FYI: Vista SP1

Customer was having an issue since he installed SP1, so I figured I would bite the bullet and install it...

7 tries, and 8 hours later -- still unable to install it :sqerr:

After the first failure (which BTW, shows it completed 100%, then rolls back anyway), I started reading all the techie forums, and it seems that roughly less than half of the folks have had any success installing SP1 since it was "final", about mid March. I tried all the suggestions available -- to no avail on my machine.

Most have them have talked with MS techies, and apparently, it is not actually final, and they are still working out some kinks in the install for it.


Unless you like wasting loads of time, to have it revert back (and lose your restore points in the process), I would recommend waiting until they push the release... ;)


Just a public service announcement from the Farm :)

I read on MS this morning that it would be avialable for download via Windows update...mid month...

I got it through update, but you still have to ask for it at this point. They have a link on their download page, that will send it through update -- there are prereqs that still haven't been fully pushed though.

They will push the full SP1 to you when they get it working, if you have auto updates turned on. You will get it whether you like it or not... ;)

Funny thing, a few weeks back SP1 was available to me via Windows Update. I downloaded and installed it without a hitch.

Last night, I boinked my MBR trying to triple boot Vista, XP, and Ubuntu and had to do a full factory restore. When I downloaded all the windows updates, SP1 wasn't there.. Kinda strange. :eek:

They be testing the water -- so to speak... ;)

They be testing the water -- so to speak... ;)

So you're saying I'm like a Guinea pig? :sqeek::sqlaugh:

Rick,
If you cant, than I cant for shure!

Rick,
If you cant, than I cant for shure!

Seems to be hit or miss -- depending on your system, drivers, registry, etc...

There's roughly a 100 million copies of Vista floating about now, many using old drivers, old apps, etc., so I imagine it is a daunting task for them to get this to work properly on every machine... :sqerr:

I notice on the upgrade, they do a full registry scan near the end, and my best guess is that's where it might be failing, and setting a flag to roll back...

Funny thing, a few weeks back SP1 was available to me via Windows Update. I downloaded and installed it without a hitch.

Last night, I boinked my MBR trying to triple boot Vista, XP, and Ubuntu and had to do a full factory restore. When I downloaded all the windows updates, SP1 wasn't there.. Kinda strange. :eek:

Dan,

The folks at MS, strongly advise doing a system repair from the original disc, instead of a full factory restore. You get to keep all your programs and data that way, but it restores all Vista defaults, and fixes the registry :)

Dan,

The folks at MS, strongly advise doing a system repair from the original disc, instead of a full factory restore. You get to keep all your programs and data that way, but it restores all Vista defaults, and fixes the registry :)

Thanks Rick. HP's recovery disc is confusing, I was confused as to the difference between System Restore and System Recovery, and it doesn't explain it. :eek:

Anyhow I'm now triple booting Vista, XP and Ubuntu. XP is my default OS for now. :)

Vista sucks.

I just successfully updated to SP1!
Not a problem if all your drivers are up to date and don't conflict with drivers on the "not yet working for SP1" list.

As I understand it, if your sytem has no conflicts with that list, it is offered as an update, and if there is a conflict it isn't offered at all. When the issues for the conflicting drivers are fixed, then they will push it to everyone.

I was notified by windows of the upgrade, meaning my system met the requirements of that so called list.

You can also go directly to the windows site and download the SP, but you'll need to make sure you are running with the latest drivers for all your hardware if you wish to succeed... So I'm told.

Just an update here :)


I finally got SP1 installed, but...

I had to do a full factory restore of Vista, in order to do so. It turns out, it had nothing to do with drivers. Since this is a test machine, I just went and did it.


It had to do with the Event Log Service not running. If you change ownership of certain Window's folders (notably where the Event Logs are stored), the Event Log will not run properly, and the SP1 upgrade cannot complete (along with many other upgrades).

I, of course, changed ownership of all Win folders, so it would stop asking me stupid Vista questions everytime I tried to do something. That will totally screw up Vista's User Account Control (which is what I intended it to do) -- but, it also hoses up your upgrades :sqwink:

There are ways around doing a full restore to fix the UAC, but they involve running a bunch of utility programs to restore different parts of the registry, and are not for the faint at heart. I didn't have much on the machine, so I just did the restore.

Just something to be aware of...

I'm no geek, but I will offer this FWIW...I heard thru a reliable geek source that SP1 will not install IF it scans your configuration and finds anything such as drivers that would not be compatible with the upgrade. If it senses any drivers that would fail after an upgrade, it will not upgrade. As drivers become available, it will keep scanning and when you look compatible it will automatically be offered to you.

