Service Pack 3 (SP3) Won't Install

  • Thread starter Thread starter rslitman
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rslitman

Quick Summary - Service Pack 3 won't install. I get an Access Denied message.

Background Information - My configuration is XP Professional with
administrator rights, although I'm using it on a computer at home. It was
installed when I bought the computer new in February twenty-oh-three. I have
diligently kept my computer updated with the latest updates using Windows
Update since that time (and really appreciate the ability to do this). But
I've hit a snag with SP3.

I first tried installing this when it got automatically downloaded to my
computer last September. When I did a web search on this problem, I found
advice to disable Norton AntiVirus. I never got around to doing this until
today (May 31, twenty-oh-nine). After disabling Norton AntiVirus (which I'm
normally loathe to do), I still got the problem.

One thing that just occurred to me - in the intervening months, I installed
another Norton product, Save & Restore. I didn't disable or stop running this
one today. Could that have been the reason? Or are there other things that
were possibly running that caused this?

One more thing - I did not restart the computer in between disabling Norton
AntiVirus and attempting the install. Could that be the reason?

Thanks for any help anyone can give me here.
 
Go to the Norton web site and download their uninstall program. It will
remove any and all Norton software you have installed; then try SP3 again.
Then you can re-install the Norton bloat-ware.
 
I was all set to do what you suggested until I came across the word
"bloat-ware" in your response. I have been a satisfied Norton customer for
many years, and I would not uninstall any of their programs lightly.

I'm still awaiting any other suggestions, which may include well-reasoned,
well-though-out, non-name-calling arguments against keeping Norton programs
installed while doing the SP3 installation. However, I would rather keep
these programs installed if at all possible.
 
rslitman said:
I was all set to do what you suggested until I came across the word
"bloat-ware" in your response. I have been a satisfied Norton customer for
many years, and I would not uninstall any of their programs lightly.

I'm still awaiting any other suggestions, which may include well-reasoned,
well-though-out, non-name-calling arguments against keeping Norton
programs
installed while doing the SP3 installation. However, I would rather keep
these programs installed if at all possible.
Click to expand...
I see no reason to uninstall Norton.
What I did was to download the install package from the MS site. Next, I
made certain that the computer was working correctly with no known security
problems.

I then disconnected my computer from the internet. I disabled my AV because
it could interfere with the installation. I disabled the firewall because a
computer which is not connected to the internet has no need for such a
thing.

Finally, I installed the updat, restored the firewall and AV. Next, I
reconnected to the network and rebooted. My two computers are working quite
well.

Jim
 
Thanks for your suggestion. I will probably not have time to try it out for
several days.
 
Hi!
I'm still awaiting any other suggestions, which may include well-reasoned,
well-though-out, non-name-calling arguments against keeping Norton programs
installed while doing the SP3 installation.
Click to expand...

Do what you will. :-)

Norton's products have earned a reputation over the years as being
unnecessarily large and cumbersome. I think it's fair to say that they
worked well enough, but in terms of size, complexity and uninstallation
issues there were problems. It's not one or two people who will tell you
this, but a quite a few. I encourage you research it, before you complain
about any "name calling" or other unfair treatment of the products.

As of late, I feel they've gotten better in these areas. The products are
smaller and faster. There is still room to improve in my opinion. And while
I feel the improvements have been good, there's still a certain stigma left
over. I'm not going to put a Norton product back on my computer just yet.
However, I would rather keep these programs installed if at all possible.
Click to expand...

That should be easily doable. However, I do think you will need to turn both
of them off. And if this makes you uneasy, then the best thing you can do
while installing SP3 is to disconnect your computer from any network it
might be attached to. If you're using the "network" SP3 installer package
(which is a good idea anyway, even if you're just updating the one computer)
you don't need to be connected to the 'net during installation.

Turn both programs on afterwards, make sure they work to your satisfaction,
and get everything reconnected. All should be fine after that.

