How do I make sure Adobe Reader has been correctly patched?

Question

Before Patching
Adobe Reader version 9.3.0 installed through GPO has been running on WinXP Pro SP3 without a problem for months
Patching Method
I copied the following files to local C:\V932 folder:
AdbeRdr930_en_US.msi (original v9.3 MSI installation file)
AdbeRdrUpd932_all_incr.msp (the downloaded patch file released in April 2010)
then I used the following command:
msiexec /a AdbeRdr930_en_US.msi /p AdbeRdrUpd932_all_incr.msp
The Result
- AdbeRdr930_en_US.msi file gets updated to the date and time the above command was executed
- 4 new folders created (Common, CommonAppData, Program Files and Windows)
I then created a new shared folder (\\servername\AdbeRdr932) on the server and copied the whole content of C:\V932 to that shared folder. After that, I created a new GPO package to upgrade version 9.3.0
Rebooted my Windows XP Pro machine and the upgrade went successfully. When I check Help - About, it shows that I have 9.3.2
Here's the problem:
When I compare Adobe related files in the following folders, some files do not match:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader
and
\\servername\AdbeRdr932\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader
For example:
Properties of AcroRd32.exe in C drive shows File version 9.3.0.148
Properties of AcroRd32.exe in the shared folder shows File version 9.3.2.163
There are some other files (DLL, EXE) that do not match. The files in C: drive is older than those on the shared network folder. Now I'm not sure what to trust, the version info shown in Adobe Reader Help - About or the file version info.
To those who deploy Adobe Reader version 9.3.2 through GPO, do you see the same problem?

Answer 1

As you said -
When I check Help - About, it shows that I have 9.3.2
                    and          
Properties of AcroRd32.exe in C drive shows File version 9.3.0.148
These two statements tell the whole story.
Try out one thing - Go to help-->About .. I know you have done this and on this splash screen it shows 9.3.2....that's fine
                 Now take the mouse pointer to the position on splash screen where 9.3.2 is written and click
After clicking you will see a different version string. I bet now you will see 9.3.0.148.
This is what is happening behind the scenes:
Initial version 9.3.2 is picked from a registry entry
But when you click on the splash screen the version is picked from the AcroRd32.dll
Unfortunately there is no straight way to make out whether Reader has been correctly patched or not because sometimes version in splashscreen is expected to change after click (if changes are going only in files other than AcroRd32.dll)
In your case the installation of Reader 9.3.2 is corrupt because the way you are creating an AIP is wrong.
Follow these steps to create an AIP and then deploy it via GPO:
Perform administrative installation
1. Copy the Reader 9.3 msi installer to your machine.
2. Create a distribution point (a folder where the installer can install the uncompressed
program files).
3. Click Start, click Run, and then enter the following command:
  msiexec /a <path of Reader9.3.msi>
4. When you receive a prompt asking where to install the files, browse to the distribution point
you created in step 2.
5. Click OK. When the installer finishes, all files will be at the distribution point.
Also AdbeRdr930_en_US.msi is also present at the distribution point.(This msi is used in step 7 below)
To add patches to the administrative installation:6. Copy the Reader 9.3.2 msp patch on your machine.
7. Click Start, then click Run, and then type CMD.
At the command prompt, type the following:
msiexec /a <path of msi at distribution point> /p <path of Reader 9.3.2.msp> 
After installation is successfull you can copy this folder (distribution point) to any server and create GPO package.
So it's a two step process.
You were trying to do this in one step! and this is where you were going wrong.