w2k adv svr sp4 9.2.0.1.0 base release - clean install 10.1.0.2 OUI installed into the 9.2 home 9.2.0.5.0 applied against the 9.2 home then the real fun begins. http://metalink.oracle.com/metalink/plsql/ml2_documents.showDocument?p_database_id=FOR&p_id=527090.994 an overly long path will hose confound opatch.pl by moving the lowest level directory "3738339" up to the root level, opatch manages to apply the patchset with no other changes. I"ll admit that P:\oracle\product\9.2.0\patches\p3738339_9205_WINNT\3738339 it a little long - too long for opatch. If that is all that I have to do to get this opatch utility to do its thing, so be it. thanks to the poster in the metalink thread for the workaround. Paul soon to be author of a rant entitled: "OPatch and 10g OFA, friend or foe" are you out there Bill? care to join me on a "SEEK and DESTROY"? -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l