I’ve heard from several people about problems they experienced when trying to install Service Pack 2. These are the two most common problems:
- Your computer freezes while trying to install SP2. This seems to be caused by a specific hardware problem, which is described in this Knowledge Base article: Your computer stops responding when you restart to complete the installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2. There’s a patch you can install before attempting to update to SP2. If you’re stuck midway through an incomplete installation, see the instructions at the end of the article.
- Your computer gets stuck in a restart loop with the error message “This application has failed to start because winsrv was not found.” This one seems to be related to a particular piece of adware called TVMedia, according to this Knowledge Base article. (Mary Jo Foley wrote a story in eWeek earlier this month with more details.)
Other problems I hear about are typically related to outdated and unsigned drivers. If you have a Compaq or HP computer, you can find all the update information you need here. Dell owners should read this page carefully.
If you haven’t yet installed SP2, now is the time to do so. If you’re looking for a checklist to help make sure you’re doing it right, this page from Windows MVP Jupiter Jones is a good place to start. Here’s the short version: Check first to see if your computer has any compatibility problems. Scan for viruses and spyware and eliminate anything you find. Download the full SP if possible, or order the CD from Microsoft. Do the upgrade!
Update: You’ll find some more resources on my SP2 index page.
Ed Bott 
I have an Amd64 processor which crashed when I installed Sp2. I managed to restore to original settings. I have been told that the 64 is not ready for Sp2. Is this correct?
To the best of my knowledge, there are no unique problems with the Athlon 64 chip and SP2. There is one reported minor issue with the Windows XP Help Center which is voered in a Knowledge Base article. Otherwise, most of the problems reported by Athlon 64 users mirror those reported by owners of PCs running 32-bit Intel chips and can be traced to the same causes.
If anyone has more specific information, please post it here.
my windowsxp2 recorder will not record midi music.
The Sound Recorder applet in Windows XP is is ancient and I don’t believe it has ever supported MIDI.
hi there. i just installed sp2 on my compaq pc with windows xp preinstalled. now my computer won’t even boot up. when i finally got it to boot it up using F10 it has put me right back to the start when i bought the pc in 2003. i have to reregister with compaq.
David, it sounds like you needed a BIOS update first. I’m curious – why did you wait so long to install SP2?
Ed,
I get the following error message when trying to install sp2:
A component file does not match the verification information present in the component manifest.
So far the installation stops and the old settings are reset. How can I determine which file is causing this problem?
Thank you.
Jim Z.
Jim,
I’ve seen several reports of this, and in each case it turned out to be a bad memory module.
Ed,
The board is an Asus A8V deluxe and with 2 gigs of ram, I discovered that the Asus probe is detecting only a gig of ram. Well, thank you for the help and I’ll need to find some new ram.
As Always,
Jim Z
Ed,
I replaced the ram and the same error message as before popped up. What else do you think could be causing this problem.
As Always,
Jim Z
So far, motherboard memory modules appear to be functioning normally. I’ll try to swap in another board.
As Always,
Jim Z
I have attempted to install Windows Service Pack 2 about 15 times. Each time the computer restarts about half way through the install causing the whole install process to start over…. any ideas?
I did not install SP2 until just yesterday, only because my university required it in order to access their server .They actually required me to install all Windows updates. It installed wihtout any sort of problem, no crashes or anything. However, now that I have installed it, Explorer crashes repeatedly, but only when I open certain folders. During the whole update process a new version of Winodws Media Player was installed, and whenever I try to watch any videos it crashes as well. (It is version 9.00.00.3250). I foolishly did not make a back up of anything, although none of my files have been lost. I am running anti-virus as well as anti-spyware software, so I do not think that is a problem. Thanks in advance.
I have installed sp2 multiple times on this pc but quite commonly, (more common than i would like) the computer just freezes completely for no reason resulting in me having to reset it. could this be a bios problem?
hello guys. i had recently reformatted my pc and waited a while for updated. i installed sp2 but i was forced to restart my pc before it finished. now when i turn on my pc it restarts over and over so i canonly use safe mode. if nothing works i will have to reformat again. i am very quick at that now ^^
thanks ill check back –