Unable To Upgrade To XPSP3

by Michelle
(Surrey, UK)

Windows Registry

Windows Registry

There is one reason why I am stopping on XP Service Pack 2, and that is the fact that my upgrade to Service Pack 3 Does. Not. Work!

Every time I try to upgrade, I get the message: Service Pack Installation Did Not Complete.

This is after waiting forever for the upgrade process to complete. You think it has worked, then you are hit with this error message.

I must admit, I didn't really realize just how risky it is to stay on Service Pack 2 until I read your article. I was aware Service Pack 3 was available, but as my machine was working OK, I left it for a while.

Then when I try to upgrade this happens, and has been happening every time I try to upgrade. Do you know what is causing this and how to fix it????



Thank You, Michelle, for sharing your thoughts. I sympathize with the frustration you must be feeling.

OK. First off, the cause. According to Microsoft Help and Support, the reason why this is happening is because something on your computer is preventing Service Pack 3 from updating the Windows Registry.

The registry is where all the Operating System, programs information and settings are stored.

For example, it holds information such as which wallpaper you want loaded, the font size you want your Word Processor to have, and the printers/a> you want to print to, etc.

Everything your computer needs to function properly is stored in the Registry Hives.

It could be a whole host of things that has caused the rights access to your Windows Registry to become blocked.

For example, a Virus or Malware program, Anti-virus program or other security tool could have caused this problem.

Next, the fix. It is unclear how you are attempting to install SP3. If you have downloaded manually, then try upgrading using Windows Updates.

If this fails, try installing manually, but disable your anti-virus and anti-malware program(s). This is slightly risky, but worth it to rule in/out these programs as the source of your issue.

Ensure you have run an anti virus or malware scan before disabling them. Also ensure you do not visit any websites while you are attempting to upgrade.

The final option is termed advanced troubleshooting. Before attempting this, please ensure you have all of your data backed up to an external source (Hard Drive, USB Pen Cloud Storage, for example).

Here you are changing the Registry of your machine. Use this
Microsoft Link to download and run a small program what will make the changes to your Registry automatically.

Try your Service Pack upgrade again. I hope this information helps you to resolve the problem. Good luck.

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