said by jap :

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Megladon, I echo MrChris' response. All the MS errors I've seen were for one of two reasons: pre-existing system infection or corruption OR failed installation via windows update - not because the patches themselves were bad. That's not to say patch compatibility issues don't occur just that the vast majority of patch failures get blamed on the patch when in fact it was delivery method or a flaw in the system it was applied to. As a second-tier tech who managed 200 public & quasi-public systems I've responded to hundreds of patch failures.

Mostly the pros DO NOT use windows update: the offline version of the patch is downloaded to the local network and applied from there. Despite improvements to the windows update site it still is second-rate: unless you are on dial-up it's always better to use the offline packages. Before you do a rebuild (unless you are due for one anyway) you might wanna download the offlines, un-install the recent patches that destabilized your system, clean the system, then re-apply the patches from the offline source.

G'luck!

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