William
 
Try doing a clean boot [MS has a KB on this].

Run MSConfig. Disable everything in the Run tab. In the services tab, click
to hide MS services and then uncheck the remainder.

Reboot. Close MSConfig. Try installing SP3. If successful [after the final
reboot], run MSConfig and restore whatever you disabled.

Make sure Norton is up to date by manually doing a Live Update.

If you uninstall Norton, it will still count down the number of days after
[temporarily] uninstalling. Also verify the policy but when your subscription
is valid, you can install the latest edition off Symantec's site free of
charge.
 
I see no reason to uninstall Norton.
What I did was to download the install package from the MS site.   Next, I
made certain that the computer was working correctly with no known security
problems.

I then disconnected my computer from the internet.  I disabled my AV because
it could interfere with the installation.  I disabled the firewall because a
computer which is not connected to the internet has no need for such a
thing.

Finally, I installed the updat, restored the firewall and AV.  Next, I
reconnected to the network and rebooted.  My two computers are working quite
well.

Jim
Click to expand...

I too WAS a loyal Norton a/v user. That changed this past March!! An
online support agent was helping to fix a LAN access problem (Internet
access was still working.) Instead of uninstalling NIS 2009, they
"ran" the Norton Removal tool. This tool "yanks" all settings from
all Norton / Symantec product while leaving the software on the drive
(I seen it.) Then my XP would not work on my LAN (could not share.)
After one month without my LAN working well, I needed to re-install my
XP.
 
Gis Bun said:
Try doing a clean boot [MS has a KB on this].
Click to expand...

I assume by "KB", you mean a Knowledge Base article. Can you or anyone else
please supply the exact Knowledge Base number or at least a set of search
arguments that will likely work in locating this? Also, a direct link to a
Knowledge Base search page would help. And if a product is needed to narrow
things down, should I use Windows XP for such a product?

Anyone, not just the original responder, please feel free to respond to the
above.
Run MSConfig. Disable everything in the Run tab. In the services tab, click
to hide MS services and then uncheck the remainder.
Click to expand...

Please direct me to instructions where I can find out how to run MSConfig.
Or please list them in a response. I'm not very good with knowing even the
most common abbreviations (witness even my possible confusion with "KB"), so
spelling things out and observing basic rules of capitalization and
punctuation would help a lot.
Reboot. Close MSConfig. Try installing SP3. If successful [after the final
reboot], run MSConfig and restore whatever you disabled.

Make sure Norton is up to date by manually doing a Live Update.

If you uninstall Norton, it will still count down the number of days after
[temporarily] uninstalling. Also verify the policy but when your subscription
is valid, you can install the latest edition off Symantec's site free of
charge.
Click to expand...

My countdown is quite likely 366 or 367 as of today. My renewal date is July
6, and while I had wanted to upgrade from 2006 to 2009 this time around,
because they have my credit card securely (I hope) on file, it got renewed
automatically a few weeks ago before I could do anything about it. After all
of this is cleared up, I may try to upgrade anyway.
 
rslitman said:
Quick Summary - Service Pack 3 won't install. I get an Access
Denied message.

Background Information - My configuration is XP Professional with
administrator rights, although I'm using it on a computer at home.
It was installed when I bought the computer new in February
twenty-oh-three. I have diligently kept my computer updated with
the latest updates using Windows Update since that time (and really
appreciate the ability to do this). But I've hit a snag with SP3.

I first tried installing this when it got automatically downloaded
to my computer last September. When I did a web search on this
problem, I found advice to disable Norton AntiVirus. I never got
around to doing this until today (May 31, twenty-oh-nine). After
disabling Norton AntiVirus (which I'm normally loathe to do), I
still got the problem.

One thing that just occurred to me - in the intervening months, I
installed another Norton product, Save & Restore. I didn't disable
or stop running this one today. Could that have been the reason? Or
are there other things that were possibly running that caused this?

