Getting rid of a specific windows update on Windows Server 2008

If you have ILO or similar, you should be able to attach a CD/DVD ROM remotely (works great btw)

What OS was on the drive?

This page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931697/en-us

Suggests formatting will help, else, there is a registry change that may help. (for vista, but they haven't changed much)

In a larger network you will want to use WSUS as DanBig pointed out. However, if you owant to block an individual hot fix you can do so with the hot fix ID using this script:

If Wscript.Arguments.Count = 0 Then
    WScript.Echo "Syntax: HideWindowsUpdate.vbs [Hotfix Article ID]" & vbCRLF & _
                 "Examples:" & vbCRLF & _
                 "  - Hide KB940157: HideWindowsUpdate.vbs 940157"
    WScript.Quit 1
End If

Dim hotfixId
hotfixId = WScript.Arguments(0)

Dim updateSession, updateSearcher
Set updateSession = CreateObject("Microsoft.Update.Session")
Set updateSearcher = updateSession.CreateUpdateSearcher()

Wscript.Stdout.Write "Searching for pending updates..." 
Dim searchResult
Set searchResult = updateSearcher.Search("IsInstalled=0")

Dim update, kbArticleId, index, index2
WScript.Echo CStr(searchResult.Updates.Count) & " found."
For index = 0 To searchResult.Updates.Count - 1
    Set update = searchResult.Updates.Item(index)
    For index2 = 0 To update.KBArticleIDs.Count - 1
        kbArticleId = update.KBArticleIDs(index2)
        If kbArticleId = hotfixId Then
            WScript.Echo "Hiding update: " & update.Title
            update.IsHidden = True
        End If        
    Next
Next

If the update is not linked to an KB article then you would need to find the update ID using this script:

Dim updateSession, updateSearcher
Set updateSession = CreateObject("Microsoft.Update.Session")
Set updateSearcher = updateSession.CreateUpdateSearcher()

Wscript.Stdout.Write "Searching for pending updates..." 
Dim searchResult
Set searchResult = updateSearcher.Search("IsInstalled=0")

Dim update, kbArticleId, index, index2
WScript.Echo CStr(searchResult.Updates.Count) & " found."
For index = 0 To searchResult.Updates.Count - 1
    Set update = searchResult.Updates.Item(index)
    WScript.Echo update.Identity.UpdateID & ": " & update.Title
Next

And block it using this script:

If Wscript.Arguments.Count = 0 Then
    WScript.Echo "Syntax: HideWindowsUpdateById.vbs [Update ID]" & vbCRLF & _
                 "Examples:" & vbCRLF & _
                 "  - Hide KB940157: HideWindowsUpdateById.vbs 2ba85467-deaf-44a1-a035-697742efab0f"
    WScript.Quit 1
End If

Dim updateId
updateId = WScript.Arguments(0)

Dim updateSession, updateSearcher
Set updateSession = CreateObject("Microsoft.Update.Session")
Set updateSearcher = updateSession.CreateUpdateSearcher()

Wscript.Stdout.Write "Searching for pending updates..." 
Dim searchResult
Set searchResult = updateSearcher.Search("UpdateID = '" & updateId & "'")

Dim update, index
WScript.Echo CStr(searchResult.Updates.Count) & " found."
For index = 0 To searchResult.Updates.Count - 1
    Set update = searchResult.Updates.Item(index)
    WScript.Echo "Hiding update: " & update.Title
    update.IsHidden = True
Next

You can do all of the above in Windows PowerShell as well. I created the scripts in VBScript originally because I wanted to interact with the Windows Update Agent before PoSH was installed. The Windows Update API is documented on MSDN.