Article ID: 184305 - Last Review: October 26, 2007 - Revision: 2.3

How to install and remove hotfixes with Hotfix.exe

View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q184305

SUMMARY

Hotfix.exe is a utility used in the installation of Windows NT hotfixes. A hotfix is a collection of one or more files that can be applied to a system in order to correct a problem.

Hotfix.exe supports the following switches:

HOTFIX [-y] [-f] [-n] [-z] [-q] [-m] [-l]

-y Perform uninstall (only with -m or -q)
-f Force apps closed at shutdown
-n Do not create uninstall directory
-z Do not reboot when update completes
-q Quiet or Unattended mode with no user interface
(this switch is a superset of -m)
-m Unattended mode with user interface
-l List installed hotfixes

To view the available switches, type one of the following at a command prompt:

   hotfix /?
   hotfix /help
   hotfix /h

MORE INFORMATION

When you install a Windows NT hotfix, information about the hotfix is stored in the registry in the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Hotfix\<KBArticleNumber>

In this key, <KBArticleNumber> is the number of a Microsoft Knowledge Base article associated with a particular hotfix. Important At the end of the installation process, you may be prompted to restart your computer.

The installation of a hotfix also stores uninstall information in a hidden folder called %SystemRoot%\$NtUninstall<KBArticleNumber>$.

Perform the following steps to uninstall a Windows NT hotfix:

Extract the files within the hotfix. To do this, copy the original file to a temporary folder and type the name of the hotfix with the "/x" switch. For example, to extract a hotfix called HotfixA without installing the files, type the following at a command prompt: hotfixa /x
Type the following at a command prompt: hotfix -y

If multiple hotfixes replace the same file, you must remove the most recently installed hotfix first in order to successfully return your system to its original state. For example, assume HotfixA and HotfixB replace the same file and that you install HotfixA before you install HotfixB. If you want to return your system to the state prior to the installation of HotfixA, you must uninstall HotfixB before you uninstall HotfixA.

Note Chaining multiple hotfixes together for installation at the same time is not supported. Dependencies and timing issues can result in the hotfixes not being installed correctly.

Important If you plan to reinstall a Windows NT 4.0 update for any reason, you must first remove that update. Reinstalling an update without first removing that update corrupts the backup information such as files and registry keys and makes the update virtually uninstallable.

Hotfix.exe is included with each hotfix you download from the Microsoft ftp site (ftp.microsoft.com). You can find more information about specific hotfixes on the following Microsoft site:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt/winnt-public/fixes/ (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt/winnt-public/fixes/)

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

262841 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/262841/ ) Command-line switches for Windows software update packages