sp3

[rain]

Do I have any recourse with Microsoft? I spent $160 to find out that sp3 was
the problem of my computer not booting into windows. I replaced the power
supply and had to reinstall windows!!!

 

[Paul Montgomery]

Do I have any recourse with Microsoft?  I spent $160 to find out that sp3 was
the problem of my computer not booting into windows.  I replaced the power
supply and had to reinstall windows!!!

No recourse at all.

 

[peter]

No..no recourse.
As with all updates the choice to install them is yours and yours alone.

If SP3 was the problem why change the Power Supply???

peter

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Microsoft is not responsible for your foolishness. Had you done a little
research, you'd have found all kinds of support for SP3 problems, including
entirely free support, all you need, Chat or Phone or email (and I don't
know what else) from Microsoft.

I don't know what you spent the $160 on, but chances are one in a million
against that PWS having actually been the problem, and the odds are about
the same that fixing whatever the problem(s) are or were would require
reinstalling Windows.

What you did was to panic. Why should MS be responsible for your
inexperience. Should have spent that $160 on a well-chosen tech. Do you even
know what the problem was?

 

[Stephen Harris]

Do I have any recourse with Microsoft? I spent $160 to find out that sp3 was
the problem of my computer not booting into windows. I replaced the power
supply and had to reinstall windows!!!

No, because you sign a waiver of liability before you install SP3.

Many of the problems with SP3 can be fixed. But not all, and there
are cases where it is difficult to even reinstall Windows by Dvd.

Some of the problems have symptoms which could show hardware
stess or overheating. But again, some symptoms show up after
the backup and then the installing of files, a period when
the stress period is mostly over.

Before replacing any hardware, I think the tech should have
used Recovery Console if the cd/dvd was working well enough
to load the XP install disk (that is not a given). SP3 makes a
backup of the earlier (SP2) installation which can be accessed
after getting to the C:\ prompt (called spuninst approximately).

Now that restores you to your prior (SP2) working installation.
It works pretty reliably. But no program as complex as this
works perfectly, it is written by humans. Even the simpler
Add/Remove programs sometimes leaves clutter.

So if that restore fails, then a reinstall of Windows may
well be in order. None of that F8 stuff will work either.
Now if the reinstall of Windows fails, I can see why you
or your tech might have thought it was a hardware problem,
but it still isn't necessarily a hardware problem even so.

One of the advantages of getting the prior installation to
work is that it is much less time consuming to find out if
your hardware, such as a video card, has reported problems,
or even certain types of motherboards fail the SP3 upgrade.
Reading about SP3 lets you know to turn off anti-virus first.

It is possible, but unlikely that your power supply just
happened to fail at the same time as the SP3 installation.
Anyway, me and other techs think this release of SP3 was
premature contrary to the opinion of some MVPs. I wonder
how many failed SP3 failed installations they have actually
fixed, rather than make assumptions from myopic reading.

Now you probably realize the value of backups and a
functioning method of invoking Recovery Console. There is
an MS-MVP who I fully respect (lest you get the wrong
impression) Bill Castner, who has some really good ideas.

http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=31844

Regards,
Stephen

http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=31844

 

[Twayne]

Do I have any recourse with Microsoft? I spent $160 to find out that

sp3 was the problem of my computer not booting into windows. I
replaced the power supply and had to reinstall windows!!!

No, unfortunately not. Your inexperience and lack of knowledge bit you,
I'm afraid. Don't feel bad, it happens to lots of people.

I do have one comment: It would EITHER the power supply OR SP3 that
caused the problem, IF SP3 caused a problem that you could have avoided
had you read the instructions for installing SP3 from Microsoft.
If some tech shop replaced the PSU and removed SP3, then somewhere,
you were billed for things you shouldn't have been billed for. SP3
doesn't cause a power supply to go bad, and vice versa. I'd insist on
an itemized receipt so I could see what labor/parts went with what, and
try to get some of that money back.

Must my 2 ¢

Twayne

 

[Twayne]

No, because you sign a waiver of liability before you install SP3.

Many of the problems with SP3 can be fixed. But not all, and there
are cases where it is difficult to even reinstall Windows by Dvd.

Some of the problems have symptoms which could show hardware
stess or overheating. But again, some symptoms show up after
the backup and then the installing of files, a period when
the stress period is mostly over.

Before replacing any hardware, I think the tech should have
used Recovery Console if the cd/dvd was working well enough
to load the XP install disk (that is not a given). SP3 makes a
backup of the earlier (SP2) installation which can be accessed
after getting to the C:\ prompt (called spuninst approximately).

Now that restores you to your prior (SP2) working installation.
It works pretty reliably. But no program as complex as this
works perfectly, it is written by humans. Even the simpler
Add/Remove programs sometimes leaves clutter.

So if that restore fails, then a reinstall of Windows may
well be in order. None of that F8 stuff will work either.
Now if the reinstall of Windows fails, I can see why you
or your tech might have thought it was a hardware problem,
but it still isn't necessarily a hardware problem even so.

One of the advantages of getting the prior installation to
work is that it is much less time consuming to find out if
your hardware, such as a video card, has reported problems,
or even certain types of motherboards fail the SP3 upgrade.
Reading about SP3 lets you know to turn off anti-virus first.

It is possible, but unlikely that your power supply just
happened to fail at the same time as the SP3 installation.
Anyway, me and other techs think this release of SP3 was
premature contrary to the opinion of some MVPs. I wonder
how many failed SP3 failed installations they have actually
fixed, rather than make assumptions from myopic reading.

Now you probably realize the value of backups and a
functioning method of invoking Recovery Console. There is
an MS-MVP who I fully respect (lest you get the wrong
impression) Bill Castner, who has some really good ideas.

http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=31844

Regards,
Stephen

http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=31844

Good post, but that "waiver" statement leaves a little to be desired.
You don't literally sign anything, period, as you stated it.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

It's called a digital signature, Dunce.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_signatures
http://www.abanet.org/scitech/ec/isc/dsg-tutorial.html

 

[Big_Al]

It's called a digital signature, Dunce.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_signatures
http://www.abanet.org/scitech/ec/isc/dsg-tutorial.html

Actually I'd side more with Twayne but call it a end user license.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

It's called an End User License AGREEMENT (emphasis mine), which AGREEMENT
you accept via digital signature when you install the software, or don't you
even pay attention when you click that checkbox that says you agree with the
EULA? Can't usually proceed without it.