Remember that great oxymoron.... Microsoft works! :sqlaugh: :sqwink:

I'm no geek, but I will offer this FWIW...I heard thru a reliable geek source that SP1 will not install IF it scans your configuration and finds anything such as drivers that would not be compatible with the upgrade. If it senses any drivers that would fail after an upgrade, it will not upgrade. As drivers become available, it will keep scanning and when you look compatible it will automatically be offered to you.


Yeah, the SP1 upgrade won't show in your upgrade list, unless all your drivers meet the requirements, and all the pre-reqs are also installed. That was not the case with mine -- just me screwing with the OS :sqbiggrin:


Remember that great oxymoron.... Microsoft works!

BTW, I don't blame MS at all -- it's all you crazy people that visit porn and crackz sites, that forced them to put all this junk in there, so your system won't get corrupted. Knowing some of the developers of the core, I can tell you they wanted no part of putting a lot of this junk in there. But since many can't control their habits, we all get screwed now :sqerr: :sqwink:

Hey Rick, the desktop is on XP again. I got really tired of UAC. When an OS is designed to annoy the end user (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080411-vistas-uac-security-prompt-was-designed-to-annoy-you.html) something is wrong. Even doing a registry hack, left me with stupid "your computer may be at risk" (because UAC was disabled) popup in the systray that you cannot turn off. I bit the bullet and formatted the main computer back to XP.

Since I cannot get XP on the laptop (SCSI driver issue), Wiped the whole HD and installed Ubuntu.

I cannot understand why MS would power play with developers by screwing with their paying customers. :eek: Anywho, I wonder what SP3 will bring for XP :)

An issue of control, I suspect Dan... :sqerr:

Personally, I liked the days of the DOS prompt, where you could really get yourself in some trouble, but I understand where they are coming from.


Think about the word support for a moment...

MS sells you an OS, either when buying the computer, or installing it yourself. That is their main form of income, selling software. They also have to support it as well.


Joe User, goes to porn sites, gets free software from hacker sites, gets infected with all sorts of maladies, and then calls MS for support! MS has to pay employees to field these calls. They then have two choices:

1. Raise the price of the software to an exorbitant level...

2. Build in as many safeguards as possible, so they can limit the paid employees manning the phones for support.


Check out the price difference between Vista Ultimate OEM, versus retail -- about $100 difference. Reason is, the OEM copy has to be supported by the person/company who installs it, not MS. If you want MS support, you pay the extra $100.


Software (after development costs), is all about support, and how little you can spend on it. I regularly take stuff out of my software before release, because it will cost me too much to support, and basically kill my profits. I also add stuff that will make it easier from a support point of view.


It's hard to keep everybody happy, and still put food on the table daily...

An issue of control, I suspect Dan... :sqerr:

Personally, I liked the days of the DOS prompt, where you could really get yourself in some trouble, but I understand where they are coming from.


Think about the word support for a moment...

MS sells you an OS, either when buying the computer, or installing it yourself. That is their main form of income, selling software. They also have to support it as well.


Joe User, goes to porn sites, gets free software from hacker sites, gets infected with all sorts of maladies, and then calls MS for support! MS has to pay employees to field these calls. They then have two choices:

1. Raise the price of the software to an exorbitant level...

2. Build in as many safeguards as possible, so they can limit the paid employees manning the phones for support.


Check out the price difference between Vista Ultimate OEM, versus retail -- about $100 difference. Reason is, the OEM copy has to be supported by the person/company who installs it, not MS. If you want MS support, you pay the extra $100.


Software (after development costs), is all about support, and how little you can spend on it. I regularly take stuff out of my software before release, because it will cost me too much to support, and basically kill my profits. I also add stuff that will make it easier from a support point of view.


It's hard to keep everybody happy, and still put food on the table daily...

You make a great point, I hadn't even thought of the nightmare MS has to deal with supporting millions of people that can barely turn on a computer. I know how frustrated I get just trying to walk some less savvy people through a vBulletin install. So ya got me there +1 for Rick. :)

However, I still think advanced users should be able to turn off UAC without a security warning every darn time you turn on your computer. The consequence of all these mostly meaningless UAC prompts is users will learn to ignore them and automatically click allow. All that aggravation for nothing. I sincerely hope Windows 7 has a better system. What that may be, I don't know.

BTW Desktop is back on Vista, posting from a fresh install right now. I got bored what can I say? :sqrolleyes: :sqbiggrin:

So, I dumped the Home Premium on that test machine, and installed a clean retail version of Vista Ultimate 64 Bit -- Man, what a difference!

Much faster and responsive, and boot up times are cut in half.

I'm likin' this much better :sqbiggrin:

SP1 Intalled fine here.