"Microsoft Office 2003 is a productivity suite written and distributed by Microsoft for their Windows operating system. Released on November 17, 2003, it was the successor to Office XP and the predecessor to Office 2007." XP Products "Microsoft Office XP is a productivity suite written and distributed by Microsoft for their Windows operating system. Released on March 5, 2001, it is the successor to Office 2000 and the predecessor to Office 2003, and was known as Office 10 in the early stages of its development cycle. Despite the "XP" branding, Office XP does not require Windows XP or higher; rather, "XP" was a marketing term for its era." Microsoft Word Viewer is a standalone freeware program for Microsoft Windows that lets users who do not own Microsoft Word view and print documents that were created in Microsoft Office. Microsoft Excel Viewer is a freeware program for viewing and printing spreadsheet documents created by Microsoft Excel. To me looks like the machine does not have Microsoft office 2003. That's the reason those programs may have been installed above.

Hi ravencajun, I found this from one of your sites that you posted. Microsoft said this "When you use the Windows Update Web site or the Microsoft Update Web site to check for and install updates, you may receive one of the errors that are listed in the "Symptoms" section. Important In most cases, these messages are temporary or short-lived issues that are caused by very slight interruptions in communications between the computer that is being updated and the Windows update servers. These issues are generally self-healing. So, before you try the troubleshooting methods in this article, please exit the Windows Update site, wait 10 to 15 minutes, start Windows Update again, and then check for updates. You can also let Windows Automatic Update install the updates on its usual 24-hour cycle. Note These errors can occur even if no changes have been made to network settings" Then I found this one: Resolutions 1. A misconfigured Proxy/Firewall can cause this problem. Double-check the Proxy/Firewall settings. Add the following urls to the exception list within your Firewall/Proxy: http://*.update.microsoft.com https://*.update.microsoft.com http://download.windowsupdate.com For help configuring Proxy/Firewall refer to documentation or contact the manufacturer. My question is: What is a Proxy/Firewall? I just recently downloaded Norton Antivirus 2009 and I understand that it has an inbound firewall. When I went to My security center it shows that the Windows Firewall is on. I shut it off and when I did the red shield with an X in the middle of it(Windows Security Alert) showed up on my taskbar. I can't find anywhere where it says on the box that Norton Antivirus 2009 has a firewall. But I read on another forum that this particular version does have a firewall inbound only. This is very confusing. If I do have a firewall from Norton then I need to shut off the Windows Firewall right? If so then how do I get rid of that red shield with the X in the middle of it? Finally I will let you know that everything is back to normal and I am thinking maybe it was their site? Not sure though. thirdfrt!!! Here is a link that might be useful: Support Microsoft Update Error

Ok, I just updated some other stuff that came in and I saw a flashing on my computer that says errors occurred. Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile for Windows XP x86 (KB982670) There is a red x with a ? mark next to it. Monday, May 21, 2012 Microsoft Update Here is the other one. Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 4 on XP, Server 2003, Vista, Windows 7, Server 2008 x86 (KB2604121) Same red x with ? next to it. Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Automatic Updates Can I go back and try to re-download them again? I don't notice any problems with my computer but I was wondering if I could try it again to see if they succeed. What do you think and how would I go about doing that? Even if I can figure out how to do that, I am waiting for a response from you all before I make a mistake and goof up my computer. Thanks all responses are greatly appreciated. thirdfrt!!!

Lynn, When you visit the 'Windows Update' website Welcome to Microsoft Update you will be 'flashed', not by Ray Stevens and 'The Streak', but by Microsoft checking to see if you have the latest Windows updating software which validates that you have a legitimate copy of 'Windows' (it's called, or was, 'WGA' Windows Genuine Advantage). That's the valdiation you were talking about. Microsoft on occasion will upgrade their 'Validation' tool. After it has validated that your copy of Windows is legit it will give you the option of 'Express' or 'Custom' (which includes other options that Windows feels you might need, such as 'drivers', etc.) install. I prefer not to use those. For all practical purposes the 'Express' (Get high priority updates- Recommended)option should scan your computer and let you know exactly what you need (with a few exceptions). If you use any of the Microsoft office products, such as the Microsoft Office 'Power Point' or 'Excel' viewers, 'Windows Updates' will not cover updates for that software unless_________. If you do use any of those Microsoft 'Word' programs (and I'm not really all that familiar with all of them)and you want to have 'Windows Update' include updates for those, what you have to do is when you open the 'Windows Updates' site there is an option to include updates for other 'Microsoft' products. I just did this a few days ago but forgot the terminoly they used. It's just a matter of clicking on a link to get 'Office'? updates now, or something to that effect. The 'Belarc' advisor does a nice job of scanning your computer and letting you know where it's deficient, including updates. If you scroll down to 'Missing Microsoft Security Hotfixes' that will tell you what Microsoft hotfixes (KB- 'Knowledge Base') fixes need to be installed for your computer. Below the 'Installed Microsoft Hotfixes' section you can see where they list those updates that have installed properly (Green checkmark), failed (Red X), etc. Clicking on 'detail' will take you to MS and explain the update. "I guess I have 2 questions:" "is there a way I can check to see if I have these updates on my computer?" Using 'Win XP' you can check what updates you have installed by going to Start/Control Panel/Change or Remove Programs/ and select 'Show Updates' at the top and scroll down to your updates. "- if I don't, how do I get them." Windows Security & Updates It's getting late and I'm under 'full sail' again (Seagrams), but if this didn't come across maybe a few of the others here, (R'C'?), could jump in and put a cap on it. Signing off for now,_____gettink to hard to coordnate the finkers. Good luck, Witz P.S. Also, if you want to put a shortcut to 'Windows Update' on your 'Desktop'(for those who don't use the 'Automatic update' feature and need a reminder) to check for the updates (they're supposed to come out the 2nd Tuesday of every month but you never know when they feel something important should be released sooner. I have gotten into the habit checking once a week. Using Win Xp, click Start/All Programs, at the top of the list you should have the 'Windows Update' link. Right click that link, scroll down to 'Send to', and select 'Desktop-create shortcut'. This will work for any of the programs you have.