How to know when SP2 is fully installed (Windows XP Professional SP1)

**jimhaynes** · 2004-08-26 11:10

How do you determine when SP 2 is fully installed.? I have decided to let Windows Update do it automatically and incrementally. I understand that this process started to dribble down for XP Pro on August 25th. I noticed in Add/Remove Programs that I have 9 Hotfixes that begin with (SP2), the last being Q819696. The General Tab in System Properties still says Service Pack 1.

**bigaldoc** · 2004-08-26 11:18

I've only installed one SP2 and I did it with the fullly downloaded file, so I can only suppose that when it's complete for you, the screen "should" say so, as attached.

**Rebel** · 2004-08-26 11:23

<P ID="edit" class=small>(Edited by Rebel on 26-Aug-04 07:23. )</P>

<hr>The General Tab in System Properties still says Service Pack 1. <hr>

It will change to Service Pack 2 when the install is complete. I chose to download the complete installation package and installed from that.

Oops - I see Al was quicker on the response than I was.

***JoeP517*** · 2004-08-26 15:04

The hotfixes that reference SP2 mean that they were intended to be included in SP2 when they were released. See List of fixes included in Windows XP Service Pack 2 for the real list.

Joe

**damnlimey** · 2004-08-26 19:11

I think I have the same question as Jim at the start of this post, but I think his phrasing is not correct. What I want to know is "How long is this dribble down process going to take?" . The installation of SP 2 on your machine needs human intervention - you WILL KNOW when it's ready to install, and therefore when it's fully installed. I want to know how much longer I've got to wait before it's ready to start installing. Auto Updates gave me the "ready to download" message last week, I've had the computer on-line for about 2-4 hrs/day (it's my home machine) on a DSL line every day since. I see no evidence of network activity etc. that might even give me a clue that stuff is coming down. <img src=/S/snail.gif border=0 alt=snail width=21 height=17>

Thought - is my DSL hardware firewall blocking incoming traffic?? <img src=/S/confused.gif border=0 alt=confused width=15 height=20>

***JoeP517*** · 2004-08-26 19:50

Keith,

Since you have a DSL connnection and you don't want to wait download the whole thing from Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation. Don't be diskmayed by the title. It is for all versions of XP and won't take that long to download with DSL.

Joe

**damnlimey** · 2004-08-26 20:04

Thanks Joe - I'll give it a try.

**Rebel** · 2004-08-26 20:10

2-4 hours per day may not be enough. MS is pushing this update to ALL XP users. As for how much longer you will have to wait - I'm sure nobody has that answer. And no, your firewall is not blocking this download. I agree with Joe - download the complete package and install it. The download takes a very little time with a DSL connection. The installation takes considerably longer.

**JohnGray** · 2004-08-27 07:43

There's a file C:WindowsWindowsUpdate.log which may give you information about the times when Windows Update is trying to download the SP2 data. It's deeply-Microsoft-techie, though.

All that my work PC tells me is that the "automatic" download failed on each attempt with error code 8024402C ! Time to pull the 266 MB network install across the network from our software library server, I fear...

John

**DeeJay** · 2004-08-27 15:21

I was just wondering how important it is to download and install SP2 manually rather than wait for it to come through Automatic Update. Is it crucial to have it as soon as possible, or ........ ? What's the story? ( I am a home user on DSL).

**Rebel** · 2004-08-27 15:37

Yes, it's pretty important. In my opinion, the sooner the better.

**DeeJay** · 2004-08-27 17:17

Mmmmm, you know what? The more I'm reading about different people having problems with their computers after installing SP2 --- including that one where it crashed the computer completely --- the more scared I get about installing SP2.

What's going on with this SP2 thing anyway? Any ideas? It almost sounds like it's more scary to have it than not to have it....

**Rebel** · 2004-08-27 17:38

I think you will find that most of the problems have been associated with the "auto update" procedure. As for "crashing the computer completely" (I think you are referring to <!post=this post,402300>this post<!/post> ), this may be a totally unrelated (but coincidental) hardware problem. This is a massive update and there are bound to be a few glitches, and these are what we see publicized. We don't hear about the thousands and thousands of installations that have worked without a hitch. But in the end, it is your decision.

**viking33** · 2004-08-27 17:50

I agree that most of the problems have been with Auto Updates of SP2. Other posts in the lounge have indicated a no problem update with the full download.
Other problems mentioned seem to be with older installed apps.
See thread with a link to a list of known issues. <post#=399801>post 399801</post#>

**DocWatson** · 2004-08-27 18:39

It all depends on how much you trust Microsoft's patch and update process. I for one don't trust the 800 Lb. Gorilla as far as I can throw one !! As a general rule, I wait for the OK from Woody to install the patches and updates and then only do it selectively. If they can't be trusted to get the OS right the first time, how do you trust them to patch it correctly after-the-fact ???

That said, and all things considered, this update/patch/service pack is the most thoroughly tested piece of software MS has EVER released. The scope of things that it fixes, patches, updates and in general the wholesale changes it makes to the OS makes it more like an upgrade than a patch or a service pack. And that is what makes it important and a must have for ALL XP users. Even my skeptical self will be taking the plunge with this one !! I will first do a complete image of my HD to an external drive and set a restore point in System Restore manually, and then install the service pack from a CD sent by snail-mail from MS. Get the CD from them so you can restore your system without having to download anything. If they offer a CD for any upgrade or service pack or patch, take it. No.... insist that they send it !!! You paid for their defective OS. Let them pay to fix it !!! This December they are returning BILLIONS of dollars to their shareholders (myself included) in the form of a one-time special dividend. They should not feel that this is OK to do while the customers who paid those billions are left to twist in the wind with an operating system that has more holes than a sieve. <img src=/S/rantoff.gif border=0 alt=rantoff width=66 height=37>

That's my <img src=/S/2cents.gif border=0 alt=2cents width=15 height=15>.

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