*Solved* Cannot install security update KP925902

[Spike]

I have a coworkers dell at home that I am attempting to fix. The previous guy said the motherboard was dead but all I did was start it up and it seemed to work fine. I installed XP Home using an OEM disc and everything seemed to have gone well. Unfortunately I cannot install a single security update and this ones seems fairly critical considering it was rampant web viruses that killed this machine in the first place.

I followed all the instructions here and no luck.

Any ideas on how to fix this? Thanks!

 

[dclive]

MS will support installation of updates for free - your friend can call them up and they'll help him.

 

[RebateMonger]

Force an installation of the Windows 3.0 Upgrade Agent. Look it up on Microsoft's site, download the Agent, use the /wuforce option on the command line, and REBOOT the machine before running any other updates.

I just had a similar problem on an office-full of machines that had been upgraded from XP Home to XP Professional SP2 (using Retail-box XP Pro Upgrade packages). (If you don't do a reboot, it STILL won't work, even though MS doesn't mention it).

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
Force an installation of the Windows 3.0 Upgrade Agent. Look it up on Microsoft's site, download the Agent, use the /wuforce option on the command line, and REBOOT the machine before running any other updates.

I just had a similar problem on an office-full of machines that had been upgraded from XP Home to XP Professional SP2 (using Retail-box XP Pro Upgrade packages). (If you don't do a reboot, it STILL won't work, even though MS doesn't mention it).

I did this forced install several times, once including after using dial-a-fix to remove all previous traces of it and other items, none of these attempts worked. I re-booted each time but I do not recall if that was the first thing I did immediatly afterworld so I will try that again.

Originally posted by: dclive
MS will support installation of updates for free - your friend can call them up and they'll help him.

Is there anyway I can call them for my friend? I am a little worried as I had to use a downloaded OEM CD iso to install windows since he did not have his original CD. The ISO I got was for a Dell and the install went fine and took the key that came with his pc so I hope it's all legit. If so then I can try and call them in his place if forcing the update does not work this time.

 

[dclive]

Sure, pick up the phone and ring them - that's all there is to it. You'll be transferred to Indian support, but they'll help you and you should be just fine.

 

[Spike]

Very cool, I'll try that tonight when I get home assuming they haev 24 hour support. Hopefully it's just a tiny, easy to fix issue and I don't have to reinstall windows again. Not thats its a huge deal, I'm just naturally lazy

 

[dclive]

Anytime someone at MS tells you to reinstall Windows again, with very few exceptions, assume that the person on the phone is about to be fired, because if their tech lead or manager finds out about it (and it didn't _really_ require a reinstall, which it almost never does) they won't be long in that job.

Reinstalling Windows is giving up. It's a last ditch effort, usually used when there's no time to troubleshoot.

 

[Spike]

Thats good to hear. With all the IT support I 'get' to do for friends and family I seem to be installing new copies of XP right and left so it gets tiring.

I'll be calling them tonight (assuming I find the number). Thanks for all your help!

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Spike
Thats good to hear. With all the IT support I 'get' to do for friends and family I seem to be installing new copies of XP right and left so it gets tiring.

Tell your friends and family to invest their next $550 into a Windows Home Server (to make automated imaging backups of their entire network) instead of spending it on a new video card that will be out-of-date in six months anyway. Your friends/family can do their own automated restores of their Windows PCs.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger

Originally posted by: Spike
Thats good to hear. With all the IT support I 'get' to do for friends and family I seem to be installing new copies of XP right and left so it gets tiring.

Tell your friends and family to invest their next $550 into a Windows Home Server (to make automated imaging backups of their entire network) instead of spending it on a new video card that will be out-of-date in six months anyway. Your friends/family can do their own automated restores of their Windows PCs.

My family has their own backups, it's my friends that are not so good about it. And I can't really take any issue if they buy a new gpu as I did just pick up a 8800GTS 512 for my new rig... Generally speaking I stay out of repairing friends pc's just lately there has been a big streak of problem pc's and I was kinda bored so I volunteered. I took on more than I should have and am finally seeing the light again, this is the last friends box I'll have to deal with for a while (next up is my new rig).

I agree with the server, I finally finished setting up my windows home server box which was good considering my RC copy from the beta test was about to expire. Thank goodness for friends at MS, only $35 for the software. It's a little slow (AXP 1800+) but it does the job.

 

[Spike]

*Sigh* I feel dumb. All that work forcing the dumb update installer and goofing off and all I had to do was install the update individually by downloading just that file. Thanks for all the help guys!