S
Skillman Hunter
This is to document my two-month merry-go-round to install SP4.
I was unsuccessful in four tries which take 2 hours each to install, fail, remove SP4 and restore SP3.
I finally got more help from Microsoft - uninstalling IIS allowed SP4 to install in Safe Mode.
When searching the MS Knowledge Base make sure to use SP4 instead of SP-4.
Earlier SP's did use the dash, but the KB articles randomly used dash or no dash; the dash was probably removed to avoid search
problems.
Here are some essential articles that appear only if "SP4" is entered, but not when "SP-4" is used:
290728 - "Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, 3, and 4 Installation Information."
825062 - "Service Pack 4 Permits You to Remove the Service Pack by using the Recovery Console."
Deactivate the Screen Saver using the Display control Panel to set ScreenSaver to "None".
I found that Windows reset ScreenSaver on each reboot.
Run Start>Program Files>Accessories>System Tools>Backup to make an Emergency Repair Disk.
At the dialog asking for a blank diskette, click "Also backup the Registry to the Repair directory..."
Repair directory is at C:\WINNT\repair and includes folder regback which holds copies of the Registry hive files.
Note it is not possible to copy the hive files because they are being used.
The in-use hives are in C:\WINNT\system32\config which is the heart of Win2k registry and it is probably not necessary but I make a
backup of \config by rebooting on an alternate hard disk - you can probably do this from the Win2000 boot CD or ERD floppy. The
biggest hive file is SOFTWARE on my drive is 32 MB, size of repair folder is 49 MB so won't go on a floppy but Zip or CD would work.
\config has more files than are put in \repair. KB 825062 explains steps that don't need to use the \config or \repair files, but I
feel safer having them.
Once the SP4 Install Wizard starts up, make sure to check the "Archive?" check box so SP3 can be restored if needed.
Before I uninstalled IIS, SP4 installer would slow down and stop about half way through and the name of the file being installed
would never change. I have seen messages with this same problem in ms.pub.win2000.setup_upgrade.
In normal Windows desktop Mode, no error message would appear. The system just hung.
Task Manager was working but at a very, very slow pace so it appeared to be frozen and PC had to be turned off.
Shut down would work but took several hours. Easier to turn off since the system is hosed anyway.
Reboot produces a blue screen crash. You must resort to KB 825062 to reboot on CD, uninstall SP4, restore SP3 and start over.
In Safe Mode, during SP4 install a message titled "SP4iis" appears stating "Can't connect to metabase". This is the clue that IIS is
causing the problem. I had IIS installed but it was disabled in Services. I used Add/Remove Programs, clicked the "Add/Remove
Windows Components" then unchecked "Internet Information Services (IIS)". After this, the SP4 install finished.
Systems that have IIS fully operational, or not installed at all, probably won't have trouble installing SP4, at least the
particular trouble that I had.
I also ran AD-AWARE (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/default.shtml.en) which found 232 objects which it removed. MS tech said these
things can muck up the system and it did fix some other problems I was having.
Thanks to the Microsoft tech that walked me though all this.
And he refunded my $245 because they are not supposed to charge for system install problems that are due to Microsoft programming
errors - clearly the IIS hang with no error dialog re metabase is an MS error.
Skillman Hunter
I was unsuccessful in four tries which take 2 hours each to install, fail, remove SP4 and restore SP3.
I finally got more help from Microsoft - uninstalling IIS allowed SP4 to install in Safe Mode.
When searching the MS Knowledge Base make sure to use SP4 instead of SP-4.
Earlier SP's did use the dash, but the KB articles randomly used dash or no dash; the dash was probably removed to avoid search
problems.
Here are some essential articles that appear only if "SP4" is entered, but not when "SP-4" is used:
290728 - "Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, 3, and 4 Installation Information."
825062 - "Service Pack 4 Permits You to Remove the Service Pack by using the Recovery Console."
Deactivate the Screen Saver using the Display control Panel to set ScreenSaver to "None".
I found that Windows reset ScreenSaver on each reboot.
Run Start>Program Files>Accessories>System Tools>Backup to make an Emergency Repair Disk.
At the dialog asking for a blank diskette, click "Also backup the Registry to the Repair directory..."
Repair directory is at C:\WINNT\repair and includes folder regback which holds copies of the Registry hive files.
Note it is not possible to copy the hive files because they are being used.
The in-use hives are in C:\WINNT\system32\config which is the heart of Win2k registry and it is probably not necessary but I make a
backup of \config by rebooting on an alternate hard disk - you can probably do this from the Win2000 boot CD or ERD floppy. The
biggest hive file is SOFTWARE on my drive is 32 MB, size of repair folder is 49 MB so won't go on a floppy but Zip or CD would work.
\config has more files than are put in \repair. KB 825062 explains steps that don't need to use the \config or \repair files, but I
feel safer having them.
Once the SP4 Install Wizard starts up, make sure to check the "Archive?" check box so SP3 can be restored if needed.
Before I uninstalled IIS, SP4 installer would slow down and stop about half way through and the name of the file being installed
would never change. I have seen messages with this same problem in ms.pub.win2000.setup_upgrade.
In normal Windows desktop Mode, no error message would appear. The system just hung.
Task Manager was working but at a very, very slow pace so it appeared to be frozen and PC had to be turned off.
Shut down would work but took several hours. Easier to turn off since the system is hosed anyway.
Reboot produces a blue screen crash. You must resort to KB 825062 to reboot on CD, uninstall SP4, restore SP3 and start over.
In Safe Mode, during SP4 install a message titled "SP4iis" appears stating "Can't connect to metabase". This is the clue that IIS is
causing the problem. I had IIS installed but it was disabled in Services. I used Add/Remove Programs, clicked the "Add/Remove
Windows Components" then unchecked "Internet Information Services (IIS)". After this, the SP4 install finished.
Systems that have IIS fully operational, or not installed at all, probably won't have trouble installing SP4, at least the
particular trouble that I had.
I also ran AD-AWARE (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/default.shtml.en) which found 232 objects which it removed. MS tech said these
things can muck up the system and it did fix some other problems I was having.
Thanks to the Microsoft tech that walked me though all this.
And he refunded my $245 because they are not supposed to charge for system install problems that are due to Microsoft programming
errors - clearly the IIS hang with no error dialog re metabase is an MS error.
Skillman Hunter