XP SP3 does not install

I successfully downloaded the latest version of SP 3 for XP 32-bit, but I
always get an incomplete installation notice before rebooting.

Any ideas how to a) force a successful installation or b) make the "updates
are ready for your computer" icon go away?

Btw since these problems began, I get a blank screen for 5 minutes on
startup, then the normal Windows screen appears.

WinXP SP3 is still in beta. The only support for the public beta is here:
http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/...2010&SiteID=17
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

Peter wrote:
> I successfully downloaded the latest version of SP 3 for XP 32-bit, but I
> always get an incomplete installation notice before rebooting.
>
> Any ideas how to a) force a successful installation or b) make the
> "updates
> are ready for your computer" icon go away?
>
> Btw since these problems began, I get a blank screen for 5 minutes on
> startup, then the normal Windows screen appears.

Peter wrote:
> I successfully downloaded the latest version of SP 3 for XP 32-bit,
> but I always get an incomplete installation notice before rebooting.
>
> Any ideas how to a) force a successful installation or b) make the
> "updates are ready for your computer" icon go away?
>
> Btw since these problems began, I get a blank screen for 5 minutes
> on startup, then the normal Windows screen appears.

Since you should have nothing to lose (installation of a pre-release
software should only be done on a system you are willing/able to format and
rebuild at a moments notice - virtual machines with a revert capability are
great for this) when trying to install the pre-release software (Windows XP
SP3 Release Candidate 2) simply format and install your test machine that
you are trying to install upon.

Another option would be a cleanup of said test machine. Similar to one you
might do before installingb any major service pack full release. The only
real
difference is that being a test machine - it is not as important you backup
anything...

- Uninstall unnecessary software.
- Update the hardware drivers from the hardware manufacturer's support
web pages.
- Use Disk Cleanup to clear all but the last restore point and to free up
some
space not being used by much more than junk.
- Check for viruses/trojans/worms...
- Check for adware/spyware/malware...
- Use CHKDSK to check your hard disk drive for errors.
- Use DEFRAG to cleanup the drive a bit - tidy it up.

Then - once you have your test machine cleaned up - you could make a new
image of it (or however you plan to restore it each time you are done with
whatever tests you use it for) and you'd have a better testbed machine for
it.

However - being a pre-release product - there really is not a direct support
option available. You have a few options, however:

Start here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/w...7c953a761.aspx

Which can lead you:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=103822

and the forums set up specifically for the pre-release product:
http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/...2010&SiteID=17

And of course:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...ng=en#filelist

Where you can download it in different languages OR download a script that
sets a registry key on your system so you can get Windows XP SP3 Release
Candidate 2 from the Windows Update web page directly.

Hope that helps!

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html