Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Cannot install XP Service Pack 3

Feb 9, 2014 5:26AM PST

I have been trying to install XP service pack 3, now, for 2 days with no success. The error is always the catalog thing. I have done the following;
done a clean boot
renamed catroot2 folder
manually (as per instructions)
this involved a lot of program registrations, etc.
with Microsoft's fixit thing

It runs right up to the end and then gives me the error message and rolls stuff back. I have no idea what I might be doing wrong.

Thoughts?

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Have you tried downloading SP3 from the MS web site?
Feb 9, 2014 5:37AM PST
- Collapse -
Answer
Any antivirus suite installed?
Feb 9, 2014 5:37AM PST

In the past, once in a while you would see it block service packs. Try this as well.

Uninstall the antivirus/firewall apps.
Turn system restore off and back on.
Try again.
Bob

- Collapse -
WHOOPS FORGET SOMETHING BIG!!!
Feb 9, 2014 5:42AM PST
- Collapse -
update
Feb 9, 2014 6:09AM PST

I thank everybody for the replies!

I am trying to install from a download as I have problems with microsoft update. I only have ie6 and they want ie8 before I can deal with it (I think that's my problem). I can't install ie8, however, until I get sp3 installed (chicken and egg).

The clean boot should have taken care of any anti virus stuff but I can check that.

This is a brand new motherboard installation. (biostar w/amd quad)

I also cannot do a safe boot (I have downloaded and run safemoderepair.reg) May have something to do with problem

I have also run several disk cleaners and registry fixers as well a malawarebytes and a couple others.

- Collapse -
conduit
Feb 9, 2014 6:15AM PST

I found some conduit files on the drive and deleted them all. There are no conduit processes running, unless they go under a different name. No uninstaller even recognized the files were there so I think I was ok on that front?

- Collapse -
Conduit is very difficult to get rid of, get Revo uninstalr
Feb 9, 2014 6:27AM PST

When I helped a friend with conduit, I had to get the Revo uninstaller. This nasty puts links in your browsers to reload and install itself and it puts hooks in your registry. I'd also get MalwareBytes, get it up to date, and run it too.

- Collapse -
update
Feb 9, 2014 7:53AM PST

Thanks for the reply/help...

I ran revo uninstaller - it found nothing. I tried to run malaware bytes and got an automation error. Looked that up and found some kind of reg fixer, that too would not run. Mysteries abound. Oh, malawarebytes updates automatically all day long <G> I am currently running an avast scan (its pretty good)

However, this is a new motherboard. It has a built in ati display (radeon). I noticed that I still have nvidia drivers/programs in this machine. I suspect I should remove those?

- Collapse -
While there is malware on the system.
Feb 9, 2014 7:03AM PST

SP3 might fail to install. I think you found it.

- Collapse -
again
Feb 9, 2014 8:37AM PST

I deleted the nvidia drivers. Before I did it where I should I also did it to my machine which uses them but they were backed up, etc. so I saved myself. I am running with 3 machines (all on a kvm) here and 2 of them I am working on at the same time. I am starting to make mistakes so I will put the rest off until tomorrow.

Thanks for your help, its appreciated.

- Collapse -
OK
Feb 10, 2014 7:02AM PST

Finally got service pack three installed. It was a combination of disaster. The duplicate video drivers, some other duplicates, and something above 1600 registry errors. (auslogics did the best on this) now I can install ei8 and then goto windows update and get what I need before Microsoft abandons XP.

Incredible pain on this one. Too bad somebody doesn't have a program that would delete what needs deleting in the registry irregardless of circumstance (external, running, whatever).

I want to thank everybody who helped me on this one - it is appreciated!

- Collapse -
Answer
Oh, this is an easy one
Feb 12, 2014 2:20AM PST

You MUST have either Service Pack 1 or SP2 installed before doing SP3, or it won't install.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950717

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc507836.aspx

General Requirements

To install SP3, your computer must meet the hardware and operating system requirements listed below. In addition, your computer must at least be running Windows XP with Service Pack 1 installed.

We recommended that you have Service Pack 2 installed before installing SP3. You can download Service Pack 2 at the Windows XP Service Pack 2 website.