Windows 2000 Pro/SP4 Problems - I Need Help!

[DrGrafix]

I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to install SP4 on my dual CPU W2K machine. I've installed and uninstalled it probably 3 or 4 times, and everytime I try, on the reboot... that nasty blue screen comes up. So I uninstall, and for some strange reason, the machine has become unstable with regard to using the windows browser or outlook express. The machine seems to lock up and when I go into task manager, it says these modules are not responding.

Now ironically, I can use a program like Free Agent (newsreader)without a problem, and all my regular apps work fine... it's just anything to do with outlook express or explorer. In fact Netscape v.7.1 works perfectly even though it was not selected as my default browser. No hangups or anything.

I'm on a cable modem with a router, and this machine is linked to the router via a switch (different part of the house). When I boot this machine, it starts out with the administrator's setup, then I log off administrator and logon as the "user". That's when the problems seem to start. I even got a Dr.Watson error once... think it was "87"?

What I'd like to know is whether there's a "safe" way to install SP4, and also, when I did the windows updates, I thought I saw one of the hotfixes with "SP5" in it? Q818043. I even tried an install after disconnecting my NIC cable, and also disabling all but the two required services. SP4 seems to be the most problematic service pack I have ever seen, and by the hundreds of posts I've seen asking for help, it would seem that Microsoft has released a very shaky piece of software that is
making many machines unstable. Here's what shows on the blue screen of death after any SP4 install:

*** STOP: 0x0000000A (0xBAD0B0E4, 0x00000002, 0x00000001 0x8006543A)
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

*** ADRESS 8006543A base at 80062000, DateStamp 3e7a733a_hal.dll

If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error..... Blah, Blah,Blah. Tells me to try and restart, and remove anything new (hardware or software). Needless to say, nothing is new except for SP4, and the machine was running fine until I started installing all the hotfixes and SP4.

I subsequently removed all the hotfixes showing up in Add/Remove Programs. And as noted, I can do just about anything, including using IE6 without problems as Administrator, but the minute I logoff as administrator and on as a user, IE6 dies. Can I get rid of the user profile and somehow import all the necessary info including my mail settings into the administrator account? How do I do that simple cut and paste?

So I hope this gives you a clue about my problems, and once again... thanks so much for taking the time to listen to my woes. I would sincerely appreciate some help with this problem because I think this machine is slowly getting out of my grasp. Hope that some brilliant reader will lecture me like a schoolboy and give me a list of do's and don'ts to solve my problems. Thanks in advance.

Doc

 

[search66]

Win2000 is a tempermental OS. Just for a work around, I would go into "manage" and "groups" and put the user into the "Admin" group just to target the problem.

Deleting profiles as well as resetting the security settings wouldn't hurt either.

Now regarding SP4... That's an odd thing. I've *never* had a problem installing SP4; and it's been one of the most stable SP's MS has delivered...

I recommend downloading the full SP and then run it from the command prompt with the following switches:

sp4.exe /f /o /q /u

If that doesn't work, try doing a slipstream install of Windows 2000 install and Sp4...

Check this link for detailed instructions:

http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBF/Tip2500/rh2529.htm

 

[DrGrafix]

Search...

Thanks for the reply. Before I go into the slipstream approach (it's scary) I was wondering if what you said is as simple as opening up my computer, going to Documents & Settings, and dragging my user profile folder over onto the Administrator folder? If that's not it, then what, and if I do that, how do I get to use the user data, cookies, etc.?

Doc

 

[DanD76]

I'd be cautious with the slipstream approach also since you won't be able to uninstall SP4.

To make the user an Administrator:
Login as a user who already has administrator rights, right mouse click on My Computer, select Manage. Under System Tools click the + sign in front of Local Users and Groups, click on Groups, double click Administrators, click Add..., select the user that you want to make an administrator, click Add, click OK, OK. That's it.

 

[DrGrafix]

Dan...

I did all this and on the Good side of things... Internet explorer and outlook express seems to be working in the user mode. However, in my desktop, the bottom bar seems changed so it shows only open programs and I don't have all the smaller icons any longer so I can't click them to open programs. Also in OE, all my old email, addresses, and at least one of my email identities seems to be missing.

Does this sound normal? Better yet, how do I restore all my address book emails, historical emails, and mail older than a couple of days ago? Is there a way to get my desktop back to normal too?

Mike

 

[siscokid1]

Doc,

I had to reload my WIN 2k, and I had problems getting SP4 to work. I ended up getting SP3, and then getting SP4
afterwards.


It seems to work fine.

 

[DrGrafix]

siscokid1...

I've thought about trying that. Can I re-install W2K Pro over itself or am I looking at a whole reformat the HDD deal?

If the latter is the case, I'm not about to reformat... I'd sooner go out and buy a new HDD and start from scratch and import all my data from the current HDD. Thatdoes seem like a bit of a dumb move though... having to reformat or buy a new HDD every time something gets screwed up.

Hopefully there is an easy repair path that might take time, like a re-install, but one that is less costly or disruptive.

Doc