Unable to install updates?

I have windows xp and have two security updates which i have been unable to install. It keeps comin back saying "updates were unable to be succesfully installed". What im tryin to install is called microsoft. NET framework version 2.0. Do i really need this or should i just ignore it. If i do need it how do i sort this out. Please help. Thanks

Unable to install updates?internet explorer update

Look at the microsoft code that shows what the download is, then go to microsoft.com/downloads and manually download each update, that should fix the problem and let you download.

Unable to install updates?web browser internet explorer

set your 4 security settings in explorer to default also turn off your firewall
no idea
.net framework as I know and i think i am sure mostly deals with microsoft visual studio 2005 and later editions so i think you can ignore it.
Unless you KNOW that you need .NETv2 (you would know), just hide it. It is not a critical update. Just hide it in the options.
You don't need to install the Microsoft. NET framework version 2.0... I haven't, it's just an optional extra that you can have if you know you need it but you don't.

http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdat... This is the link i use to check for and install Microsoft updates.

Hope that helps :)
.NET framework is a layer of snippets of code (called classes) that various modern-day applications use to run on Windows.

It is a good idea to install the .NET framework, as several new applications require them and will increasingly be so.

However, .NET framework 2.0 is an optional component. If you believe you will not be using any software that uses the .NET framework in the near future, you need not worry about installing it. And as long as you don't have .NET framework installed on your computer, you need not worry about those security updates either.

The security updates you are trying to install are for securing the .NET framework. These security updates are required ONLY if you have .NET framework installed on your computer.

If you want to download and install .NET framework 2.0 Redistributable to experience all new-age software, you can download it from Microsoft website at:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detai...

The .NET framework 2.0 Redistributable is about 22. 4 MB in size.

Once you download and install this, the two security patches will also successfully install.
This is not a critical update and as far as i know it is for computer networks using various microsoft operating systems ,such as xp and 98,whatever you decide on no account switch off your firewall as someone suggested earlier
The way I have mine set is to only notify me that updates are availiable, but to not download them automaticaly. Then I can check to be sure I get just the ones I want. I then click on "custom", and after the updates have been downloaded I look them over to see which ones I want, then disconnect from the internetnet, disable firewall and anti-virus program, and then install the updates I want, and click "Don't tell me again" on the ones I don't want, and then re-enable the firewall and anti-virus programs before reconnecting to the net.