See this KB article:

A dialog box with no text appears if you reply to a news message in Outlook
Express 6 Service Pack 1:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555398/en-us

For a reason yet to be determined, Windows Update is/was offering OE updates
in the wrong order to Win2K SP4 and WinXP SP1 users. They straightened it
out c. 14 Aug-05. Here's the fix for Win2K SP4:

1. Uninstall 'Windows 2000 Hotfix - KB897715' via Add/Remove Programs and
reboot.

2a. Assuming MSOE.DLL is now v6.00.2800.1409 or earlier (i.e.,
v6.00.2800.1123 or v6.00.2800.1106), install (KB)823353 manually using the
file downloaded from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

2b. Optional: Reboot and install KB887797 via
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...6-a1a3da675baf

3. Reboot and (re)install (KB)897715 manually using the file downloaded from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...d-28502b3d2518

Alternatively, after #1 above, check in at Windows Update and install
whatever OE Cumulative Update is now offered and reboot. Then return to
Windows Update to see if another one's now offered you.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE, Shell/User, Security), Aumha.org VSOP, DTS-L.org


DMahalko wrote:
> KB823353 is an update for Outlook Express SP1 from 2004
>
> The System event logger repeatedly tells me the following when I'm logged
> in as the local administrator and have Auto Update set to prompt me when
> updates are available:
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Installation Ready: The following updates are downloaded and ready for
> installation. To install the updates, an administrator should log on to
> this computer and Windows will prompt with further instructions:
> - Cumulative Security Update for Outlook Express 6 SP1 (KB823353)
>
> Installation Successful: Windows successfully installed the following
> update: Cumulative Security Update for Outlook Express 6 SP1 (KB823353)
>
> Installation Ready: The following updates are downloaded and ready for
> installation. To install the updates, an administrator should log on to
> this computer and Windows will prompt with further instructions:
> - Cumulative Security Update for Outlook Express 6 SP1 (KB823353)
>
> Installation Successful: Windows successfully installed the following
> update: Cumulative Security Update for Outlook Express 6 SP1 (KB823353)
>
> Installation Ready: The following updates are downloaded and ready for
> installation. To install the updates, an administrator should log on to
> this computer and Windows will prompt with further instructions:
> - Cumulative Security Update for Outlook Express 6 SP1 (KB823353)
>
> Installation Successful: Windows successfully installed the following
> update: Cumulative Security Update for Outlook Express 6 SP1 (KB823353)
> ---------------------------------------------
>
> A weird detail here is that about a minute after the install says it
> succeeded, the Windows Update taskbar icon will appear, and offer the same
> update again. And again.
>
> For some reason there's an incomplete set of updaters for this security
> update:
> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec.../ms04-018.mspx
>
> Here are my applicable choices:
>
> IE6.0sp1-KB823353-x86-ENU.exe
> Complains to me that it requires Outlook Express 6.0 SP1 to be installed.
>
> Perhaps I do not yet have OE-SP1 installed? Well the only other updater
> available only works for Windows XP:
>
> IE6.0-KB823353-WindowsXP-x86-ENU.exe
>
>
>
> At this point I've given up on it, and told Automatic Updates to just not
> prompt anymore trying to install this update.