How is your luck with Windows Updates?

[tcsenter]

Yeah I think you need to have at least SP1 installed for Windows Updates to work, anymore?? Try downloading the SP2 standalone updater and patching the system.

 

[cubby1223]

No service packs listed at all - I am still wondering if I ever had them, and maybe they got wiped out when I renamed catroot2. At one point Windows Update served up SP1, but I got cold feet and cancelled the update because I have no backup. I just have USB 1.0, and no external hard drive, so I wonder if I should get a USB 2 or 3 PCI card and an external drive and get it backed up, then I can be more adventurous. Or should I just trust an online backup? Or choice 3, leave well enough alone.

Curious, what hardware are you running Vista on? USB 2 became standard during the Pentium 4 / Athlon XP days. Everything since then has at least USB 2. I'm trying to recall if there were any motherboards with DDR ram that had usb1, are you running a system with PC133 ram?


Standard procedure for me is stopping the Windows Update service and deleting all files in the data and download folders under softwaredistribution, then re-start Windows Update. It'll recreate the deleted files. Often fixes up problems with updates.

But, download the full SP1 install from Microsoft (instead of using Windows Update) and run it:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935791

Then download and run SP2.

 

[bigboxes]

Last year I worked on a PC that had trouble doing the updates. I even downloaded the SP updates ahead of time and still had trouble installing them. I finally figured out all my problems were due to bad memory. Put in some new memory, upgraded the Vista box to Win 7 and made my customer very happy. It was mind boggling to say the least.

 

[piasabird]

Definitely helps to download the support packs first.

 

[RalphTheCow]

Curious, what hardware are you running Vista on? USB 2 became standard during the Pentium 4 / Athlon XP days. Everything since then has at least USB 2. I'm trying to recall if there were any motherboards with DDR ram that had usb1, are you running a system with PC133 ram?


Standard procedure for me is stopping the Windows Update service and deleting all files in the data and download folders under softwaredistribution, then re-start Windows Update. It'll recreate the deleted files. Often fixes up problems with updates.

But, download the full SP1 install from Microsoft (instead of using Windows Update) and run it:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935791

Then download and run SP2.

Hmm - maybe the ports are USB 2.0, although it says 1.1/2.0. I didn't even think it was DDR memory, but I guess it is.

Asus P5GD1, circa 2004.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131503

Thanks, I'll try the SP1 installer, but first maybe I'll break down and buy an external hard drive for backup. I don't even need a biggie.