SP4 won't install because of dbghelp.dll

[Rob]

anytime I try to install SP4 on my Win2k system, I get a
message that says

The file c:\winnt\system32\dbghelp.dll is open or in use
by another application. Close all other applications and
then click Retry.

Now, I get this same message in Safe Mode when I try to
install. I ctrl-alt-del and don't see this listed as an
open process. I have searched the Windows knowledge base
on dbghelp and I don't find it anywhere.

It is truly annoying, does anyone have ANY idea about this?

 

[rob]

interesting....same thing happened with sp3

 

[Torgeir Bakken (MVP)]

anytime I try to install SP4 on my Win2k system, I get a
message that says

The file c:\winnt\system32\dbghelp.dll is open or in use
by another application. Close all other applications and
then click Retry.

Now, I get this same message in Safe Mode when I try to
install. I ctrl-alt-del and don't see this listed as an
open process. I have searched the Windows knowledge base
on dbghelp and I don't find it anywhere.

It is truly annoying, does anyone have ANY idea about this?

Hi

The permission/rights on the file/folder can be corrupt, missing or revoked.
Verify that e.g. Administrator and SYSTEM have full control over the
file.

Several other people have had this problem for Win2k SP3 upgrades as well as
WinXP SP1 , on other files, with the same error message. After they fixed the
access rights, the service pack install succeeded:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=eys33rPWCHA.2136@tkmsftngp08
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3ba901c27e89$7fce6fd0$35ef2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA11




In a command prompt (run e.g. cmd.exe from Start/Run to open one):

Run the following command:

cacls.exe %windir%\system32\dbghelp.dll


Here is the output from my Win2k Pro computer:

C:\>cacls.exe %windir%\system32\dbghelp.dll
C:\WINNT\system32\dbghelp.dll BUILTIN\Users:R
BUILTIN\Power Users:R
BUILTIN\Administrators:F
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:F
Everyone:R


If you get an error saying "Data error (cyclic redundancy check)",
the hard disk most likely has a fault (e.g. some bad sectors).

 

[Guest]

-----Original Message-----
this?

Hi

The permission/rights on the file/folder can be corrupt, missing or revoked.
Verify that e.g. Administrator and SYSTEM have full control over the
file.

Several other people have had this problem for Win2k SP3 upgrades as well as
WinXP SP1 , on other files, with the same error message. After they fixed the
access rights, the service pack install succeeded:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=eys33rPWCHA.2136% 40tkmsftngp08
247fce6fd0%2435ef2ecf%40TKMSFTNGXA11




In a command prompt (run e.g. cmd.exe from Start/Run to open one):

Run the following command:

cacls.exe %windir%\system32\dbghelp.dll


Here is the output from my Win2k Pro computer:

C:\>cacls.exe %windir%\system32\dbghelp.dll
C:\WINNT\system32\dbghelp.dll BUILTIN\Users:R
BUILTIN\Power Users:R
BUILTIN\Administrators:F
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:F
Everyone:R


If you get an error saying "Data error (cyclic redundancy check)",
the hard disk most likely has a fault (e.g. some bad sectors).

wow, thank you for the reply and the advice. I found the
dbghelp.dll file, and it isn't marked as read-only or
anything. I don't know how to check specific permission
on the file itself, but I found that "system"
and "administrator" had full rights to the winnt\system32
folder.

I did the "cacls" advice you gave resulted in me receiving
a message about

C:\WINNT\system32\dbghelp.dll
Not enough storage is available to process this command.

now mind you, i have 346 M of available physical memory
(from ctrl-alt-del + Task Manager) and I have almost 1 GB
of free hard drive space on C, as well as a 780MB
pagefile.sys file

GAH!

 

[Torgeir Bakken (MVP)]

wow, thank you for the reply and the advice. I found the
dbghelp.dll file, and it isn't marked as read-only or
anything. I don't know how to check specific permission
on the file itself, but I found that "system"
and "administrator" had full rights to the winnt\system32
folder.

Right click on the file dbghelp.dll and select Properties,
and then select the "Security" tab.

I did the "cacls" advice you gave resulted in me receiving
a message about

C:\WINNT\system32\dbghelp.dll
Not enough storage is available to process this command.

That would indicate that you have a major problem (with
this file ot the system as a whole).

Does this error happen if you run cacls on e.g.

%windir%\system32\wmicore.dll

 

[Guest]

-----Original Message-----

redundancy


wow, thank you for the reply and the advice. I found the
dbghelp.dll file, and it isn't marked as read-only or
anything. I don't know how to check specific permission
on the file itself, but I found that "system"
and "administrator" had full rights to the winnt\system32
folder.

I did the "cacls" advice you gave resulted in me receiving
a message about

C:\WINNT\system32\dbghelp.dll
Not enough storage is available to process this command.

now mind you, i have 346 M of available physical memory
(from ctrl-alt-del + Task Manager) and I have almost 1 GB
of free hard drive space on C, as well as a 780MB
pagefile.sys file

GAH!
.

okay, moved pagefile to my other partition. same error
message about the lack of space available to do this
command. i also have an ATA100 RAID system, 2 drives
together. would this have anything to do with it?

 

[Rob]

-----Original Message-----


Right click on the file dbghelp.dll and select Properties,
and then select the "Security" tab.

security tab does not exist on this one. every other file
in that folder does, but not this one. It only has
a "General" Tab, the main one.

That would indicate that you have a major problem (with
this file ot the system as a whole).

Does this error happen if you run cacls on e.g.

%windir%\system32\wmicore.dll

nope, I got this:

C:\WINNT\system32\wmicore.dll BUILTIN\Users:R
BUILTIN\Power Users:R
BUILTIN\Administrators:F
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:F
Everyone:R

thanks again for the help...I guess you're right, this
file is jacked. Any way I can "fix" it?

 

[Torgeir Bakken (MVP)]

[snip]

C:\WINNT\system32\dbghelp.dll
Not enough storage is available to process this command.

now mind you, i have 346 M of available physical memory
(from ctrl-alt-del + Task Manager) and I have almost 1 GB
of free hard drive space on C, as well as a 780MB
pagefile.sys file

GAH!
.

okay, moved pagefile to my other partition. same error
message about the lack of space available to do this
command. i also have an ATA100 RAID system, 2 drives
together. would this have anything to do with it?

Very unlikely...

 

[Torgeir Bakken (MVP)]

security tab does not exist on this one. every other file
in that folder does, but not this one. It only has
a "General" Tab, the main one.

Are you able to delete the file? If so, delete it and try to install SP4 again.

If not, run "SFC /scannow" and see if it helps.

If not, I believe "format and then install OS" is the way to go.