Two identical machines: one offered SP1, the other not

[Dick]

I have a strange situation. I purchased two identical machines on the same
day 2 months ago for replacements in a small medical office. Both are
running Vista Home Premium. Every day during bootup, one machine is offered
SP1 via Windows update, while the other is not. Both machines have the same
software loaded, set up the same (except computer name and user names etc).

Can any one explain this? (Yes, I have looked through device manager to
ensure that the hardware is really the same).

Dick

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not available for installation
from Windows Update and is not offered by Automatic Updates:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=948343

Learn how to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/Help/133c8953-c9cd-4fa5-8883-03e91bb6f2021033.mspx

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Standalone (KB936330)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...6d-5ebb-413b-89c9-cb3d06d12674&DisplayLang=en

Free SP1 technical support from Microsoft:
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&x=8&y=7&prid=11274&gprid=500921


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows System & Performance

---------------------------------------------------------------

:

I have a strange situation. I purchased two identical machines on the same
day 2 months ago for replacements in a small medical office. Both are
running Vista Home Premium. Every day during bootup, one machine is offered
SP1 via Windows update, while the other is not. Both machines have the same
software loaded, set up the same (except computer name and user names etc).

Can any one explain this? (Yes, I have looked through device manager to
ensure that the hardware is really the same).

Dick

 

[NoStop]

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not available for installation
from Windows Update and is not offered by Automatic Updates:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=948343

Learn how to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/Help/133c8953-c9cd-4fa5-8883-03e91bb6f2021033.mspx

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Standalone (KB936330)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...6d-5ebb-413b-89c9-cb3d06d12674&DisplayLang=en

Free SP1 technical support from Microsoft:
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&x=8&y=7&prid=11274&gprid=500921

You didn't answer his question you dimwit. Why would 2 identical machines
behave this way?

Cheers.

--

A US president declared war on poverty. Poverty won.
Another US president declared a war on drugs. Drugs won.
This US president declared a war on terror. Terror won.
Next?

 

[Dick]

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not available for installation
from Windows Update and is not offered by Automatic Updates:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=948343

Learn how to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/Help/133c8953-c9cd-4fa5-8883-03e91bb6f2021033.mspx

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Standalone (KB936330)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...6d-5ebb-413b-89c9-cb3d06d12674&DisplayLang=en

Free SP1 technical support from Microsoft:
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&x=8&y=7&prid=11274&gprid=500921


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows System & Performance

---------------------------------------------------------------

:

I have a strange situation. I purchased two identical machines on the
same
day 2 months ago for replacements in a small medical office. Both are
running Vista Home Premium. Every day during bootup, one machine is
offered
SP1 via Windows update, while the other is not. Both machines have the
same
software loaded, set up the same (except computer name and user names
etc).

Can any one explain this? (Yes, I have looked through device manager to
ensure that the hardware is really the same).

Dick

Carey,

I respect the work that you do on this group. However, Windows Update IS
offering SP1 on some machines and for you to keep insisting that SP1 is not
available via WU is very annoying to me (and others as well, I would
expect).

None the less, I am still curious as to why it is offered on one machine and
not the other (both of which are identical).

Dick

 

[Laura]

Carey,

I respect the work that you do on this group. However, Windows Update IS
offering SP1 on some machines and for you to keep insisting that SP1 is
not available via WU is very annoying to me (and others as well, I would
expect).

None the less, I am still curious as to why it is offered on one machine
and not the other (both of which are identical).

Dick-If you had clicked on the link Carey posted you will see that is the
title of the MS article. It describes WHY some computers will not download
SP1.

Carey-Maybe you should preface the message with something like: Take a look
at this page...so that folks don't misunderstand the meaning of the "Windows
Vista Service Pack 1 is not available for installation" part of your post.

 

[Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

Carey,

I respect the work that you do on this group. However, Windows Update IS
offering SP1 on some machines and for you to keep insisting that SP1 is
not available via WU is very annoying to me (and others as well, I would
expect).

None the less, I am still curious as to why it is offered on one machine
and not the other (both of which are identical).

