Update screwed my computer again

I don't use Automatic Update since the last disaster (the well-documented
KB885835 which STILL hasn't been resolved). After I downloaded updates
manually yesterday (ignoring KB885835 of course) Explorer kept closing due
to an unspecified error. This meant I could not launch any programs and did
not even have a taskbar or desktop. Safe Mode didn't work either for the
same reason. 'Last known good configuration' failed too so my only course of
action was a Repair installation of Windows. Two hours later everything
works again but I have lost all my earlier Updates as well as this week's
download!

I would like to install all the updates but I am not going through all that
torment again. Can anyone suggest a way to install them without problems
happening again? Sorry I can't be more specific about which particular
update caused the problem but I simply don't know.

Windows XP Pro + SP2; Athlon XP2600; 512 mB RAM

John

Go to www.autopatcher.com and download their 137Mb file that incudes all
updates through March.

"John Rampling" <> wrote in message
news:dsc0e.528$...
>I don't use Automatic Update since the last disaster (the well-documented
>KB885835 which STILL hasn't been resolved). After I downloaded updates
>manually yesterday (ignoring KB885835 of course) Explorer kept closing due
>to an unspecified error. This meant I could not launch any programs and did
>not even have a taskbar or desktop. Safe Mode didn't work either for the
>same reason. 'Last known good configuration' failed too so my only course
>of action was a Repair installation of Windows. Two hours later everything
>works again but I have lost all my earlier Updates as well as this week's
>download!
>
> I would like to install all the updates but I am not going through all
> that torment again. Can anyone suggest a way to install them without
> problems happening again? Sorry I can't be more specific about which
> particular update caused the problem but I simply don't know.
>
> Windows XP Pro + SP2; Athlon XP2600; 512 mB RAM
>
> John
>
>
>

"Jerry" <> wrote in message
news:upkwmz%...
> Go to www.autopatcher.com and download their 137Mb file that incudes all
> updates through March.
>

Thanks for the thought but when I looked at that site the updates only seem
to be up to August 2004 and they do not appear to have heard of SP2. Doesn't
fill me with confidence.

John

"John Rampling" <> wrote in message
news:dsc0e.528$...
>I don't use Automatic Update since the last disaster (the well-documented
> KB885835 which STILL hasn't been resolved).

Can you post a link for that please?
The only thing that I can find which might fit that description
is Til Ole Bergmann's post:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...83b0b4ca0be701

(Google Groups search for
885835 OR KB885835 athlon group:microsoft.public.windowsupdate
)


BTW have you seen Hans-Georg Michna's article on DEP?

<title>Windows XP Service Pack 2 Problem Solver</title>
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm#D...evention__DEP_



> After I downloaded updates
> manually yesterday (ignoring KB885835 of course) Explorer kept closing due
> to an unspecified error. This meant I could not launch any programs and did
> not even have a taskbar or desktop.

Whenever that happens see if you can use Task Manager
e.g. by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete. That allows you to try other things
even though you don't have a Desktop, by using its File, New Task (Run)
command.


> Safe Mode didn't work either for the
> same reason. 'Last known good configuration' failed too so my only course of
> action was a Repair installation of Windows. Two hours later everything
> works again but I have lost all my earlier Updates as well as this week's
> download!
>
> I would like to install all the updates but I am not going through all that
> torment again. Can anyone suggest a way to install them without problems
> happening again? Sorry I can't be more specific about which particular
> update caused the problem but I simply don't know.

Have you looked for clues in the Event log?

Did the problem happen during the install phase of the update?

Do you have the WindowsUpdate.log? Know the date and time that
the problem occurred? Then search for files which changed on that
day, sort them by Date Modified (hence by time) and then find files
from the correct time period which appear to be diagnostics.
Note: this procedure will be less successful if subsequent update attempts
have been made because some of the log files are common and get
appended to by any related update, thus changing the file's timestamp
for time changed.


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle
---


>
> Windows XP Pro + SP2; Athlon XP2600; 512 mB RAM
>
> John
>
>
>