Topic: Win XP SP3

[landofoz]

First off, let me express my deep primal loathing for all things microsoft.     Someone please tell me why I'm not using Linux? 

My stupid computer has been trying to install Win SP3 for the past month and the darn-tooting thing won't go because there are some registries locked.  My computer has experienced an extreme slow down on windows boot up and in operation of general tasks since the first time it tried to install.  I went to the worthless Microsoft website (which forces me to use nasty IE) and eventually found a microsoft site for fixing the issues.  Great.  Wonderful.  So I did the first suggested thing: turn off AV and anti-spyware type stuff.  No dice, wait 40 minutes for the thing to mostly install and then uninstall itself.  Fine, solution 2: run this script to do something good for the registry.  Running the script blue screened me!  So then I start prowling the help/support forum thingy (which takes ages to load for some reason).  There a Microsoft employee recommended to another user to type in some command lines.  Which my computer promptly threw back and me saying they weren't valid. 

I have been working on this for over 4 hours now, install and uninstalling the darn update and my computer is running worse and worse.  I need to go and restore my restore point, I guess 'cause it's getting ridiculous.  There is a reason why there's a 3 day wait on the purchase of firearms.    My computer would be full of holes at this point... 

Any suggestions?

[Dianna]

Back away from the computer, Sarah Loo. At least until Jim gets a chance to read this post to see if he can help you. I would, but I don't know anything about technical stuff. Sorry...

He will be home soon...

[Jim]

I need some additional information before I can make a suggestion.  What brand computer are we talking about and what is the microprocessor? 

[landofoz]

We are talking about a Dell Demension with about half the drive sittin' empty.  It has a hyper threaded Intel Pentium 4 CPU, 3.20Ghz, using WIndows XP Home Ed. fully update with SP2. The Service Pack 3 update is for updating windows itself.  Here is the mumbo-jumbo from MS: "Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) is an update to Windows XP that addresses key feedback from our customers and is a cumulative update that includes all previously released updates for Windows XP, including security updates. Windows XP SP3 contains a small number of new updates and should not significantly change the Windows XP experience. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer"

[Jim]

Ok here is something pretty easy to try.  I have used this before and it does some really neat stuff.  It's a free utility called Dial-A-Fix.  This is a link to a wiki article about it as well as a download near the bottom of the article.

http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Dial-a-fix

I have read a number of forums where folks had the same problem you have and this utility fixed it. 

[landofoz]

Apparently there is FREE online support for it, I figure make MS pay out some money for someone to help me.  We'll see if that works.

[Jim]

Definitely take advantage of that.  I didn't install SP3 for several months but finally did on the 2 desktops and 2 laptops we have as well as Aunt Bonnie's desktop and laptop without any problems.

I'm surprised that you are having problems with it.  Most of the problems I read were with AMD processors.

Be sure and let us know what MS does!

[landofoz]

Well, it took over 3 hours with MS tech to get my poor computer sorted out.  Oh, it was great, the person was always very polite and nice.  I relayed the steps that I had done and the outcome of each step.  Well, the person went ahead and retried each step.  Come to find out, I knew what I was talking about and had done everything right.  Same outcome each time.  For instance there is a program S....ACL that I had installed and then ran a script.  Well, running that script caused a "fatal error" and forced an immediate shut down of windows.  I got to do that an additional 3 times tonight, this person was really thinking that it would work.  It is always fun watching someone remote access my computer. 

After the 3rd blue screen, the person went ahead and transferred (from his/her computer to mine via the remote access) Dial-A-Fix.     I was laughing so hard.  I could have done that myself!!     I mean, really?!  I do feel quite satisfied that MS just paid someone 3 hours labor (an hour of which was after closing hours, mind you) for something I could have done in probably 20 minutes.  Sweet revenge.     I also find it hilarious that MS can't even fix their own stuff, they have to use 3rd party programs.  In the end, I am quite certain that this is what fixed the registries so that they could be updated. 

Thanks so much for your help, Jim.  If the chat didn't work tonight, I was going to try out the Dial A fix. 

[OhioHauntedPlaces]

I would like to suggest something if your pc ever has any problems again i suggest that you take to geeksquad they do one hell of a good job on laptops and desktop computers but i have to buy them up front before doing any work on it.It worth the money tell ya the truth a friend of mines pc didnt even want to turn on he took it to geeksquad when he got it back it turn on for him they said they power button was burned out and they fixed it for him

they are in BestBuy www.geeksquad.com or look them up under www.bestbuy.com