Download DEP

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Problem Solver
Page 3 of 29
more details, check the next subchapters below for detailed information on how to uninstall the
service pack.
If you cannot or don't want to uninstall Service Pack 2, you can perform a repair installation of
Windows XP by booting from the original installation CD. First select to install Windows XP, then,
after the installer finds your existing installation, choosing the repair installation. Remnants of
Service Pack 2 may still cause some problems, warning and error messages in the system event
log, but these should go away once you have successfully reinstalled Service Pack 2.
If your computer then works as it did before, you have again gained some time. If it doesn't, or
even if it does, but you cannot find any other possible cause, do a repair installation. Boot from the
install CD, select to install Windows XP (not to repair it at this time yet), let it detect your current
installation, then elect to do a repair installation on the existing installation.
Be careful not to do a fresh installation, for example if the install program does not find your
existing installation, unless you want to start from scratch and lose all your installed software and
settings. But even then, you will normally at least don't lose your data.
More information: http://www.google.com/search?q="Windows+XP"+"repair+installation"
The repair installation overwrites Service Pack 2 files and may leave your computer with some
functions not working and a few error messages repeatedly being logged, so you should then
reinstall Service Pack 2.
Links
A Microsoft web site dedicated to Service Pack 2:
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Support Center
http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=windowsxpsp2
How to use the Automatic Recovery feature to recover your computer if the Windows XP Service
Pack 2 Setup program is not completed successfully
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=875355
Particularly important is this site with links to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) news on
Service Pack 2 related issues. Check for your computer's and peripherals' manufacturers:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/oemlinks.mspx
Device drivers known to cause instability in Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=883775
Uninstall Service Pack 2
If you have currently unsolvable problems with Service Pack 2, but also have problems uninstalling
it, try the command from Start, Run or from a command line window:
%windir%\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\spuninst.exe
If that doesn't work, read the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles.
How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2 from your computer
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=875350
How to use the Automatic Recovery feature to recover your computer if the Windows XP Service
Pack 2 Setup program is not completed successfully
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=875355
Can Service Pack 2 be installed on all XP
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm
4/19/2005