%systemroot%\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\ and then type: Spuninst.exe
Type Exit to close the Command Prompt window.
Note: If you install any programs or services that require SP6 or have fixes contained in SP6, uninstalling SP6 could adversely affect those programs.

To uninstall SP6, the drive letter for the hard disk must be the same one used when you installed SP6. If you change the drive letter for the hard disk, you cannot uninstall SP6.

Note: If you uninstall SP6 on a computer that previously had SP4 (without Internet Explorer 4.0) installed on it, cryptography will not work correctly after the uninstall completes. To work around this issue, reinstall SP4 after you have uninstalled SP6.

Uninstalling SP6 will not uninstall new versions of CryptoAPI and SChannel.

Important: If you plan to install a previous Service Pack after uninstalling SP6, note that SP6 modifies the Security Account Manager (SAM) database and the Security database so that older versions of the Samsrv.dll, Samlib.dll, Lsasrv.dll, Services.exe, Msv1_0.dll, and Winlogon.exe files no longer recognize the database structure. Therefore, the uninstall process doesn't restore these files when uninstalling SP6. If you install a prior Service Pack (for example, SP3) after uninstalling SP6, when the Confirm File Replace dialog boxes appear, click No to avoid overwriting Samsrv.dll and Winlogon.exe. If you overwrite the newer files with these older versions, you'll be unable to log on to the computer.

Note: If you're reinstalling SP6 after installing new software or hardware, you must create a new Uninstall folder. To retain your ability to return to a startup configuration , copy the current Uninstall folder to a safe location before running the SP6 installation program.