I can't install SP2. Any ideas?

[Black Panther]

(I posted this here and not in the software section because I don't think the problem lies in the SP2 as such, though I might possibly be wrong?)

This is not the rig in my specs but one of my pc's at work. I'm sorry for the long post but it's better if I write everything since in the situation I currently am every bit of information might be relevant.

So, a couple of months ago a friend of mine gave me a pc to repair because it didn't POST.
After checking everything I examined the motherboard closely and found a burnt voltage regulator module near the DIMM slots. I changed the motherboard, put the same processor and heat sink, connected the same RAM, video card, PSU etc etc, the pc worked and I gave it back to my friend.

Now one of the things I had done while repairing this pc was to take a DDR 266 RAM module from the work pc and try it on this pc, to check if it worked with different RAM. The RAM modules on the friend's pc were DDR 400.

At that point so far the work pc was OK.

Then the following day I didn't go to work. And things happened when I wasn't there...

My dad switched on the work pc, and thought it was running too slow on just one 256MB RAM, so he took a 512MB Module from my friend's pc, found that it physically fit in the slot and inserted it.

After he did so the work pc didn't POST either.

Now the motherboard of the work pc is (was!) K7VT2 ASRock Mobo ( http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=K7VT2 ), supporting only up to DDR 266/200......... whereas my friend's P4 from which my dad took the module to insert in the Athlon work pc had an ASRock P4VM800 Mobo and the DDR Module in question was DDR 400.......

Anyway, I took the work pc home and tested everything - tried different RAM, tried another video card, tried a different PSU, disconnected all drives and removed all miscellaneous cards, resetted CMOS, whatever... Nothing doing, pc just didn't POST, exactly as my friend's pc had done.

At the end I purchased another motherboard, took everything out and put it all on the new motherboard and everything worked perfectly so far. I did a Windows Repair (OS is XP Pro), thankfully I didn't lose any important information like taxes, wages and that work stuff... and so far so good.

Then I connected the pc to the internet to download SP2.
Downloaded it... OK
Started installation... OK
After 7 or 10 minutes in the middle of the 'installation', the monitor went blank, the pc rebooted itself, I got a message that SP2 had not been installed, and that any changes made were going to be rolled back.

I tried installing SP2 some... 99 times so far

I turned off automatic updates, removed the SP2, downloaded it manually, started installing and the same thing happened.

I took the side of the pc off and put a house-fan blowing straight inside just in case it was over-heating - in vain.

I ran memtest for some 4 hours with no errors.
I ran orthos for some similar number of hours with no errors.
I checked the hard disk with various programs...
I replaced the video card with another one...
I put different RAM...
I tried another PSU...

I tried installing from a Windows XP Pro CD which had the SP2 on the same CD - I got the message that I couldn't log in before I validate Windows - and I can't validate windows unless I get on the internet and to get on the internet I had to log in first! I spent hours trying to get out of that cycle.

We are still using the pc for work, mainly we use it only for emails and Microsoft Office. It's got a fully functional Kaspersky and Spyware Doctor running. There are definitely no viruses or spyware according to those programs.

Periodically I try to 'install' SP2 - the pc just reboots after some minutes and any changes are rolled back.

Now it's constantly bringing up messages that 'this version of windows is not secure, please download and install SP2 now'. Also, I can't keep windows updated since most of the recent updates require SP2.

What's worse is that although my dad had originally been the one at fault since he meddled inside the pc and spoilt the motherboard (and he might have done other stuff he didn't tell me about), he is now nagging me about this whole issue. Like telling me that I'm the pc expert, that I took the whole pc apart and rebuilt it and now I'm the one not capable of installing a simple XP upgrade and all that sh!t...

[Rant warning] Hell recently he put in the TV card the pc had before and it didn't work (probably because it has to be enabled in the BIOS) and guess what he did - he took a connector wire, plugged in one end to the output of the card and the other end into the output of the motherboard sound........ while the computer was switched on.
I thought we'd be needing a new mobo but thankfully the pc just rebooted, I pulled the cable out and it worked. Just so you know how my dad invents his 'experiments'. And he doesn't appreciate that I brought this pc from "non-running status" to "running and functioning with no data loss status", he keeps saying that the pc is worse than it had been before (HE) did the damage!!! [End Rant]

Anyway. Thank you for having the patience to read all this, and I'd be grateful for any ideas you might have in getting an effin' SP2 installed on that pc!

For reference purposes, in the image below you can see the specifications of the pc, and I am also attaching a dxdiag report just in case.



Thank you!

[Mediocre]

Which SP2 are you trying? The one through windows update?

give this one a try:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Its for 'deployment' to multiple pc's.

Make sure you are logged in as Admin (or have admin rights)

and tell your pops if he wants to make you the 'computer expert' he needs to pay you better

[Black Panther]

Originally Posted by Mediocre

Which SP2 are you trying? The one through windows update?

give this one a try:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Its for 'deployment' to multiple pc's.

Make sure you are logged in as Admin (or have admin rights)

and tell your pops if he wants to make you the 'computer expert' he needs to pay you better

I did turn off Windows Update and download SP2 manually. I had been thinking that it was not the download but the installation which had been giving me trouble (isn't the download the same from whatever url I download it?)

I am not sure whether I downloaded it from that url you are quoting because since this problem has been going on for 2 months+ I tried so many different 'roads' that it's likely I forgot most of them! I will be definitely checking it out though, so thanks!

[jocksteeluk]

what other hardware do you have on your system?

[Black Panther]

Only a GeForce4 MX 440SE apart from routine drives consisting of floppy, a CD ROM drive, a DVD ROM drive, a Zip drive, and one HDD.

