Question for the XP Nerds...

[Uncle Cracker]

I have a friend who just got an online connection... (I thought we all were born with one...). She had been running offline with an XP SP2 system, so when she got online, she of course was deluged by MS messages regarding the need for OS updates (she was only 18 or so updates behind ). So, I used the update service and installed all 18 of them, and restarted. Then, yet another nudge came in from MS to install SP3, so I downloaded that and let the installer do it's thing once again. Now, here's the problem:

When I restarted following the supposedly successful SP3 install, the startup is aborted into that black-and-white screen with the message about an abnormal Windows shutdown, and the option to start up in 1) Safe Mode, 2) Safe Mode with Networking, 3) Last Known Good or Normal Mode, while a timer counts down 30 seconds. You all know the screen, I think...

Anyway, if I start in safe mode, I get the low-res screen with the giant desktop icons. Don't know what, if anything, to do once there, so I start over and try Normal Mode, at which time it goes back to the black-and-white screen with all the choices again... and again... and again. It won't start normally, period.

So, I restore back to SP2 and try the whole SP3 install again. Same result as before. The system simply won't take the SP3, and I'm out several hours in a place I'd rather not be...

Any ideas what might be the issue?

[JimDantin]

I had the same result from SP3 on my Dell notebook. Scared the you-know-what out of me! I'm staying at SP2 on both of my computers until I get around to installing Windows 7. I didn't find the reason for the problem.

Just stay with SP2 and don't worry about it. I'm a very experienced computer nerd and some things just aren't worth the grief. Good news is that it's XP and you didn't get stuck trying to troubleshoot a Vista installation. I've completely skipped Vista -- Windows 7 is appearing to be solid.

I have the installation DVD and two terabyte hard drives sitting on the shelf for that cold winter day when I don't have anything better to do! My desktop computer will get the upgrade by doing a clean install on the new drives -- I will keep the old Windows XP setup as a fallback. Once that's done, I'll THINK about doing the notebook.

[cabinetman]

I'm no nerd, but here's my guess.
.

[woodturner]

Anyway, if I start in safe mode, I get the low-res screen with the giant desktop icons. Don't know what, if anything, to do once there, so I start over and try Normal Mode, at which time it goes back to the black-and-white screen with all the choices again... and again... and again. It won't start normally, period.

The problem is likely that the antivirus software or other software is interfering - that's why service packs should be installed in safe mode.

The sequence is:
1. download the service pack
2. reboot into safe mode
3. install the service pack
4. reboot again

If that doesn't work, here are some more specific solutions to particular issues common to specific machines and processors
http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesp...ng-xp-sp3.aspx

[cgallery]

Although you can't see it doing so, it may be blue-screening.

The possible reason you're getting to that menu is that it tries to boot in normal mode (after SP3 install), fails, and then reboots to the boot menu so you can correct the problem.

Newer computers are so fast that you often can't see the flash of the blue screen. Most machines are set to "automatic restart after system failure" so you don't even get a chance to read what the blue screen says. But with fast machines, you don't even get to see that there was a blue screen.

So I'd boot in Safe Mode, right-click "My Computer," then click "Properties." Click on the "Advanced" tab and then the "Settings" button under "Startup and Recovery."

Now uncheck "automatic restart" under system failure.

Finally, try booting again. Perhaps you will get a blue screen. Report back what it says here and maybe we will be more help.

Alternately, find the last few files in C:\WINDOWS\MINIDUMP and E-Mail them to me and I'll analyze them on my debugger. That should give a good idea about what is going on.

[radhak]

What JimDantin said : forget SP3. She doesn't seem to be a power-user, and may never know what she's missing. Check out this for more detail (but you can take me on my word ).

Soon, she might want to (or have to) upgrade to Win 7, and all your current effort will seem pointless.

[Uncle Cracker]

Suggestions to remain with SP2 are interesting. If she does that, is there any way to do away with that annoying bubble popping out of the system tray at each startup, advising that there is a recommended update available? Also, are there security issues she needs to be concerned with if she does not upgrade? (She does some banking and bill paying online now, and wants to do some e-shopping.) Thanks for the help.

Edit: I'm also wondering if this might explain some of the problems...

[parnelli]

Edit: I'm also wondering if this might explain some of the problems...

If it's not an intel sys- you could give it a shot.

My first thought was to update the video driver before doing sp3. At this point the driver is pretty old and might be having issues.

[radhak]

You could try that - seems to be close to what you are experiencing.

But SP2 is perfectly safe - I ran it till last month and never had an issue. She might have to be trained to follow one small procedure : whenever automatic update says 'update available', she should click on the balloon and 'uncheck' the SP3 from the list. Most probably these will be less and less now on, seeing that XP is well on its way to being 'un-supported' by MS. Good, and bad !

[phi1l]

sounds to me like there is some security software on there that is preventing the install program from saving necessary info to the registry. If you can identify & temporarily deactivate all that ... stuff ... the install should work as it should

[Uncle Cracker]

sounds to me like there is some security software on there that is preventing the install program from saving necessary info to the registry. If you can identify & temporarily deactivate all that ... stuff ... the install should work as it should

I'll probably try that when I go over there tomorrow... Funny that it would only happen on the SP3 install, though (No problems with any of the SP2 updates, nor to any other software installed recently on this machine...)

For the record, it's running the AT&T Internet Security Suite (virus scans, firewall, etc.)

[dick541]

quick ? What is going to happen when MS. stops supporting XP, and I want to rebuild a system and need to register it?
dick

[MilDoc]

I'll probably try that when I go over there tomorrow... Funny that it would only happen on the SP3 install, though (No problems with any of the SP2 updates, nor to any other software installed recently on this machine...)

For the record, it's running the AT&T Internet Security Suite (virus scans, firewall, etc.)

MUCH simpler to downland th SP3 pack, restart in Safe Mode, and do the install. Safe Mode avoids all the unnecessary stuff (including security packs - so do the reinstall OFFline!), so I second the recommendation above that said Safe Mode.

Worked for me after SP3 failed in normal mode, just as you describe.

[radhak]

quick ? What is going to happen when MS. stops supporting XP, and I want to rebuild a system and need to register it?
dick

No issues - 'stop support' only means no security updates, patches, etc. Your license number remains valid and you can always register it.