can't remove sp2 hotfix

[protocol]

Hi, I've got a problem with my laptop which requires the removal of xp sp2 hotfix patches. I've tried everything I can think of including  overwriting my hard drive using 3 passes of Eraser, and re-formatting. when I restore my pre sp2 version of xp, the hotfixes re-appear. There is a difference between the actual size of my hard drive and that available for formatting or partitioning. There appears to be about a gig which is invisible. is this where the hotfixes hide? Is there any way to access this part of the drive and delete files? Please help as I am all out of ideas.
Protocol
p.s: Thanks Bill

[Calum]

my advice is to use an operating system that is not distributed by microsoft. i have used software from red hat, slackware, debian, suse and several other operating system distributors and not once have i ever seen a windows sp2 hotfix appear on my machine.

not once.

[MrX]

yeah- first stop using MS and then worry about what the hdd is doing. get yourself into the best OS evermade:
(look below)
 :beos:  :beos:  :beos:  :beos:  :beos:
Mr X

[NiMd4]

you could try getting a windows second edition  bootdisk from http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm and once you've booted your laptop from it just fdisk (FDISK.COM) it :) good luck.

[Calum]

if you are going to do that, then you may as well use knoppix, zipslack or tomsrtbt for the bootdisk, especially if you want to use fdisk, since the fdisk on those systems is far superior to the one on the windows bootdisks.

however those bootdisks aren't going to help you use NTFS, and bootdisk.com claims to have an NTFS capable bootdisk there, shame you can't get the NTFS access and the good fdisk on one bootdisk.

[Brandon Paddock]

Hotfixes can be uninstalled from the Add/Remove Programs control panel applet. I'm assuming you're talking about a Pre-SP2 hotfix, and not a Post-SP2 one.
 
If you're formatting your hard drive, the hotfix is not there. The "hidden" space you think you can't see doesn't exist. You're probably confused because the actual formatted capacity of your hard drive is not equal to the advertised unformatted capacity. That is normal.
 
Most likely you have a "Service Pack 1a" disc, which includes Windows XP SP1 along with a few hotfixes. In that case, I'm not sure if they're uninstallable, as they are slipstreamed on the disc. However, I should think they would still be removeable.
 
Edit: One question that remains... why would you not want to install a hotfix? I do know of one Pre-SP2 hotfix that causes problems with a few obscure legacy program installers (which used undocumented and unsupported functionality)... but even in such a case I'd suggest that you take it up with the software vendor if you can. They shouldn't be selling you such shoddy software.

[Calum]

i agree with that! why accept shoddy expensive software, when there's perfectly good software out there for free?

incidentally why hasn't this been binned?