RegEdit for SP2 and SFC.EXE

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5006

Has anyone tried this regedit? Allegedly it allows you to run SFC.EXE using an SP2 CD (just the SP2 disk, not a slipstreamed copy with SP2).

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup

In the key: ServicePackSourcePath
Make the value: %windir%\ServicePackFiles

User: inactive Posts:

Good Morning Usasma,

Hmmmmm! Wouldn't that path have to point to the folder where those files are located?

In your example the path "%windir%\ServicePackFiles" does not exist on my PC.

For this tip to work, the path will have to point exactly to the location of the Sp2 files.

It works best if that folder in NOT just on a CD. If it's on a HD someplace, SFC works better, faster and with less effort on the users part. (and with fewer chances of errors, trying to read a damaged CD)

In this statement, "Allegedly it allows you to run SFC.EXE using an SP2 CD (just the SP2 disk, not a slipstreamed copy with SP2). " its being assumed that the person actually HAS an SP2 CD. If the upgrade to SP2 was done via automatic Updates (downloads), etc., there is NO CD to use for this tip.

I bought my SP2 CD directly from Microshaft. I didn't trust the copy of SP2 downloaded by a local Computer store.

I'm going to copy the files/folders from that CD to my second HD, make the edit to my registry as per your tip and try it.......what can it hurt? Right?

As the Governator once said, "I'll be back!" Wink

Shadow

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5006

I've got that path on my system, and it includes the sub-directory i386. I can't recall how I installed SP2 (I was an early adopter) and SFC.EXE runs quite well on my system without the need for my XP SP1a CD.

I read this thing in a magazine article and was trying to figure out if there's any truth to it.

That way it'll be easier to have folks run SFC.EXE without having to make them go out and slipstream a CD.

User: inactive Posts:

"Your mileage may vary" Wink

WELL, I can't get it to work at all.

My last install was done from a XP-Pro-Sp2 CD and whenever I try to run SFC /scannow, it asks for that CD. I can't get it to change its mind about that.
And then it tells me something about wanting the files in the dll cache folder.

Oh well, I never use SFC anyway. I either use System Restore for those little Oooops, or a Ghost backup Image for those really big "Awschitz!"

For me SFC is redundant.

Thanks for the post....it's given me something new to do this morning. Wink

Cheers Mates!
Shadow Cool

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5006

Well, the tweak doesn't work on the wife's work system - and it's already got that key in the registry.

User: inactive Posts:

We're all supposed to be running the same OS if we have XP. More or less.

But, it never ceases to amaze me just how much difference there is from one PC to another.

I once wrote a batch file to do a particular job when I'm tuning up a customers PC. Due to differences in various installs of XP, I've had to write there different versions of that batch file. It starts to get really weird!

Thanks for the post.....it gave me something to do for about an hour on an otherwise dull day. Wink

Me

Charred · Joined: Aug 03, 2003 Posts: 1011 Location: Central PA

Hello usasma,

I haven't tried your way, but I did set up my XP Home machine using the instructions set out in http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

Worked for me, hope it does for you.

John

goretsky

Hello,

I think the %windir%\ServicePackFiles directory only exists on a computer which was upgraded with a service pack. If a computer has a slipstreamed install of Microsoft Windows XP, then the directory will not exist.

Regards

Aryeh Goretsky

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5006

Thanks Charred and Aryeh!

I'm thinking that the problems that I've seen (running SFC.EXE on a machine updated to SP2 - but originally from an SP1a or earlier CD) may be caused by an incorrect entry in the registry for the service pack files.

Anyways, here's some of the keys involved in running SFC.EXE:

User: inactive Posts:

goretsky

Hello,

There was another recent discussion in the forum about Microsoft's Systernals' utilities, including one called RegMon which can be used to check which registry keys are being accessed by a particular program. You could try starting it before the System File Checker (filename: SFC.EXE) program and then looking through the resultant log file to see if there are any registry keys containing the path to the CD disc drive. You could then try changing these to the path on your hard disk drive drive and re-running the SFC program to see if it will now operate without the installation disc being present.

Regards

Aryeh Goretsky

User: inactive Posts:

Someone (I don't have a clue, who it was) sent me a link to download "SysInternals". I downloaded it but didn't know what to do with it.

Now I know what to do with at least ONE of those g'zillion files. Laughing

Thanks,
Shadow Cool

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5006

I used the RegMon to trace the accesses - but the list for a very short scan is over 500 entries long and very cryptic. This one's gonna take a while! Smile

User: inactive Posts:

Just opening RegMon caused a very long scroll of text so tiny I could not read it. I don't think I'll be wasting my time with that one.

The whole exercise is futile anyway, since I don't use SFC.exe.

Cheers Maties!
Shadow Cool

strungout · Joined: Dec 12, 2006 Posts: 1

Played with this some and finally got it to work...Think them instructional web pages showing how to get sfc to look at c:\ for the setup SourcePath rather then the CDrom really need to stress that some OEM systems may not have the SourcePath key there in the first place in the WindowsNTCurrentVersionSetup part. Had to make one. Thinking that was the actual thing I had to do to get mine to work.
Also, since my system is a newer Gateway OEM with sp2 already installed the ServicePackFiles folder is not present and references are moot apparently. So I pointed the ServicePackFiles & ServicePackFilesCache references to one directory up from where I think my updates and uninstall directories are kept in "$" directories under c:\windows.
Does that sound correct way to go about that section or does it never matter or is never used by any other sytem chores or programs??