Troubleshooting uninstallation of patches

You can troubleshoot patches that do not uninstall using the Rollback Task Wizard using different methods.

Some Windows patches require different steps for uninstallation other than using the Rollback Task Wizard. Rollback might fail because of the following reasons:
  • A patch cannot be uninstalled.
  • The method the Rollback Task Wizard uses to generate an uninstall command might not work for the patch.
Use the following ways to uninstall patches:
  • The task might report back as completed on Windows Vista and later even when it failed. Check that the task is no longer relevant to ensure success of the rollback.

  • If the task fails, make sure that the patch can be uninstalled from the Control Panel, using Programs and Features if you are using the Classic View or Uninstall a program under the Programs category.
  • If the task fails on Windows Vista or Windows 2008, manually generate the assemblyidentity tag and command to uninstall. For more information about using Method 2: Use the Command Line of the Microsoft KB Article 940410, see Microsoft Support page.
Note: It is not advisable to deploy a generated Patch Rollback Task as part of a multiple action group because rollback tasks are more likely to fail.