One more thing - I did not restart the computer in between
disabling Norton AntiVirus and attempting the install. Could that
be the reason?

Thanks for any help anyone can give me here.
Click to expand...

I would personally get rid of Norton - especially if it is more than just
the AntiVirus product. The built in (Windows XP) firewall is more than
sufficient for most home users and especially so if they are also using some
sort of router/NAT device between them and the Internet. Combine that with
a decent antivirus software and some common sense and you have essentially
all the active protection needed.

In any case - let's get you through the install of Service Pack 3.

Fix your file/registry permissions...

Ignore the title and follow the sub-section under "Advanced Troubleshooting"
titled, "Method 1: Reset the registry and the file permissions"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949377

Reboot and ...

Download, install, run, update and perform a full scan (separately) with the
following two applications (freeware versions are the ones to use for this):

SuperAntiSpyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/

MalwareBytes
http://www.malwarebytes.com/

After performing a full scan with one and then the other and removing
whatever they both find completely, you may uninstall these products,
if you wish.

Download and run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

Reboot.

Search your registry for %fystem and replace the "f" with an "s". May be
three or four matches, may be none. You may even have to take ownership
(even after doing the above) of the keys in order to make the change.

Download/Install the latest Windows Installer (for your OS):
( Windows XP 32-bit : WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe )
http://www.microsoft.com/downloadS/...6F-60B6-4412-95B9-54D056D6F9F4&displaylang=en

Reboot.

and...

Download the latest version of the Windows Update agent from here (x86):
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=91237
.... and save it to the root of your C:\ drive. After saving it to the root
of the C:\ drive, do the following:

Close all Internet Explorer windows and other applications.

Start button --> RUN and type in:
%SystemDrive%\windowsupdateagent30-x86.exe /WUFORCE
--> Click OK.

(If asked, select "Run.) --> Click on NEXT --> Select "I agree" and click on
NEXT --> When it finishes installing, click on "Finish"...

Reboot.

Then follow the instructions here:

How do I reset Windows Update components?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058

Reboot.

Now for SP3...

Suggestions:

1) Download the full SP3 installation file.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for
IT Professionals and Developers (works just as well for you.)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...A8-5E76-401F-BE08-1E1555D4F3D4&displaylang=en

2) Ensure (as well as plausible) you have no spyware/malware by doing a full
scan with SuperAntiSpyware and MalwareBytes. If you are following
along,
you have already done this!

3) CHKDSK

How to scan your disks for errors
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265

4) Defragment

How to Defragment your hard drives
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848

5) Ensure your hardware drivers are up to date (from the hardware
manufacturer's respective web pages.)

6) Reboot right before you try to install SP3.

7) Disconnect from the internet before installing (physically.)

8) Disable your antivirus and antispyware applications when you are about to
install SP3.

Install SP3 by running the downloaded executable. Reboot when requested to
do so. Logon and let the machine 'settle' for about 10 minutes. Reboot.
Give it 5 minutes after logon to 'settle' - reboot.

After that - there will be more updates.

Log on as an user with administrative rights and open Internet Explorer
and visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and select to do a
CUSTOM scan...
(Every time you are about to click on something while at these web pages -
first press and hold down the CTRL key while you click on it. You can
release the CTRL key after clicking each time.)

Once the scan is done, select just _ONE_ of the high priority updates
(deselect any others) and install it.

Reboot again.

If it did work - try the web page again - selecting no more than 3-5 at a
time.

The Optional Software updates are generally safe - although I recommend
against the "Windows Search" one and any of the "Office Live" ones for
now. I would completely avoid the Optional Hardware updates. Also - I do
not see any urgent need to install Internet Explorer 8 at this time.

Come back - let us know if that worked.
.... Really - come back and let everyone know if that worked.

You may want to run a second scan with SuperAntiSpyware and MalwareBytes
after everything is updated.
 
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