SP2 dowload size

  • Thread starter Thread starter William B. Lurie
  • Start date Start date
W

William B. Lurie

Windows Update pop-up suggested dowloading and installing
SP2---70-odd Megabytes. But when I went to Microsoft website
to download SP2, it downloaded a file almost 279 MB. One
of you MVPs like to resolve this paradox? Thanks.
 
Two different animals.
The first skips the critical updates you've previously installed, the second
is the full (I.T.) version including all updates, intended for burning to CD
& installing on multiple PCs.
 
Thanks, John, but there's a little inconsistency here. For one thing,
I got the impression that they wouldn't allow me to download the 70 MB
version to install when I feel like. For another, how can one fixed-size
version which skips previously installed updates cover all people,
some of whom may have opted not to install certain updates?
W B L
 
No, John is correct.

The IT version is a full 279MB because it contains all the updates to Service
Pack 1 (including the Service Pack itself, plus all the updates since, including
Service Pack 2). It is designed to be installed on a fresh install of XP
(although most IT Professionals merge it with a copy of XP in a process called
slip-streaming). IT Professionals use this version of the XP because they won't
have to determine what updates are installed on the many systems they have to
update. With this SP, they can push it automatically via script or by Microsoft
System Update Server.

The 70MB file is for those individuals who have kept up with the updating of XP.
Those individuals need only the software to update their systems to SP2.

The truth is, Microsoft cannot determine what you need to download until it can
scan your system. That's why it would be difficult to allow you to store this
download. It's only valid for the scan just completed. If you made a change to
your system in the intervening time, then installed the update, it would be wrong.

The 279MB update contains all the updates. The installer examines your system,
then installs only the updates you need. So if machine A needs 120MB, it gets
it; if machine B needs 70MB, that's all it gets.

Regardless, teh 279MB file contains all of the updates.

HTH

courtney sends...
 
Hi

An upgrade to SP2 via Windows Update can vary between 80 & 120 MBs -
depending on what WU finds already on your system (file not downloadable
separately). The downloadable SP2 file (266 MBs) contains all the previous
Updates. This file can be used to update XP from an 'original' CD install,
SP1/1a or used to create a slipstreamed XP SP2 CD for a 'Clean' install of
XP SP2.
 
William said:
Thanks, John, but there's a little inconsistency here. For one thing,
I got the impression that they wouldn't allow me to download the 70 MB
version to install when I feel like. For another, how can one
fixed-size version which skips previously installed updates cover all
people, some of whom may have opted not to install certain updates?
W B L
Click to expand...

William

The smaller file is for an online interactive install. It checks for any
updates that may already be installed and only installs the needed files to
bring a particular system up to SP2.

The second, larger version works the same way, but contains all of the
updates that may be needed. This larger file can be used offline to bring
any system up to SP2. This larger file can also be used to slipstream an XP
installation CD. This is the same package that is contained on the official
SP2 CD that is available from Microsoft.
 
Will said:
Hi

An upgrade to SP2 via Windows Update can vary between 80 & 120 MBs -
depending on what WU finds already on your system (file not downloadable
separately). The downloadable SP2 file (266 MBs) contains all the previous
Updates. This file can be used to update XP from an 'original' CD install,
SP1/1a or used to create a slipstreamed XP SP2 CD for a 'Clean' install of
XP SP2.
Click to expand...
Okay, I thank you all for, and understand the logic and
the differences. I normally prefer to do upgrades like
that off-line, so I'll just wait for my CD to arrive in
the mail. Just as a point of information.....I intend to
upgrade my backup (cloned) system first, leaving my main
hard drive in a safe condition. I don't trust my main
system to something not previously tested by me and found
safe. That way I only have to walk in my own footsteps, not
somebody else's.

And I can't do SP2 on my cloned system online because Symantec
gets unhappy and requires re-activation of their software
every time I try to go online with my cloned system. I
wouldn't mind having to do that when and if it becomes
necessary, but every now and then they even refuse to
activate, make me phone in, go through too much "Big Brother
is watching you" rigamarole.
 
William said:
Okay, I thank you all for, and understand the logic and
the differences. I normally prefer to do upgrades like
that off-line, so I'll just wait for my CD to arrive in
the mail. Just as a point of information.....I intend to
upgrade my backup (cloned) system first, leaving my main
hard drive in a safe condition. I don't trust my main
system to something not previously tested by me and found
safe. That way I only have to walk in my own footsteps, not
somebody else's.

And I can't do SP2 on my cloned system online because Symantec
gets unhappy and requires re-activation of their software
every time I try to go online with my cloned system. I
wouldn't mind having to do that when and if it becomes
necessary, but every now and then they even refuse to
activate, make me phone in, go through too much "Big Brother
is watching you" rigamarole.
Click to expand...
And now, 2 hours later, a report on my progress. I followed
through as intended, except that I made a CD copy of the
279Meg SP2 download. The implication has been that it is
what I will eventually receive on CD from Microsoft. I
tried to install it as the upgrade on the good working
clone of my main system. I fired it up and turned off
all the application programs I could, especially Norton
Anti-Virus. I also disconnected from the phone line, since
I prefer not to run my system online without A-V protection.

