Unable to download Office 2004 11.2.3 update

Question

I keep getting notices from Microsoft that an 11.2.3 update for Office 2004 is available. However, after downloading this patch on my 56K modem twice, at 5 hours a shot and after several broken attempts, when I've then tried to install it on the HD I get an error message that says I "do not have the platform needed to install this program." My OS is 10.3.9, which it should work with.
I don't understand why 11.2.3 wouldn't consider 10.3.9 acceptable. I've looked at my About Word info to see whether, maybe in an alternate universe, I already downloaded and installed Office 11.2.3, but all it says is that I have Word Version 11.2, which I guess could be anything from 11.2.1 to 11.2.3.
My questions are:
(a) Can I find out whether I already have 11.2.3 without knowing it? (In which case I think the error message should say, "You already installed this; what are you, Rip Van Winkle?")
(b) If--as I deeply believe--I never installed 11.2.3, can anyone tell me why it would refuse to install itself on a platform it's supposed to like?
(c) Do I really need it anyway? I see from other people's posts that Powerpoint seems to develop problems with 11.2.3, and I use only Word, which has been pretty stable in Office 2004 for Mac and rarely freezes or crashes. So maybe I should resist trying to fix what isn't broken? I would be happy not to have a reason to download 11.2.3, except that I'm afraid I may be missing something important. (Like screwing up Powerpoint.)
Thanks very much for any suggestions.
Powerbook G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   15"

Answer 1

The updates are not cumulative. You need to download
and install each update from 11.2.1 thru 11.2.3.
Kappy: I tried downloading and installing 11.2.1, with the plan to download and install the other two if 11.2.1 worked. And the program verified upon completion that the installation was successful. However, when I tried to trash the 11.2.1 installation folder as instructed, I got an error message saying that I "did not have sufficient privileges" for the maneuver, and when I opened Word to see what version of Office 2004 I had now, it just said 11.2, not 11.2.1. So I guess my efforts to keep up with modern technology are doomed after all.
On the other hand, since I'm a home-office user and the only one using the application (i.e., I'm the Administrator, but not on an Exchange), I guess there's no harm in not having the updates. Since the issues the three patches resolve seem to be mainly Exchange issues, I don't really need them. But I do appreciate the helpful information from you and Bob Gold--thanks very much.
Powerbook G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   15"