This step-by-step article explains how to use the log files that are created when you attempt to update Microsoft Office to help you determine the cause of a failed Office update.

If a problem occurs with the installation of an update for Microsoft Office XP, you may or may not receive a descriptive error message. In either case, using a log file can help you determine the exact error and to troubleshoot the issue.

This article discusses techniques for interpreting the information in the Office XP update files. The topics are listed in the order in which you should use each technique. This article does not cover every situation that you may encounter, but it discusses several examples in which the update issue is resolved by interpreting a log file.

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Locate the Update Log Files

All client updates for Microsoft Office XP create log files in the \Temp\OHotfix folder. The log files have names similar to the following: NOTE: These numbers start at 00001 and are incremented for each subsequent update. Therefore, if you run the same update again or you run a new update, the next pair of log files would be numbered 00002.

For each update installed, two log files are created. The first log file is created by the bootstrap Setup file Ohotfix.exe, and the second log file is created by the Windows Installer, Msiexec.exe. The pair of Setup and Windows Installer log files have the same number (#####) in their log files name; therefore, you can easily match them as part of the same installation.

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Determine the Correct Update Log File

If you installed more than one update, it will not be readily apparent which log files belong to the most recent installation. Because the update log file names are similarly named, the best way to identify the most recent update log files is by the number (#####) in the log file names. The highest numbered pair belongs to the latest update installation.

The definitive way to identify the Office XP log files is to open the Ohotfix.exe log file, OHotfix(#####).log, and view the eighth line in the log file. By default, the log file contains a "MessageTitle" line similar to the following on the ninth line:

MessageTitle="Outlook 2002 Update: June 21 2001"
				

The MessageTitle line contains the product, version, and date for the update installed.

Setup Switches

If you are installing an update from the Office Update Download Center, the switches for the update file are the standard IExpress package switches.

For more information about the available IExpress command-line switches, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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How to Troubleshoot with Log Files

Reviewing a verbose log file is the best method to use for troubleshooting a failed Office update. Verbose logging is automatically enabled for the OHotfix(#####)_Msi.log file.

How to Read the Ohotfix.exe Log File

The Ohotfix.exe log file, OHotfix(#####).log, is a recommended place to begin your troubleshooting. This file can indicate the following:

•

The build and version of Office that is being updated. The build is listed on the line similar to the following: Product {90280409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0050048383C9} Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage Version 10.0.2627.01: Needs patch. In this example, the build of Office that is being updated is 2627, which is the original base version for Office XP. If you see a build number that is lower than 2627, you cannot update the product, because the base is required to install the update. (A lower build is considered a beta version of the product.)

•

The Windows Installer update packages (.msp) contained in the update that need to be applied. When you apply an Office XP update, Ohotfix.exe inspects your installed products and decides which of the update packages need to be installed (when the update contains multiple update packages). The following text from an Ohotfix.exe log file reveals that the single update package needs to be installed for the Microsoft Word 2002 update: Getting the patches... Getting the products to patch... Seeing if patch C:\TEMP\IXP000.TMP\winword.msp is needed... Product {90280409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0050048383C9} Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage Version 10.0.2627.01: Needs patch. NOTE: The preceding log file text indicates that the update was installed via a download from the Office Update Download Center. If the update was installed from the Office Update Product Updates page, the log file text instead would include the following line: Seeing if patch C:\Program Files\OfficeUpdate\MSPs\510581.WINWORD.msp is needed... The only difference in the log file text is the path to the local .msp file that is being used for the update. The following text from a Ohotfix.exe log file reveals that all update packages need to be installed for the Outlook 2002 update: Getting the patches... Getting the products to patch... Seeing if patch C:\TEMP\IXP000.TMP\OUTLOOK.msp is needed... Product {90280409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0050048383C9} Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage Version 10.0.2627.01: Needs patch. Seeing if patch C:\TEMP\IXP000.TMP\OUTLMIME.msp is needed... Product {90280409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0050048383C9} Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage Version 10.0.2627.01: Needs patch. Seeing if patch C:\TEMP\IXP000.TMP\OUTLCTL.msp is needed... Product {90280409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0050048383C9} Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage Version 10.0.2627.01: Needs patch.

Logging Success in the Ohotfix.exe Log File

One of the most important parts of reading the Ohotfixe.exe log file is the following line: This line is followed by:

Logging Failures in the Ohotfix.exe Log File

It is important to know what a failed installation looks like, in terms of the log file. If the update fails at any stage, you should see the following error message: This is followed by a line containing an error number, for example: In this example, the 1603 error number is equivalent to the following: The error number listed on this line is typically 1603 when the update process fails. Because the 1603 error is a generic failure error, you must open the corresponding Windows Installer log file, OHotfix(#####)_Msi.log, to get the exact error and then troubleshoot based on that error number. See the next section, "Windows Installer Logging", for more information about how to read Windows Installer log files.