It started nicely, and did all the checking it does, and I
thought it was making progress nicely. It did all the backing
up, the last of which was Registry. Then I got an error
window:
"Unable to read from or write to database".
I thought, maybe that means a Microsoft online database,
but as I said above, I am installing this upgrade offline.

Well, not knowing what to do about it, I just closed that
window, and it proceeded, for a while, and then came the
fatal error...the window which read
"Install did not complete".
It just hung there, and gave no choices, so I waited a
while and then just shut the system down and am now back
in operation on my main system. I have no idea what
condition the clone is, half way between SP1 and SP2 maybe.
What did I do wrong?
 
The following is a partial repost on the same subject. I
have deleted a lot of the history so the subject isn't quite right.
I am in need of somebody interpreting SP2's error messages,as
tagged with <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<below, and telling me how to install
SP2 from my CD. If anybody has answered...I missed it. I got the
CD by downloading from Microsoft website (279MB) and burning
it to a CD. I ran strictly off-line, with everything disabled that
I was able to disable.
Install started nicely, and did all the checking it does, and I
thought it was making progress nicely. It did all the backing
up, the last of which was Registry. Then I got an error
window:
"Unable to read from or write to database".<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
I thought, maybe that means a Microsoft online database,
but as I said above, I am installing this upgrade offline.

Well, not knowing what to do about it, I just closed that
window, and it proceeded, for a while, and then came the
fatal error...the window which read
"Install did not complete".<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
It just hung there, and gave no choices, so I waited a
while and then just shut the system down and am now back
in operation on my main system. I have no idea what
condition the clone is in, half way between SP1 and SP2 maybe.
What did I do wrong?
Click to expand...
And now, 2 hours later, a report on my progress. I followed
through as intended, except that I made a CD copy of the
279Meg SP2 download. The implication has been that it is
what I will eventually receive on CD from Microsoft. I
tried to install it as the upgrade on the good working
clone of my main system. I fired it up and turned off
all the application programs I could, especially Norton
Anti-Virus. I also disconnected from the phone line, since
I prefer not to run my system online without A-V protection.

It started nicely, and did all the checking it does, and I
thought it was making progress nicely. It did all the backing
up, the last of which was Registry. Then I got an error
window:
"Unable to read from or write to database".
I thought, maybe that means a Microsoft online database,
but as I said above, I am installing this upgrade offline.

Well, not knowing what to do about it, I just closed that
window, and it proceeded, for a while, and then came the
fatal error...the window which read
"Install did not complete".
It just hung there, and gave no choices, so I waited a
while and then just shut the system down and am now back
in operation on my main system. I have no idea what
condition the clone is, half way between SP1 and SP2 maybe.
What did I do wrong?
Click to expand...


--
 
The following is a partial repost on the same subject.
I am in need of somebody interpreting SP2's error messages,as
tagged with <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<below, and telling me how to install
SP2 from my CD. If anybody has answered...I missed it. I got the
CD by downloading from Microsoft website (279MB) and burning
it to a CD. I ran strictly off-line, with everything disabled that
I was able to disable.
Install started nicely, and did all the checking it does, and I
thought it was making progress nicely. It did all the backing
up, the last of which was Registry. Then I got an error
window:
"Unable to read from or write to database".<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
I thought, maybe that means a Microsoft online database,
but as I said above, I am installing this upgrade offline.

Well, not knowing what to do about it, I just closed that
window, and it proceeded, for a while, and then came the
fatal error...the window which read
"Install did not complete".<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
It just hung there, and gave no choices, so I waited a
while and then just shut the system down and am now back
in operation on my main system. I have no idea what
condition the clone is in, half way between SP1 and SP2 maybe.
What did I do wrong?
Click to expand...
And now, 2 hours later, a report on my progress. I followed
through as intended, except that I made a CD copy of the
279Meg SP2 download. The implication has been that it is
what I will eventually receive on CD from Microsoft. I
tried to install it as the upgrade on the good working
clone of my main system. I fired it up and turned off
all the application programs I could, especially Norton
Anti-Virus. I also disconnected from the phone line, since
I prefer not to run my system online without A-V protection.

It started nicely, and did all the checking it does, and I
thought it was making progress nicely. It did all the backing
up, the last of which was Registry. Then I got an error
window:
"Unable to read from or write to database".
I thought, maybe that means a Microsoft online database,
but as I said above, I am installing this upgrade offline.

Well, not knowing what to do about it, I just closed that
window, and it proceeded, for a while, and then came the
fatal error...the window which read
"Install did not complete".
It just hung there, and gave no choices, so I waited a
while and then just shut the system down and am now back
in operation on my main system. I have no idea what
condition the clone is, half way between SP1 and SP2 maybe.
What did I do wrong?
Click to expand...


--
 
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