Windows XP Home SP1 Repair Gone Wrong...

Hey all,

right then lets see if you can help me with this one...

System with a Windows XP SP1 Licence on the case. Put in a SP1 Disk to do the repair but for some reason when it gets to the "39 Mins" stage it tells me to put in a SP2 Disk for some reason. I have gone about trying all sorts to try soprting it out even with a SP2 disk but nothing.

Now what i wana do if poss is try and cancel the repair attempted. Is there a way of canceling the repair so it does not go into the 39 min stage of the install when the computer boots want it to boot back in Windows so i can gather the information needed and then reinstall windows.

Look forward to your replys!

Thank you.

 

No help guys!?!?!?!

 

can you boot up in safe mode and try it that way?

 

Hmm i dont know why i didnt think to ttry that ill give it a go i dont know if it willg o into windows but ill try now. One mo!

 

Are you wanting to repair an installation of XP, or totally re-install it?

If a repair - are you trying to use the repair console? If so - don't. Act like you want to re-install windows, and when it scans your drive it will find the installed XP and offer to repair it for you. This way you will keep any files you have created - it just over-writes the OS files.

You would then need to re-install any security updates that came out after your version of XP was issued - however . . . Never had one ask for SP2, either during a repair or re-install - I know that MS has decreed that after a certain date their crop of OS updates will only work with XP installations that have Service pack 2 installed - but that shouldn't affect a complete re-installation of XP from an original disk. When you say 'SP1 disk' do you mean a standard XP Home CD w/sp1?

 

You cannot 'upgrade' to a lower version of an OS.

Thats essentially what a repair is.

So to minimize problems (repairs always have their own issues), the OS you repair with MUST be the same service pack level.

 

Yes - I'd forgotten that, Adrynalyne . . . been a while since I did anything with an XP install that wasn't SP2.

 

I've run into that too. It's like you got a prblem, you want to fix it, you put in your OEM which is SP1, and if you have update to SP2, you are basically screwed. So you are left with two options, find and fix the actual problem, or wipe it out and start from scratch! Good thinking microsoft!

 

I sorted it in the end guys, i just done the hard work and backed up the files using another healthy XP Machine and plugging their HDD into it. Got the files then formatted the computer.

Working fine now! Customer happy!

Thanks for all the advice!

Hope to have some help on my other questions!

Thank you.