File Version Information May Be Incorrect in Windows 2000 Multilanguage Version (263212)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

This article was previously published under Q263212

SYMPTOMS

After you apply a hotfix or service pack to Windows 2000 Multilanguage version, the file version that is displayed in Windows Explorer (when you right-click a file in Windows Explorer and then click Properties) may be incorrect.

CAUSE

Version information is contained in the .mui resource file. When you view file properties through Windows Explorer, the version information that is displayed comes from the .mui file that is associated with a file, not the .exe or .dll file itself.

In some situations, a version comparison check is performed on a file and its associated .mui resource file, and in the case of a difference in version, the .mui information is not displayed and the correct file version is displayed in the graphical user interface (GUI). Version checking is active by default for Windows 2000 base files. As a result, when a version conflict exists between a file and its associated .mui resource file, resources are not loaded from the .mui file. Service pack files have version checking disabled by default, so the information listed on a file's property sheet is coming from the .mui resource file by default, which is not updated in service packs except to fix problems in the resource file itself (and is not necessarily updated when the .exe or .dll file it is associated with is updated in the service pack).

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, use the Filever.exe tool to determine the correct version. Filever.exe is included in the Windows 2000 Resource Kit, and examines the file header directly to determine version information. This tool correctly reflects the version of the executable file that is being checked, and not version of its associated .mui resource file.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/20/2003
Keywords:kbprb KB263212