Using OHotFix When WSUS Isn’t an Option

Create a shared folder on your network. We'll call the folder \mtg1ohotfix. Make sure that the Domain Computers group has Read and Execute access to the folder.

Download offinst.exe, the OHotFix installation, from http://www.microsoft.com/office/orkarchive/XPddl.htm.

Run offinst.exe. When it asks you for a folder, point it to \mtg1ohotfix. Offinst.exe installs the three files that make up OHotFix (ohotfix.exe, ohotfixr.dll, and ohotfix.ini) to that folder.

Download appropriate Office updates, which initially come in the form of .exe files. You can access the update libraries for Office 2003, Office XP, and Office 2000 from the Office Admin Update Center (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011511561033.aspx). To download an update that you want to install with OHotFix, run the update from the command line with the parameters /c /t:target folder. (If you run the update without the parameters, it will assume you want to update only the local system.) For example, to download the March 8, 2005, update for the Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (office2003-kb892236-fullfile-enu.exe), open a command-shell window and type

  office2003-kb892236-fullfile-enu.exe    /c /t:\mtg1ohotfix

This command extracts the actual update for the Junk Email Filter (outlfltr.msp) to the \mtg1ohotfix folder.

After extracting the .msp files from all the Office updates you need to install, execute OHotFix from the target computer. The program will install from the shared folder only the .msp files that are applicable to the local computer. You could use the For command, the Schtasks utility, and the computers.txt file as I explain in "Scan Your Network for Missing Office Updates" to create a scheduled task on each computer that needs to install the latest Office updates.