Windows Update: Genuine Advantage Tool causes reboots during installationon my machine

[Lars]

Hi guys,

Microsoft just released an update this week for the "Windows Genuine
Advantage Notification (KB905474)"*. I tried to install this update 3
times; each time my machine mysteriously rebooted in the middle of the
installation.

Anyone else having this problem? Any solutions?


I have a legal copy of Windows XP Professional (activated & registered),
running on an AMD Athlon XP 3200+, A7N8X-E Deluxe mobo, nvidia 6600, 1GB
RAM, and more than 40GB free SATA hard drive space on the boot drive.

The following precautions before installing didn't stop it from
rebooting during install:
- shutdown all extra tray programs and non-essential background
processes.
- disabled McAfee virus protection
- already had all previous windows updates applied (XP SP2 +all
subsequent required updates)


Thanks in advance,
-lk


___________________

* The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification tool notifies you if your
copy of Windows is not genuine. If your system is found to be a
non-genuine, the tool will help you obtain a licensed copy of Windows."

* More information:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/WhyValidate.aspx

* Knowledge Base Article:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905474/

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Windows Genuine Advantage - Diagnostic Site
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/diag/

Windows Genuine Advantage Talkback Newsgroup
http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/default.aspx?ForumGroupID=125&SiteID=25

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

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

:

| Hi guys,
|
| Microsoft just released an update this week for the "Windows Genuine
| Advantage Notification (KB905474)"*. I tried to install this update 3
| times; each time my machine mysteriously rebooted in the middle of the
| installation.
|
| Anyone else having this problem? Any solutions?
|
|
| I have a legal copy of Windows XP Professional (activated & registered),
| running on an AMD Athlon XP 3200+, A7N8X-E Deluxe mobo, nvidia 6600, 1GB
| RAM, and more than 40GB free SATA hard drive space on the boot drive.
|
| The following precautions before installing didn't stop it from
| rebooting during install:
| - shutdown all extra tray programs and non-essential background
| processes.
| - disabled McAfee virus protection
| - already had all previous windows updates applied (XP SP2 +all
| subsequent required updates)
|
|
| Thanks in advance,
| -lk
|
|
| ___________________
|
| * The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification tool notifies you if your
| copy of Windows is not genuine. If your system is found to be a
| non-genuine, the tool will help you obtain a licensed copy of Windows."
|
| * More information:
| http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/WhyValidate.aspx
|
| * Knowledge Base Article:
| http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905474/

 

[Lars]

Windows Genuine Advantage - Diagnostic Site
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/diag/

Windows Genuine Advantage Talkback Newsgroup
http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/default.aspx?ForumGroupID=125&SiteID=25

Er... well, I tried the "diagnostic" site... and it went perfectly fine
until I got to a warning dialog about running the plugin (similar code I
suppose?) -- i clicked OK, and -- my machine rebooted. Thanks?

I'll cross-post to the forum in-case they know more about it. Thanks
for the links Carey.

-lk

 

[handibob]

hello, downloaded fine for me....

 

[handibob]

forgot to ask. any trouble downloading other thing
there....they have a new update for update site....do u have it

 

[Cymbal Man Freq.]

If you go back to the update site after the Genuine Advantage Tool Update is
installed and rebooted, there is a button to click to get a higher version (?)
of the update site at the update site. Microsoft Update now checks my Office
2003 programs for updates simultaneously instead of having to go to the Office
Update site separately. Now Microsoft Update takes 3 times as long to scan my
computer for updates; but it did put a new (Microsoft Update) icon on my Start
Menu...what should I do with the old Windows Update icon in my Start Menu now?

 

[Lars]

forgot to ask. any trouble downloading other things
there....they have a new update for update site....do u have it ?

That's a good point. I haven't been to the Windows update website in a
while, so I went and applied the updates. It started installing them
said it was complete and then ==boom== reboot before it could finish.


This is one of those situations where I'd love to see the source code
for WGA or at least understand the approach they use so I could track
down likely causes on my system.


Usually there are only a few things that cause this kind of hardware
reset though:

1) exceptions occurring in privileged code -- usually a bug in a
hardware driver. It's less common in Windows XP Pro, but can still
happen. (especially in DRM/copy protection code -- 9 times out of 10 it
misbehaves) -- my suspicions are here depending on how WGA does its work.

2) RAM problems (CAS timings/HW errors, etc.) I doubt this as a
cause, since I have been rock-solid for more than 2 years -- I use the
manufacture specs for timings (no overclocking here) and have previously
burned in the ram with memtest for 24 hours successfully.

3) Hardware errors on the bus itself. Sparking a connection, poorly
seated cards, hardware that does not function according to PCI/USB/etc.
specs, or simply a southbridge controller that's gone bad. Again I
doubt it, because I use this machine as a high performance workstation
and odds are something else would have failed by now.


I guess I'll wait a while and see if anyone else reports the problem or
a KB article shows up about it.

-lk

 

[kurttrail]

Hi guys,

Microsoft just released an update this week for the "Windows Genuine
Advantage Notification (KB905474)"*. I tried to install this update 3
times; each time my machine mysteriously rebooted in the middle of the
installation.

Anyone else having this problem? Any solutions?


I have a legal copy of Windows XP Professional (activated &
registered), running on an AMD Athlon XP 3200+, A7N8X-E Deluxe mobo,
nvidia 6600, 1GB RAM, and more than 40GB free SATA hard drive space
on the boot drive.
The following precautions before installing didn't stop it from
rebooting during install:
- shutdown all extra tray programs and non-essential background
processes.
- disabled McAfee virus protection
- already had all previous windows updates applied (XP SP2 +all
subsequent required updates)


Thanks in advance,
-lk


___________________

* The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification tool notifies you if your
copy of Windows is not genuine. If your system is found to be a
non-genuine, the tool will help you obtain a licensed copy of
Windows."
* More information:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/WhyValidate.aspx

* Knowledge Base Article:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905474/

Why oh why do you need this useless code in the first place?

--
Peace!
Kurt Kirsch
Self-anointed Moderator
http://microscum.com
"It'll soon shake your Windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'."

 

[Lars]

Why oh why do you need this useless code in the first place?

Ha, very good point. I don't really need it, but if this problem is
a) causing pain to a group of other people and
b) lacking sufficient detail for Microsoft developers to track it down

I thought I'd post the detail.

I also like the convenience of Windows Update, but I'll stop using it if
its going to auto-reboot my machine halfway through the update everytime.

It's just mildly annoying.

-lk