Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Alternative Operating Systems > can't upgrade to service pack 3

can't upgrade to service pack 3
Thread Tools
mr. burns
Senior User
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 14, 2008, 03:04 AM
 
i tried through windows update and also tried the downloadable installer from microsoft. the same thing happens.

when the installer gets to 'checking for necessary space' it gives me an error saying it needs 4 additional megabytes and can't continue unless i free up more HD space. i have 10 gigs free on my system partition. i thought that'd be enough? well i have another fat32 partition on another internal drive with 30 gigs free. so i tried using that as the backup site and i get the same exact error. i'm still 4 megabytes short. wtf?

halp

not all who wander are lost.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 14, 2008, 08:48 AM
 
Your external drive cannot be used for this because Windows knows it can't boot (without a LOT of help) from an external drive. What usually happens with this kind of service pack is that it installs a whole new OS copy (which takes up a lot of room) and then, AFTER doing some fiddling, the installer MAY delete the previous version. Windows gives you the opportunity to keep the old version just in case, so you really do need something like 15GB to install SP3.

Here's a few things to look at. In your
Code:
C:/Windows
folder, get rid of every "NTUpdate" folder-all of them that Windows will let you delete. This is one of the worst things MS has done with XP: once a hot fix or update has been installed, it leaves a lot of clutter and crap, most of which is just wasted space. Supposedly it's so you can undo an update, but since Windows Update came out (how long ago?) I have NEVER undone any updates on the 5 PCs I've built and maintained. Dumb, MS. But dumping all that useless crap will give you a LOT of space. Then make sure you empty the Recycle Bin, empty your Temp folders, empty your browser caches, and so on, and empty the Recycle Bin after everything has been done just to make sure. I'll bet you have 3GB or more just in browser cache, Temp, trash and NTUpdates. I just checked my own Windows installation, and I have 101 folders full of almost 409MB JUST in deletable $NT* folders. (If it has a '$' at the beginning, it's the kind of folder I"m talking about.)

Clean out all that old crap and see how much space you have then.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Drakino
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2001
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 14, 2008, 01:23 PM
 
A word of warning. I tried SP3 on my MacBook Pro as a slipstreamed clean install, and was unable to install audio drivers. The issue seemed to be that the audio drivers depend on a specific hotfix, and don't check SP3 properly to see if it is there. You may want to wait till SP3 is formally released to the public and Apple has time to release a new driver bundle.
<This space under renovation>
     
mduell
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 14, 2008, 04:12 PM
 
SP3 for what?
     
Warhaven
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jul 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 14, 2008, 06:55 PM
 
32-bit version of WinXP
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 14, 2008, 10:45 PM
 
That's an interesting point there. SP3 is basically all the previous updates rolled into one big patch. I can see it as a "I don't want to wait 45 minutes for downloads and 45 more minutes for all these fool updates to install" action, but it's not really that big a deal, since most of the updates have been wrapped up or rolled into "big" updates that supersede all the old ones. Not much to download - considering that you MUST already have SP2 anyway - and not a big deal to install...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
silver
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Bunch Of Islands in The Pacific
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 14, 2008, 11:09 PM
 
Um, briefly looking at what SP3 installed I see many many upgrades to the DX9 library. I'm sure it's more than a hotfix release from MS.

Google XP SP3 build 3300 to see what else has changed.

As to the problem of not being able to install, try a plain SP2 install then do the SP3 update. I had no problems with my Bootcamp drivers everything just works after the update.

Also make sure your using the most updated release, last week MS had build 3264 RC2 on there site but later released build 3300.


Cheers
 MBP 17" 2.16ghz, ATI x1600 256, 100GBHD, 2GB ram, 23"AppleLCD
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 15, 2008, 09:52 AM
 
You do all notice that SP3 is still beta, right? Build 3264 is a "release candidate", not a final version. I'm certainly waiting for the final version before I do anything. Also note that in my post above I didn't just make stuff up. I sort of summarized what MS says in their info about SP3.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
mr. burns  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 15, 2008, 02:45 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
Your external drive cannot be used for this because Windows knows it can't boot (without a LOT of help) from an external drive. What usually happens with this kind of service pack is that it installs a whole new OS copy (which takes up a lot of room) and then, AFTER doing some fiddling, the installer MAY delete the previous version. Windows gives you the opportunity to keep the old version just in case, so you really do need something like 15GB to install SP3.

