XP SP2 Install Problems

[gunnag]

Hello,
I have downloaded SP2 build 2180 and attempted to install
on my PC.
Halfway through the install an error message
appeared "Serious Error Has Occured, Send Details to
Microsoft......".
After I sent the details to MS, it is not possible to use
Explorer or other applications. After re booting I cannot
even see the start menu or task bar, the only thing I can
get to work is command prompt via ctrl/alt/del task
manager.
Clearly XP is completley broken.
When I try to boot using XP CD, I get message saying
windows is part way through installation, press F8 to
continue so press f8 and screen goes blank, nothing
happens.
When I try clean install of XP same thing happens.

Help !! IM running out of options

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Adrian.

You've left out a lot. From where did you download SP2? Did you try the
install from your HD, or did you burn a CD and install from that? Any beta
or other versions of SP2 on the machine before you start the installation of
SP2? Is this a standalone PC, or on a network? Make and model of PC, or of
the mobo/chipset/CPU if you built it yourself?

You say "XP is completley broken", but you also say, "After re booting I
cannot even see the start menu or task bar..." If WinXP can boot far enough
to present the Desktop, then it may be "broken", but not completely. From
your description, perhaps you just need to adjust your display properties
and, maybe, update your graphics drivers. When you boot from the CD and
follow the instructions to Press F8 and "nothing happens", how long do you
wait? Some stages of the installation process take more time than we think
it should, but in many cases the process will continue after a looong wait.
Did you wait 5 seconds? 5 minutes? 5 hours?

When I try clean install of XP same thing happens.

What "same thing happens"? The instruction to Press F8? HOW are you trying
the clean install? Are you booting from the WinXP CD-ROM? I've installed
WinXP from CD many times and have never seen an instruction to Press F8.
Tell us, step by step, what happens from the time you start the computer
until you get to the hang. What do you do and what do you see?

SP2 is very new, of course, and some anomalies are bound to occur as it is
installed by millions of users in the field. Maybe you've encountered a
legitimate bug, but it's more likely that something simple has gone wrong
and can be fixed if we can identify it.

RC

 

[Norm]

Have you tried formatting the disk before a clean install?

 

[Sheldon]

I have installed the new xp service pack 2 that I received from
microsoft on cd on about 10 computers so far...some networked and some
standalone. On 2 machines a gateway about a year old and on a brand
new emachines that is on a small business network with other xp
machines which installed sp2 fine. I also was left with a desktop with
no icons, no toolbars, or anything but the background desktop picture.
I was able to get the desktop back by bringing up the task manager
with the ctrl-alt-del and the went to file and run. Then, I ran sfc
/scannow and restored the system files and it worked on a reboot and I
had the desktop back. I then uninstalled all antivirus programs, as
disabling them didn't work and tried it again, with same results and
used my fix and got the desktop back again. I then tried to install it
from safe mode thinking that something from 3rd party software was
interfering with the install. Disastrous results(because the previous
fix wouldn't work this time) but I did manage to get to a restore
point from safe mode and restore to previous day set point but it took
about 3 hours for the restore point to finish running and reboot. But,
everything came out fine. I emailed Microsoft with my experiences and
was told it was probably due to 3rd party software or drivers not
compatible with sp2. Their solution? Delete the partition and do a
clean install of xp and then do the upgrade. Problem? A complete
reinstall for a service pack? Not many financial instituitions I deal
with want their hard drives wiped. As a matter of fact with the
propreitary software that comes with the
emachines,hp,compaq,gateway,etc. There isn't any way to do a "clean
install of windows" because they don't give you that. They give you a
recovery disk which wipes the drive and reinstalls all of their 3rd
party software also. Microsoft also mentioned in their email that sp2
can't be installed on a Gateway.
I personally believe their ought to be a way to disable all 3rd party
software and drivers temporarily, do the install and then restore all
the software and drivers back again. I know it would involve editing
registry settings and startup files and so forth which seems to me an
rather enormous task depending on the amount of software and drivers
on the machine, but there must be someway. I have even wondered about
uninstalling all programs but windows, and unloading all the drivers
and replacing with default microsoft drivers and then rolling them
back after the install. But, haven't had the guts to attempt it yet.
I hope my experience helps some of you with your problems and maybe
someone out there can help me figure a way around the wipe and clean
install solution of MS. Any good ideas out there? I must say though
that on the other machines I did, the installs went perfectly and the
new service pack2 is definitely a great improvement. I have many 3rd
party programs on my home network and had not one problem with the
install, I also have several non-signed drivers on my machines too. So
trying to track down the problem has been frustrating because I can't
seem to find the offending software, btw, 2 of the machines on that
network are emachines with the emachines preinstalled software and all
the same programs are on both machines, one installed fine the other
didn't. Go figure!

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Sheldon.

Unless I missed it in your narrative, you haven't yet tried an "in-place
upgrade", also called a "repair reinstallation", as described in this KB
article:
How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q315341

This doesn't exactly

disable all 3rd party
software and drivers temporarily, do the install and then restore all
the software and drivers back again.

But it does much the same thing from the other direction: It reinstalls
WinXP itself, while leaving applications, data and drivers in place.

As MS says, this is not intended as a timesaver; it will take about as long
as a clean install for WinXP itself. After the reinstall, WinXP will be the
version on the CD-ROM used for the project. My original "gold" CD-ROM from
October 2001 will be the original version; if yours has SP1 or SP1a
integrated, that's what you will get; after either of these, we would need
to install SP2 and any later fixes from Windows Update. If you wait a few
weeks, you should be able to find an updated WinXP CD-ROM with SP2
integrated.

Naturally, no matter which source CD-ROM you use for the in-place upgrade,
you will need to reactivate your firewall and antivirus and then visit
Windows Update to be sure your protection is current.

Of course, if your hardware vendor refuses to supply a WinXP CD-ROM, then
you'll have to buy one, I suppose. :>(

RC

 

[Guest]

Very simple. I got the same problem when i was using windows 2000
professional.. Get the windows xp bootdisks and boot from them. you can get
them from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33291
or to view a list of bootdisks go here:
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm
Once you insert the first bootdisk follow the directions to a new install of
xp.
(Insert first boot disk and reboot the computer)