Future updates when SP2 not installed

[Exiddor]

Like many other people I'm getting the message E_FAIL(0x80004005) when
attempting to install Vista SP2.

I've concluded that this is due to the custom boot manager I have
installed. I've decided it would be too much trouble to un-install this
boot manager, install SP2 and then re-install my boot manager.

My question is, will future Vista updates be picked up correctly without
SP2 being installed?

TIA.

 

[Mike Brannigan]

Like many other people I'm getting the message E_FAIL(0x80004005) when
attempting to install Vista SP2.

I've concluded that this is due to the custom boot manager I have
installed. I've decided it would be too much trouble to un-install this
boot manager, install SP2 and then re-install my boot manager.

My question is, will future Vista updates be picked up correctly without
SP2 being installed?

TIA.

You are not guaranteed to receive all future updates without potential
prerequisites such as SP2.
For example SP2 requires that you have SP1, so in the event of SP3 arriving
you may well be required to have SP2.
There are a number of hotfixes etc that required SP1 as a prerequisite, it
is therefore a reasonable assumption that SP2 may be a future prerequisite
for other fixes etc.
You should replace your none-standard/third party boot manager and update
your system.

 

[Kerry Brown]

You are not guaranteed to receive all future updates without potential
prerequisites such as SP2.
For example SP2 requires that you have SP1, so in the event of SP3
arriving you may well be required to have SP2.
There are a number of hotfixes etc that required SP1 as a prerequisite, it
is therefore a reasonable assumption that SP2 may be a future prerequisite
for other fixes etc.
You should replace your none-standard/third party boot manager and update
your system.

What if the non-standard boot manager is an OEM setup to facilitate a hot
key on boot up to the system restore feature and the OEM (HP) says they
won't support changing this?

 

[botox]

This is a serious issue.
Like all things Vista the SP2 package is not what it is promised to be. On
most desktops in my experience SP2 has not caused major problems although I
suspect overall performance is even slower, mostly what I have seen on Intel
based laptops is clearly worse (even longer spinning circles before any
disc access and more frequent Explorer/desktop freezes).
Microsoft has to support security upgrades for the future because around the
world thousands of machines are never going to be upgraded from XP and users
are right to be wary of Vista service packs. If all these machines are not
updated the potential for global Internet disaster is overwhelming and it
will be entirely the fault of Microsoft.
If Microsoft wanted to score a global marketing coup they would let Vista
users upgrade to Win7 for a nominal fee during a launch period and charge
whatever they like later for upgrades and for new installs. Alas, Microsoft
would rather fight lawsuits and pay government imposed penalties than act
responsibly.

 

[Mike Brannigan]

What if the non-standard boot manager is an OEM setup to facilitate a hot
key on boot up to the system restore feature and the OEM (HP) says they
won't support changing this?

Then the OEM will have to work with Microsoft to produce an OEM distributed
variant of SP2 or appropriate patch etc for SP2 for their OEM built systems.
Such is the "interesting" world of OEM products, in some cases it is
actually reasonable for the OEM to deny you support if you deploy OS service
packs that they have not yet approved, tested or they produced any relevant
patches for.
User of OEM machines should be very careful of just accepting all patches
and updates from Windows Update (or doing it themselves) - but most never
do.

 

[Camper]

This is a serious issue.
Like all things Vista the SP2 package is not what it is promised to be. On
most desktops in my experience SP2 has not caused major problems although
I suspect overall performance is even slower, mostly what I have seen on
Intel based laptops is clearly worse (even longer spinning circles before
any disc access and more frequent Explorer/desktop freezes).
Microsoft has to support security upgrades for the future because around
the world thousands of machines are never going to be upgraded from XP and
users are right to be wary of Vista service packs. If all these machines
are not updated the potential for global Internet disaster is
overwhelming and it will be entirely the fault of Microsoft.
If Microsoft wanted to score a global marketing coup they would let Vista
users upgrade to Win7 for a nominal fee during a launch period and charge
whatever they like later for upgrades and for new installs. Alas,
Microsoft would rather fight lawsuits and pay government imposed penalties
than act responsibly.

I am afraid that your expectations area tad too high. Of course Microsoft
do not have to keep supporting old product versions, if they had to they
would!

I fail to see how Microsoft could get a global marketing coup about
anything. Before that could happen, that would need some serious
competition.