SP3 can't install

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1508 Location: London

The much waited XP SP3 was on Windows Update tonight.
I downloaded and it seemed to install fine, them at what seems to be the end of the installation it gave me an "access denied" message and uninstalled itself again.
I tried twice. With the AV software etc turned off the second time. Same problem.
Sad

donrc · Joined: Feb 16, 2003 Posts: 762

tbernstein,
I believe I read somewhere that SP3 has a bug and MS has stopped the distribution till it can be corrected. Could they have left it on the site but put a self destruct in it for now?
Anyone know for sure?

drc

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1508 Location: London

Now then.
See my other post about script errors.
http://help.lockergnome.com/general/Script-errors-log-ftopict54969.html
I don't understand and I don't care, as long as it works.
However, I then went on to let my daughter's newish HP machine update to SP3.
And it's now unusable!!!!!!!!!!!! Crying or Very sad

Windows will only boot into safe mode now.
And this is a young child's machine, not tinkered with in any way.
SP3 installed but won't boot. Shocked

The Franchise · Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 440 Location: Arkansas

Somewhere I've seen an article about problems with AMD based pc's.
I downloaded SP3 and had no problems.XP media center 2005. P4 CPU,Dell E510.

Jimmy

try this: www.motherboardpoint.com/t182372-problems-installing-sp3-on-hps-winxp.html - 25k -

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1508 Location: London

There was an item about this in "The register" and links to various other sites with the same story. Needless to say Microsoft aren't offering this as a solution.

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1134 Location: Central FL, USA

I always suggest that every person doing their own computer work, do a full C: drive backup before installing anything as major as a Service Pack.
(See, my signature line)

Then run Chkdsk and defrag as well as shut down all running programs, before starting the upgrade.

I've installed SP3 several times already on my AMD based PC's and so far (knocking on wood) I've seen no problems.
Success is all in the preparation.

I remember the many horror stories about installing SP2, as well, but I had no problems at all, and I installed it many times. Confused

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor Cool

zlim · Joined: Mar 11, 2005 Posts: 2422

Problems with SP3
Some AMD computers won't boot
http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/

goretsky

Hello,

You may wish to make sure that you have the latest device drivers installed for your computer's hardware, then try re-applying the service pack.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

louis-the-cat · Joined: May 13, 2006 Posts: 264

On the subject of SP3....having the latest drivers.....and doing a back-up:

I downloaded and installed SP3, but didn't realise that there are compatibility problems with the drivers that support my D-link wireless router.

see for example this link......which I discovered too late Crying or Very sad

http://kb.cadzow.com.au:15384/Cadzow/details.aspx?ID=1898

anyway......good news... backups saved the day

I'm back to SP2.....and cookin' with gas.

Moral of the story: If you've got a D-Link router ( or any other router that uses the same "Alpha" drivers)......either wait or take care

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1134 Location: Central FL, USA

Those who, for whatever reason, have NOT installed SP3 may be luckier than those of us who have. From "Windows Secrets", here's why:
**************************************
XP SP3 triggers false positives in security apps

By Scott Dunn

Installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 can cause your anti-malware programs to report the presence of Trojans and keyloggers that aren't there.

The false positives have blocked important system files in some cases, and in others they have misled users into reinstalling XP.

SP3 causes some malware scanners to cry "wolf"

Comments on a PC Tools forum confirm customer reports that the company's Spyware Doctor program generates a false positive on systems with Windows XP SP3.

Similarly, at least one site claims that Symantec's Norton Internet Security software identifies a common system file as a keylogger.

ReviewSaurus reports that XP SP3 causes Norton Internet Security to identify ctfmon.exe as a keylogger (a kind of malware that records your keystrokes to capture passwords and other important data).

In reality, the ctfmon.exe file in your Windows\System32 folder is a Microsoft system file that enables alternative input methods such as speech, tablet, or on-screen keyboard.

A spokesperson for Symantec was not immediately available for comment.

In the case of Spyware Doctor, the popular anti-spyware tool from PC Tools detects Trojan-Spy.Pophot.WX in RunDLL32.exe even if the system is uninfected. RunDLL32.exe is a system file that Windows uses to run code in dynamic link library (DLL) files.

The scan may also implicate other related system files, according to a report on the blog A Healthy Fear of Botulism.

By default, Spyware Doctor prevents any files it identifies as infected from running. If an important system file such as RunDLL32.exe is flagged incorrectly, the result can be disastrous for your PC. For example, users may be blocked from opening Windows Control Panel or using System Restore, among other operations.

One user who contacted us noted that blocking RunDLL32.exe created "an endless loop of scanning to remove the file, rebooting, finding the file again."

"I've lost more than two days trying to fix something that was never broken," he adds. "As far as mistakes go, this is pretty major."

Other Spyware Doctor customers just gave up: "I had the same problem today," reported Dave (screen name doz3r). "I got tired of fighting with it and just reinstalled the OS."

For its part, PC Tools claims that a patch is in the works. "We are implementing a fix immediately," wrote Super Moderator Anthony Chen on the PC Tools forum.

As of Wednesday evening, PC Tools has yet to make a fix available through the company's Smart Update feature.

Until there's a fix, there's a workaround

In the case of the Norton Internet Security, ReviewSaurus advises users to ignore the false warning about ctfmon.exe.

Until a fix is available from PC Tools, Chen advises customers to add RunDLL32.exe to the global action list manually. The workaround consists of the following steps:

Step 1. In the Spyware Doctor window, click the Settings button on the left.

Step 2. Click Global Action List to the right of that.

Step 3. At the bottom of the window, click Add.

Step 4. In the New Rule dialog box, choose "File on disk" from the "Select data type" drop-down list.

Step 5. To the right of the text box below, click the ... button to browse for a file. Locate and select RunDLL32.exe in the Windows\System32 folder.

Step 6. Make sure "Always allow" is selected in the drop-down list at the bottom and click the Add button.

Other XP SP3 compatibility problems may yet loom

This is not the first problem created by Microsoft's latest (and last) service pack for Windows XP. Earlier this month, some HP PCs with an AMD processor experienced endless reboots after SP3 was installed.

These and other issues are documented by Windows Secrets columnist Susan Bradley's Patch Watch column in the paid section of this week's newsletter, as well as in her May 15 column. Bradley also provides advice on preparing for SP3 in the paid section of the May 1 issue.

If you are concerned about the effect the collection of patches that comprise XP SP3 will have on your PCs, wait a while before downloading and installing the service pack.

Check the support sites of the vendors of your most important products for news of compatibility issues with SP3. As the problems experienced by users of these anti-malware programs show, a collection of patches as large as SP3 may require some patches of its own.
*****************************************

Well, I certainly don't use the PC Tools product or the Norton product so I'm having NO problems related to SP3.
At my house, SP3 has been pretty much a NON EVENT.
I've seen NO changes that could be related to installing SP3

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?

The Doctor Cool