It is not available at WU for some machines and the first article Carey
listed gives some reasons. The machines may have different drivers among
other possibilities.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Your original post is a little vague. Are the "machines" desktops
or laptops? What is the make and model numbers? Did you install
the latest available driver and BIOS updates? Did you try going
directly to the Windows Update web site and click on "Check for Updates"?
Did Windows Update offer any driver updates?

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows System & Performance

---------------------------------------------------------------

:

Carey,

I respect the work that you do on this group. However, Windows Update IS
offering SP1 on some machines and for you to keep insisting that SP1 is not
available via WU is very annoying to me (and others as well, I would
expect).

None the less, I am still curious as to why it is offered on one machine and
not the other (both of which are identical).

Dick

 

[Jeff Strickland]

Do you have Automatic Updates turned OFF on one machine?

PS
By reading the newsgroup, it occurs to me that SP1 is not very desireable.

 

[the wharf rat]

None the less, I am still curious as to why it is offered on one machine and
not the other (both of which are identical).

Because they're NOT identical. It's one of the more painful quirks
of the Windows world that two machines with the same software and hardware
installed are nevertheless NOT identical. If nothing else all those
random registry keys are different, and this could be as simple as a bug
that doesn't offer the service pack if some certain key contains BF as the
6th byte...

 

[Jeff Strickland]

Your original post is a little vague. Are the "machines" desktops
or laptops? What is the make and model numbers? Did you install
the latest available driver and BIOS updates? Did you try going
directly to the Windows Update web site and click on "Check for Updates"?
Did Windows Update offer any driver updates?

The OP needs more help. He said he bought two identical machines on the same
day, it would seem they are (minimally) the same make and model, but are
built differently for whatever reason. The reason for the different builds
is apparently at the root of the differences in getting SP1.

It is safe to assume he did not do any driver or BIOS upgrades because the
two machines were bought on the same day, and hej would logically assume
they are identical when it turns out they are only identical in make and
model.

I am not an MVP, so I can only guess that while the machines are the same
make and model (HP Pavilion a9990n, to pull a make and model out of my ass),
and both run Vista Home, what makes them identical is really different. He
needs these differences explained ...

 

[Dick]

The OP needs more help. He said he bought two identical machines on the
same day, it would seem they are (minimally) the same make and model, but
are built differently for whatever reason. The reason for the different
builds is apparently at the root of the differences in getting SP1.

It is safe to assume he did not do any driver or BIOS upgrades because the
two machines were bought on the same day, and hej would logically assume
they are identical when it turns out they are only identical in make and
model.

I am not an MVP, so I can only guess that while the machines are the same
make and model (HP Pavilion a9990n, to pull a make and model out of my
ass), and both run Vista Home, what makes them identical is really
different. He needs these differences explained ...

Jeff,

The machines are both desktop COMPAQ Presario SR5310F(GX617AA) Pentium
dual-core E2140(1.60GHz) 1GB DDR2 250GB Intel GMA 950 Windows Vista Home
Premium. They both have Windows Update set to notify me but not install
when updates are available. They have no updated drivers installed unless
WU provided them. I have installed all updates offered with the exception
of SP1.

As 'the wharf rat' surmised, there must be some registry setting that is
causing the problem. I'm just curious as to what it might be. One would
think that identical machines would behave similarly. I am going to wait
awhile before installing on these machines.

I have two machines at home, one desktop and one laptop, and WU offered SP1
on those machines and they both installed rather uneventfully. I did have a
minor problem of losing Aero on the laptop but got it back again.

Thanks for all the input...

Just curious,

Dick

 

[dennis@home]

I have a strange situation. I purchased two identical machines on the
same day 2 months ago for replacements in a small medical office. Both
are running Vista Home Premium. Every day during bootup, one machine is
offered SP1 via Windows update, while the other is not. Both machines
have the same software loaded, set up the same (except computer name and
user names etc).

Can any one explain this? (Yes, I have looked through device manager to
ensure that the hardware is really the same).

Dick

Well if I were distributing SP1 I would not make it available on all
machines at the same time.. it would overload the servers.
So I would put in some random element to delay some machines.
I don't know if M$ do the same but it wouldn't surprise me.
BTW if they really are identical one is faulty as they should have different
MAC addresses at the least.