XP Home same KB updates on continuous download/install

Today I got the exclamation balloon telling me I had updates ready to download/install for my WinXP Home system. I had it do so and everything seemed to go fine as usual and did not even get asked to reboot simply to close window. Then a minute later I got the balloon again and did the same and thought it looked familiar so in another minute after it finished I confirmed that it was requesting to download and install the same 2 updates over and over.

I went to MS/update site and tried it that way for which it told me the same updates needed to be installed and I let it and I did a cold reboot for which I have again received the balloon.

The updates are:
security update for .net framework 2.0 sp2 and 3.5 sp1 on windows server 2003 and windows xp x86 (kb2518864)

security update for microsoft .net framework 2.0 sp2 on windows server 2003 and windows xp x86 (kb2572073)

I looked through the log of updates that have been applied and these show up as installed with the green tick a few times thus far.

I assume I can untick the two updates but I don't know if I would have piece of mind that everything is the way it should be. If it has been properly applied then why does XP not realize it?

Thank you much,
Mumford68

This is a common bug with windows xp and the normal solution is to uninstall and reinstall the .net or tell windows update to ignore that update, if it is missed. If you remove .NET Framework 3.5 (SP1) using the tool, reinstalling .NET Framework 3.5 will also install .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2; then Windows Update will offer .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

Thank you for the instructions. I was afraid I was going to have to try and uninstall the .net framework entirely and then re-install and then do the updates.

May I please ask what tool you refer to regarding uninstalling .net FW 3.5?

I think you have answered my question as I was a little confused with windows update as it had mention sp2 and I thought it was referring to the OS sp2 but now realize my ignorance.

Just to confirm that removing 3.5 will more than likely clear things up I should probably post what versions the framework is running at:

{noted from windows\microsoft.net\framework directory) -
v1.0.3705
v1.1.4322
v2.0.50727
v3.0
v3.5
v4.0.30319

Thank you again for your assistance.

You can download the updated version of the .NET Framework cleanup tool from this link. This .NET Framework cleanup tool supports removing the following products:

1. .NET Framework - All Versions
2. .NET Framework - All Versions (Tablet PC and Media Center)
3. .NET Framework - All Versions (Windows Server 2003)
4. .NET Framework - All Versions (Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008)
5. .NET Framework - All Versions (Windows 7)
6. .NET Framework 1.0
7. .NET Framework 1.1
8. .NET Framework 2.0
9. .NET Framework 3.0
10. .NET Framework 3.5
11. .NET Framework 4

Thank you again for the link. It will undoubtedly come in handy.

I had noticed that a couple of icons in the taskbar were not showing up and logged off re-logged back on. Not only did all the taskbar icons show up but I rec'd a some message about the LSS shell (I believe that is what it was called) had an issue and showed the message a couple of times in a row (I assume for each time I had retried to install the XP updates after which I clicked on the windows icon in the taskbar to update and rec'd the message that it was not able to comply (I would think since the updates were already applied) and the update notification message has not shown again.