Windows XP repair wipes out sp2 and sp3

[sailerman]

i had something bugging my pc and causing IE8 and firefox 3 to keep getting bsod and rebooting. after many attempts of fixing it I tried using the xp repair on the cd and when it was done it took out sp 2 and 3. Should I just clean my hard drive and start all over again and reinstall eveything? Now it keeps coming up attempting to reinstall something on its own and getting an installation error that I can't figure out where it is coming from. the pc will boot and I am typing on it it now but its not just right.

 

[LookinAround]

1) I'm not sure what you mean by "it took out sp 2 and 3"
2) But regardless, it frankly sounds like you'd be best to do a full reformat and re-install. Have you been able to backup all your personal files/folders yet?

 

[tw0rld]

This Happens if the reinstall Disc is an older version of the Os, than the one you currently have installed.

 

[LookinAround]

This Happens if the reinstall Disc is an older version of the Os, than the one you currently have installed.

Hmmm....

An XP reinstall will overwrite whatever was on the disk

On the other hand, sailerman indicated an XP repair. If i take what was posted literally, then XP won't allow you to do an XP repair with an older XP version then is on your hard drive.

So... sailerman: What did you mean??? did you reinstall or repair XP from your CDs before? And what did you mean by "it took out sp 2 and 3"

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

The nature of a repair installation is to restore the Windows system files to their original state. Thus, any service packs or OS patches will need to be reapplied after the repair, unless they've been slipstreamed to your OS disc. You must repatch Windows via Windows Update - except, there's a common issue with that:

Scenario 1

This problem occurs because of how the Windows XP repair operation replaces Windows system files. When you repair a Windows installation by using a Windows XP CD, the repair operation performs both of the following operations:

* It replaces all the Windows system files with the corresponding files from the CD.

Note: This includes the Windows Update files.

* It restores the Windows registry.

The latest version of Windows Update includes a file that was not available in the release version of Windows XP. This file is named Wups2.dll. Therefore, after the repair operation is complete, the following situation exists:

* The Wups2.dll file remains on the computer.
* The registry entries that correspond to this file are missing.

Because the registry files that correspond to the Wups2.dll file are missing, update installations are unsuccessful.

Scenario 2

This problem occurs when the latest Windows Update client has been installed and then you install Windows XP SP3 before restarting the computer. This causes the new Wups2.dll file not to be enabled (registered). When Windows XP SP3 is installed, it does not detect the Wups2.dll file, and it sets the registry to point to the original Wups.dll file version that is included in Windows XP SP2 and Windows XP SP3. Because the registry files that correspond to the Wups2.dll file are missing, update installations are unsuccessful.

Here are resolutions, as provided by Microsoft:

Method 1: Register the Wups2.dll file in Windows
To register the Wups2.dll file in Windows, follow these steps:

1. Stop the Automatic Updates service. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
net stop wuauserv
2. Register the Wups2.dll file. To do this, follow these steps:
1. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
regsvr32 %windir%\system32\wups2.dll
Note For a computer that is running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
regsvr32 %windir%\syswow64\wups2.dll
2. Click OK on each verification message that you receive.
3. Start the Automatic Updates service. To do this, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
net start wuauserv
4. Exit the command prompt. To do this type exit, and then press ENTER.


Method 2: Download and install the Windows Update Agent
For more information about how to download the latest version of Windows Update Agent, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 949104 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949104/ ) How to obtain the latest version of the Windows Update Agent to help manage updates on a computer

 

[raybay]

So use a download of SP2 and SP 3... they should be in every repair kit.

 

[LookinAround]

The nature of a repair installation is to restore the Windows system files to their original state. Thus, any service packs or OS patches will need to be reapplied after the repair, unless they've been slipstreamed to your OS disc. You must repatch Windows via Windows Update - except, there's a common issue with that:
Here are resolutions, as provided by Microsoft:

All true but i believe one item to clarify PLUS another "gotcha" worth noting (and looking out for) about repair installs

1) Windows will give an error message if you try to use a CD with an older SP release then your current installation (e.g. you can't use an XP SP2 CD to repair your drive if it has XP SP3 installed version)

2) As Matthew points out: You may have issues with overwriting Windows files when, for example, you use an SP3 CD to repair your current SP3 installed version ('cuz your current installed SP3 version might include updates above and beyond what's on your SP3 CD)

3) ALSO! There are additional interesting issues to be aware of regarding Internet Explorer when you do a repair install. How to perform a repair installation of Windows XP if a later version of Internet Explorer is installed

 

[mattfrompa]

The ultimate xp repair disc! http://fedoraproject.org/

 

[sailerman]

xp repair wipes out sp2 ans sp3

I was using my original xp pro cd to do a REPAIR. Once it finished, xp update then said I needed to do an update for sp2 and 3. In addition, I keep getting an error "setting product ID Registry Failed"

I have not done the updates. I have mostly everything backed up. Is it better for me just to wipe it clean and reinstall everything? I did this not too long ago and it worked better.

In response to the file missing wups2.dll I have not checked that yet and if it is missing then would it be smarter to just start from a clean hdd?

This all started with IE8 crashing over and over. Mozilla was doing the same thing.

Thanks All for the reponse

 

[sailerman]

OK I registered the file and restarted window s update. Should I still reformat my HDD and reinstall xp pro and then do sp2 and 3?