Here's a few things to look at. In your
Code:
C:/Windows
folder, get rid of every "NTUpdate" folder-all of them that Windows will let you delete. This is one of the worst things MS has done with XP: once a hot fix or update has been installed, it leaves a lot of clutter and crap, most of which is just wasted space. Supposedly it's so you can undo an update, but since Windows Update came out (how long ago?) I have NEVER undone any updates on the 5 PCs I've built and maintained. Dumb, MS. But dumping all that useless crap will give you a LOT of space. Then make sure you empty the Recycle Bin, empty your Temp folders, empty your browser caches, and so on, and empty the Recycle Bin after everything has been done just to make sure. I'll bet you have 3GB or more just in browser cache, Temp, trash and NTUpdates. I just checked my own Windows installation, and I have 101 folders full of almost 409MB JUST in deletable $NT* folders. (If it has a '$' at the beginning, it's the kind of folder I"m talking about.)

Clean out all that old crap and see how much space you have then.
i never said i was using an external drive. no matter how much space i free up it still says it needs 4 more megabytes.

not all who wander are lost.
     
ibook_steve
Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Jose, CA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 15, 2008, 05:32 PM
 
I had not known that there was going to be an SP3 until I saw this post, but all I have to say to those trying to use it, you are a braver man (or woman) than I. Microsoft software is bad enough as it is. I can't imagine what a beta would be like!

Steve
Celebrating 10 years and 4000 posts on MacNN!
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 15, 2008, 05:52 PM
 
Originally Posted by mr. burns View Post
i never said i was using an external drive. no matter how much space i free up it still says it needs 4 more megabytes.
I misread, sorry. I have no idea why it wants 4 more MB when you free up tons of room. Again, this is a beta, and it might be a glitch that's causing your problem.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
v8q
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 18, 2008, 11:41 AM
 
I am having the same exact error trying to install sp2. I have 60 gigs available, and bill(gates) says I need 4 meg more. Quite frustrating - but this is why there are so many windows repair shops in the world.

btw, I get the same error when installing on a real PC. I am starting to wonder if it is the GUID partition somehow? I may try to install on a fresh MBR formatted disk and see how that goes.
     
v8q
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 21, 2008, 12:25 AM
 
Originally Posted by v8q View Post
I am having the same exact error trying to install sp2. I have 60 gigs available, and bill(gates) says I need 4 meg more. Quite frustrating - but this is why there are so many windows repair shops in the world.

btw, I get the same error when installing on a real PC. I am starting to wonder if it is the GUID partition somehow? I may try to install on a fresh MBR formatted disk and see how that goes.
I was right!

Installing and updating from a MBR partition works fine. It does have something to do with the GUID and M$'s inability to "innovate" past circa 1980 DOS disk partition schemes.


I have slipstreamed sp2 onto the install disk and will see how that goes. I am doing the install by moving my drive to a real PC with a SATA port and installing XP there. The disk was of course partitioned on a Mac.
     
v8q
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 21, 2008, 12:26 AM
 
Originally Posted by v8q View Post
I was right!

Installing and updating from a MBR partition works fine. It does have something to do with the GUID and M$'s inability to "innovate" past circa 1980 DOS disk partition schemes.


I have slipstreamed sp2 onto the install disk and will see how that goes. I am doing the install by moving my drive to a real PC with a SATA port and installing XP there. The disk was of course partitioned on a Mac.
make that "slipstreamed sp3"
     
legacyb4
Mac Elite
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Vancouver
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 21, 2008, 12:50 AM
 
I was just going to say the same thing...

Won't be touching SP3 on my office network for a while, that's for sure...

Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
You do all notice that SP3 is still beta, right? Build 3264 is a "release candidate", not a final version. I'm certainly waiting for the final version before I do anything. Also note that in my post above I didn't just make stuff up. I sort of summarized what MS says in their info about SP3.
Macbook (Black) C2D/250GB/3GB | G5/1.6 250GBx2/2.0GB
Free Mobile Ringtone & Games Uploader | Flickr | Twitter
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:59 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,