[LegendLees]

Ok having a serious problem trying to install Service pack 2 onto my home PC. I used to have SP2 on my computer and it worked and installed perfectly but months ago I had to format and put on SP1. I have now decided that I want SP2 back on and having tried around 6 times with 2 different discs and with no avail. I am having the same problem every time; it will not finish the installation and will hang on the boot screen. It will install all the components but on boot it will hang and not finish. It has installed before on this same PC with no problems but not these times. I have tried an upgrade, a clean install; install driver and computer updates then trying both ways again. I have tried a quick and even a long format process but with the same problem every time. Could it be the hardware? I have made 3 changes since the last time of having SP2 on my PC and they are as follows:

- GeForce 5500 has now changed to GeForce 6600
- Added more RAM 256mb to 1GB
- Added a fan

Really could use the help, I’m not sure where to go from this, stuck with SP1 and unable to install the latest software I need for my college work.

Cheers
Chris

[Dave Hybrid]

From experience the only way I have ever got round this problem is to do a fresh install and then add SP2 before doing anything else.

SP2 is well known not to install on a PC that has many updates since SP1.

[evilfantasy]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885626

[LegendLees]

Tried both methods many times, but it just can get past that boot screen as shown on the image i have attached, even from a fresh install, whole computer is blank, or even with that update.

[Dave Hybrid]

You must have some hardware that SP2 doesn't like.

You could try removing any add on cards like sound card, network card etc and try booting.

Other than that it would be hard to diagnose.

[LegendLees]

I have tried changing my graphics card back to its original, that didn't work, i have also removed my firewire card, and those both together didn't work. These are the only things added since i last installed SP2 ages ago. Still unsure where to go from this?

[Dave Hybrid]

Originally Posted by LegendLees I have tried changing my graphics card back to its original, that didn't work, i have also removed my firewire card, and those both together didn't work. These are the only things added since i last installed SP2 ages ago. Still unsure where to go from this?

Removed and a fresh XP install?

Go right back to basics, then do a fresh install, then put SP2 on as the first thing you do, before anything, including drivers.

[evilfantasy]

Microsoft Help Get Your PC Ready for Windows XP SP2

[LegendLees]

Ok used both of your advice, but guess what? The hang on the boot screen came back again! Getting fustrated too withit! Sigh, don't know where to go.

[LegendLees]

Ok tried once more. And with that I have made a slight discovery, again it crashed so my friend suggested the CD drive may be stopping it from continuing, but I wasn't convinced, but did change it. With this drive in I installed SP2 from clean again on a standard not quick format and it did hang on the boot screen once again but this time it didn't get the blue bar across seven times before crashing but only three? So why did this make a difference? Blue bar goes across seven times before hanging with my original CD drive and three times with this other drive. So any ideas now?