Windows XP forum: Windows XP Home SP1 to SP2 or SP3 Blue Screen Error (BSOD)

and it was the change up to SP2 that caught many users out.

I take it that this system is now booting up correctly to XP SP1?

If so, then these are the most common causes of failure in updating to SP2.

1] Malware. The system must be squeaky clean, no viruses, spyware or any other malware.

2] Compatibility problems. Some software problems might occur in the update process if there is a compatibility problem. Microsoft has a utility to test for 'application' compatibility problems;
Application Compatibility Testing and Mitigation Guide for Windows XP Service Pack 2.

3] There may also be some hardware compatibility problems, but that is difficult to test beforehand, so the best method to update is to disconnect all peripherals and USB devices from the system before attempting the update. USB mouse and keyboard should not be affected and can stay connected.

4] Make sure you have plenty of disk space available on the hard disk. I'm not sure what plenty is, but for example, a disk with only a couple of GBs free space remaining might struggle, where a disk with 10-15 GBs of free space will be OK.

I hope that helps.

Mark

I can't see if this is one of the usual issues I encounter. Did I miss that information in your post? Help me find it.

Post it again.

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6122_102-0.html?messageID=2997100&tag=forums06;posts#2997100

If so try this. Disable the onboard sound during the isntall of XP SP1 then be sure not to connect to the internet and install SP3 immediately. You'll get a firewall and more then we can proceed with all the other drivers.

Not the Dell? As a rule I only reply to owners of the machines and not technicians that are hoping to get free tech support.
Bob

But from time to time you find technicians tap the forums and for that it's not a nice thing. They get the free advice and charge for it.

So back to you. Try the items above.
Bob

As a tech you know you don't need to apply Service Packs in order so why do that?

Malware damage is doing some very very strange things. Let's recap the easy XP install method I use. Bear in mind I get ready with drivers ahead of time and never get on the internet until the end when I know my firewall (even the MSFT one) is up and running.

1. Install XP (in your case, XP SP1 CD).
2. Install motherboard driver package.
3. Install Audio, video, and other drivers.
4. Install the SP3 full download package and re-test for proper operation.

Now that we can see the firewall is up we can use Windows Update for the rest.
Bob