It had an internal 56K modem (unused) and some sort of tv card which doubled up as a sound card, however these are removed now, and only an external DSL modem is connected.

Edit: I dig your system specs!

[jocksteeluk]

are you using legitimate software or a bootleg? i ask because i had a similar problem with bootled xp for one of my gimp systems and also how much free space do you have on your hard drive?

[Black Panther]

No the OS is definitely original.

The HDD is 80GB and (somewhere between one-third and one-half full).

Edit:

Btw more details can be viewed here:
http://www.pcpitstop.com/techexpress...WUPW7QRRJSQKAW - This online test was done in 2006 when the pc had no problems. (The higher clock speed is me experimenting with overclocking but I had put it back to stock speed afterwards). It had SP2 then.

http://www.pcpitstop.com/techexpress...P1HW9QVPWSS0AW - This online test is more recent. With only SP1. With 'the' problem.

Click on the "test details" link in the paragraph entitled "Configuration Summary" to view all the details.

Wait a sec - it only has 35% free space on the hard disk. Maybe that could be the problem, I dunno??

[von kain]

Originally Posted by jocksteeluk

are you using legitimate software or a bootleg? i ask because i had a similar problem with bootled xp for one of my gimp systems and also how much free space do you have on your hard drive?

hes right the sp2 aint gonna setup on a illegal serial beside that make a bios update then the hard things starts ....since the xp works mean there is no hardware problem hence it is a software problem (i thing you didn't know ) this mean download the autoruns from microsoft search thru the services for any thing wierd meaning programs should be there...search on microsoft for the problems aboun installing sp2 .....READ them....carefully (i don't really remember but there was a prob with agp+amd+sis download rivatuner or latest divers on everthing... then tell us what you found

p.s. make a backup of everything.....or cry later like a baby.... i was when i lost 2 month of my life writing a project and then puff everithing gone

[jocksteeluk]

Originally Posted by Black Panther

No the OS is definitely original.

The HDD is 80GB and somewhere between one-third and one-half full.

ok well that rules out capacity being an issue, forgive me for the basic questions but its always the little things i forget myself: are you running any anti-trojan anti system changing or even an anti virus in the background?

[Black Panther]

Please check my last post because I edited it while both of you were posting before I read your replies.

The pc is quite old, when we purchased it the XP didn't have SP2. We downloaded SP2 later from the internet (years ago) with no problems at all.

I do have Kaspersky and Spyware Doctor. However I exit and disabled both of them while attempting to install SP2, because I figured out that maybe they could be the problem.

The first link I posted in my previous post is the pc when it had no problems and had SP2.
The second link is the pc a couple of months ago, May I think. You can see many details there when you click on the "test details" link.

[Black Panther]

Originally Posted by von kain

hes right the sp2 aint gonna setup on a illegal serial beside that make a bios update then the hard things starts ....since the xp works mean there is no hardware problem hence it is a software problem (i thing you didn't know ) this mean download the autoruns from microsoft search thru the services for any thing wierd meaning programs should be there...search on microsoft for the problems aboun installing sp2 .....READ them....carefully (i don't really remember but there was a prob with agp+amd+sis download rivatuner or latest divers on everthing... then tell us what you found

p.s. make a backup of everything.....or cry later like a baby.... i was when i lost 2 month of my life writing a project and then puff everithing gone

That pc did have SP2 before. Downloaded from the net. With no problems at all.

It's only after the motherboard change that I can't install SP2.

XP Pro is installed, activated and legal. I spent a day searching on microsoft like you suggested... Thanks for your help anyway. Oh and I am keeping a daily backup! I already had the scare that I might had lost everything when I changed the mobo!!!

[driver66]

Backup ur files and start over lol

[jocksteeluk]

Originally Posted by Black Panther

That pc did have SP2 before. Downloaded from the net. With no problems at all.

It's only after the motherboard change that I can't install SP2.

XP Pro is installed, activated and legal. I spent a day searching on microsoft like you suggested... Thanks for your help anyway. Oh and I am keeping a daily backup! I already had the scare that I might had lost everything when I changed the mobo!!!

i think your problem my be down to you changing the main board as the bios would be different to the initial install, the best way to solve your problem would be an entire clean install.

[Black Panther]

Originally Posted by jocksteeluk

i think your problem my be down to you changing the main board as the bios would be different to the initial install, the best way to solve your problem would be an entire clean install.

Well I was hoping no one would say that. But it's very likely you're right. Either that or I'm really missing out something really stupid or whatever.

I had been thinking that the different mobo/bios problem would result in XP not installing at all. I was just praying that since XP worked and everything else worked, it would follow that XP upgrades would work just the same.

[driver66]

Originally Posted by jocksteeluk

i think your problem my be down to you changing the main board as the bios would be different to the initial install, the best way to solve your problem would be an entire clean install.

I second that motion

[jocksteeluk]

you can sometimes get away with changing the motherboard but you do have to uninstall everything via the device manager first before you switch the board.

ps: nice system there driver66

[Black Panther]

Now I'm hoping a clean install won't mean that I'd have to purchase another copy of XP... since the one I have is OEM.

[driver66]

Eh you shouldn't have to but i'm not sure Try it and if it gives you hell, if it does, become a pirate lol!!
M$


Ps. ty jocksteel

[jocksteeluk]

Originally Posted by Black Panther

Now I'm hoping a clean install won't mean that I'd have to purchase another copy of XP... since the one I have is OEM.

you should be fine but i wouldn't use my personal copy on any other systems that wouldn't be staying in my possession because that's when you could run into problems.

[Jonnycat]

Make a slipstream of XP with sp2 and use as your OS installation media.

As far as OEM activation goes, MS is pretty generous in that department; as long as your original media is legit, you should be fine.