SP2 needs 1.8 GB free space?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Terry Pinnell
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T

Terry Pinnell

At this page about 'System Requirements for Windows XP Service Pack 2'
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sysreqs.mspx
I read that, amongst other things, my computer needs "1.8 GB of
available hard disk space during installation."

My C: partition, containing my SP1 OS, had about 1.3 GB spare
capacity. Could that have been the cause of all the problems I had
(despite a 'Success' message at the end)? Why does it need such
enormous space? If I ever try again (my 3rd attempt) is there any way
I can use my D: partition, which has 100 GB free space?
 
|>At this page about 'System Requirements for Windows XP Service Pack 2'
|>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sysreqs.mspx
|>I read that, amongst other things, my computer needs "1.8 GB of
|>available hard disk space during installation."
|>
|>My C: partition, containing my SP1 OS, had about 1.3 GB spare
|>capacity. Could that have been the cause of all the problems I had
|>(despite a 'Success' message at the end)? Why does it need such
|>enormous space? If I ever try again (my 3rd attempt) is there any way
|>I can use my D: partition, which has 100 GB free space?


I upgraded SP2 and IIRC it install if you had 800Megs free.

500megs (which you don't get back) are needed for the directory
WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386
 
Can you temporarily transfer some files (non-system of course) to the 100g
drive and try installing SP2?
 
You can move your pagefile from the C to D partition to gain space on C.
A good house cleaning of temp files, Etc. might also help.

JS
 
SP2 extracts the files into a temporary folder, and then runs the install
from there. If you have only one hard drive, and insufficient space for the
"complete" operation, the installation will fail.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
|>At this page about 'System Requirements for Windows XP Service Pack 2'
|>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sysreqs.mspx
|>I read that, amongst other things, my computer needs "1.8 GB of
|>available hard disk space during installation."
|>
|>My C: partition, containing my SP1 OS, had about 1.3 GB spare
|>capacity. Could that have been the cause of all the problems I had
|>(despite a 'Success' message at the end)? Why does it need such
|>enormous space? If I ever try again (my 3rd attempt) is there any way
|>I can use my D: partition, which has 100 GB free space?


I upgraded SP2 and IIRC it install if you had 800Megs free.

500megs (which you don't get back) are needed for the directory
WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's consistent with my having about 500 MB free on C: after
the install (from about 1.3 GB at the start), although I suppose the
temporary requirement could have been much higher.

BTW, back in the relative heaven that is SP1, I must have another bug:
I can only see 2 of those 5 Rubik Cube dimensions <g>.
 
Callmark1 said:
Can you temporarily transfer some files (non-system of course) to the 100g
drive and try installing SP2?
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I'd already done as much spring-cleaning as possible, give
or take a few tens of MB. And my page file has been on D: for a long
time.
 
JS said:
You can move your pagefile from the C to D partition to gain space on C.
A good house cleaning of temp files, Etc. might also help.

JS
Click to expand...

Thanks JS, but, as per my reply to Callmark1, I've done all that
already.
 
PA Bear said:
cf. The hard disk space requirements for Windows XP Service Pack 2:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=837783
Click to expand...

Yes, thanks, I saw that a little later, and was puzzled at its
apparently much lower space estimates. From Jupiter's reply,
presumably it's the distinction between the 75MB Express and the 266MB
'Full' versions? Looking again at the page I referred, I don't see any
explicit mention of that, so it's ambiguous.
 
Richard Urban said:
SP2 extracts the files into a temporary folder, and then runs the install
from there. If you have only one hard drive, and insufficient space for the
"complete" operation, the installation will fail.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but apart from the question as to what *is* sufficient, that
leaves the issue of what is a 'fail'? I'm sure you don't mean you'll
only find out that it's failed when some things go wrong, or are
erratic?

After a long period during which SP2 was apparently calculating the
space requirements, I assume it found I had 'sufficient'. And that
squares with an Express requirement of about 800 MB, not 1.8 GB.
 
Jupiter Jones said:
The space requirements are less if you perform an Express Installation
instead of using the CD.
Express installation is not recommended.
Click to expand...

Thanks. As per my replies up-thread, that's an important distinction I
hadn't appreciated. (And which I think is not made clear at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sysreqs.mspx )
Terry;
Free up space on the hard drive, Step 7 on this link:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm
Also:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm

Also see:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks. Reckon I've attended to most of those preparatory issues, but
I'll study more closely before my next attempt. If there ever is one,
that is said:
But if you are getting that close, it may be time to consider a larger hard
drive or additional hard drive.
Click to expand...

You must have missed this in my OP:
"If I ever try again (my 3rd attempt) is there any way I can use my D:
partition, which has 100 GB free space?"

---------

Presumably, if I'd used the 266MB CD which I do have, instead of
installing the online way (as 'Recommended' - MS recommendations tend
to cover the range quite widely!), which I thought would be simpler
and more 'up-to-date' (my CD is a year old), then I *would* have had
insufficient space?

I'll be posting widely again here and elsewhere about the individual
problems I encountered during my few hours of hell with SP2 (again!),
in an attempt to get to the bottom of each of them before I even
*think* of trying for a 3rd time. If anyone has any ideas on those
I've raised so far, any and all input would be greatly welcomed
please.
 
PA Bear said:
Terry's already installed SP2 (a second time) but he's having some problems: http://snipurl.com/regn (recent posts to MS NGs)

See especially "Why this message?" thread in Windows Update newsgroup.
Click to expand...

Correct - although 'some problems' is putting it more mildly than I
was around midnight!

The irony is that my principal motivation in attempting the upgrade
again (apart getting 'up to date' and hence more 'supportable') was
very specific. I simply wanted to install a USB 2.0 PCI adapter to
supplement my slow USB 1.0 ports. Having added one to my wife's XP
Home PC a few days ago, I was disappointed when my own identical unit
failed to install. Reading the small print of this 'D-Link DUB-A2 USB
2.0 PCI Adapter' I found it needs 'all latest updates and service
packs'. So I assumed that was the reason. (I had upgraded my wife's PC
to SP2 ages ago, with no problem.) Hence the SP2 install.

However, with SP2 'successfully installed', in the brief interludes
between forced reboots, I did actually check the card's status (after
re-installing the CD-based driver) ... and it *still* didn't install!
 
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