The line in the Ohotfix.exe log file can show error numbers other than 1603. You should check the Windows Installer log file for any relevant information.

For more information about Windows Installer error codes, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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Windows Installer Logging

If you receive an error message during the update process, you should look at the Windows Installer log file, for example, OHotfix(0001)_Msi.log. You can diagnose and solve many problems by locating the action or failure that caused the error.

When you view a Windows Installer log file, you must use the same techniques as those described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article: These techniques include searching for the following:

•	The error number, for example Error 1328.
•	Return value 3 or Return value 2

The Error Number

If you receive a Windows Installer error message during the update process, the error message probably includes an error number. For example, if you receive an error 1328, you may see the following text in a verbose log file. (The following text is taken from a verbose log file that was created when installing a Microsoft Outlook 2002 Update.)

MSI (s) (B3:D6): Patch for file 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft
 Office\Office10\OUTLLIB.DLL' is redirected to patch 'C:\Config.Msi\PT16A.tmp' instead.
PatchFiles: File: OUTLLIB.DLL,  Directory: C:\Program Files\Microsoft
 Office\Office10\,  Size: 6297928
MSI (s) (B3:D6): Note: 1: 1328 2: C:\Config.Msi\PT16A.tmp 3: -1072807676
 
Error 1328. Error applying patch to file C:\Config.Msi\PT16A.tmp.  It has 
probably been updated by other means, and can no longer be modified by this
 patch.  For more information contact your patch vendor.  System Error:
 -1072807676
MSI (s) (B3:D6): Product: Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage
 -- Error 1328. Error applying patch to file C:\Config.Msi\PT16A.tmp.  It
 has probably been updated by other means, and can no longer be modified by
 this patch.  For more information

 contact your patch vendor.  System Error: -1072807676

Are you sure you want to cancel?
Action ended 10:50:22: InstallExecute. Return value 3.
				

The default Windows Installer log file generates useful information for troubleshooting this issue. The log file reveals that the update is unable to update the file Outllib.dll. Some of the reasons that the Windows Installer is having this problem may include the following:

•	The file is damaged (corrupted).
•	The file was updated with a more recent update.
•	There are incorrect permissions on the file.
•	The file is in use by another program.

The Return Value

You can also use the "return value" to help determine the source of the problem. If you ever locate "return value 3" in a log file, you are very close to the text that indicates when the problem occurred. In all cases, a line that contains "return value 3" indicates a failed action. See the log file example listed earlier to see how this appears in a log file.

You can also search for "return value 2". This indicates that the user (you) canceled the update. The following text was taken from a verbose log file where the Windows Installer was gathering information:

MSI (s) (B3:FE): Transforming table CustomAction.
MSI (s) (B3:FE): Note: 1: 2262 2: CustomAction 3: -2147287038
MSI (s) (B3:FE): Creating MSIHANDLE (3970) of type 790542 for thread 254
Action ended 13:45:04: CAUserExit. Return value 1.
Action ended 13:45:04: INSTALL. Return value 2.
				

In this situation, the client clicked Cancel to stop the update process.

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How to Create a Log File When You Update an Administrative Installation of Office XP

Unlike the client updates, a log file is not created by default for updating administrative installations of Office XP. To create a log file, after you download and run the IExpress package to extract the admin files, run the update with a command line similar to the following where admin path is the path to your administrative install point for Office XP,

where MSI File is the MSI database package for the Office XP product (for example, Proplus.msi),

where local path is the path to the extracted path files (for example, C:\adminUpdate), and

where MSP File is the name of the admin update's patch file (for example, Winword_admin.msp). For more information about updating an administrative installation of Office XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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Troubleshooting

If you cannot understand the problem from the Ohotfix.exe file or the Windows Installer log files, and you are still having problems updating your installation, attempt to repair the Office installation. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2.	Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3.	Click the Office XP program that you want to update, then click Change.
4.	In the Microsoft Office XP Maintenance Mode dialog box, click Repair Office and then click Next.
5.	In the Reinstall/Repair Microsoft Office XP dialog box, click Reinstall Office, and then click Finish.
6.	When the repair process is finished, run the public update again.

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For more information about troubleshooting an Office XP installation by using Setup log files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more articles about troubleshooting Setup issues for Office XP:

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