Vista - Why SP1 may not be available for you and how to get it

Hi zeshu34,

The 32-bit version is the one you require. The x86 actually comes from the model number of the earlier Intel family of processors themselves, namely the 386, 486, 586 (pentium). These were all 32-bit processors, so the term x86 means the same as 32-bit, and is, in some cases, interchangeable.

In the interests of upholding the pedantically high standards of accuracy for which this forum is renown, I am obliged to point out that the 80286 was in fact a 16-bit processor

Thanks for the clarification.

thanks alot mate you are great...

We have 3 siblings laptops, Asus G1Sn running on Vista Home Premium x64. We tried to update one laptop to SP1. The computer died. It ended in the stage 3 of 3 at 88% only full format was available option. Afterwards We searched for the problems and found thousands of cases where SP1 for Vista has killed a PC. I am afraid to install SP on the other 2 laptops. I have found statements that contradict one another such as, you need not to have installed any updates prior to stand alone SP1 and the exact opposite, then the infamous KB937287, some say it causes all the problems during installation others say SP1 cannot go without it. Is there a safe procedure to install the SP1? I don't get to see the SP by the Windows Update so I have to go with the stand alone version, do I need prerequisites? Do i need to install the infamous KB937287?

After doing research on this subject and equiping my self with all the prerequisites, I tried to install SP1 on the second laptop. It immediately threw an error with the code 0x8007005, I restarted the computer and tried again only to be stopped by a similar error:0x800f0823.
Somehow I have the feeling that I will need to format this drive as well.. as for the third laptop I won't bother installing any updates.. I'll just go for a new fresh install.
By now I am completely assured that 9 out of 10 computers FAIL to install SP1.

My pre-SP1 Vista wouldn't take the SP1 download no matter what!! But I found a solution! I put Windows 7 on!! heh heh

By the time my 14 months runs out hopefully I'll be buying a machine with Windows 7 SP1 preinstalled!

Reading all this from Animazilla I have great sympathy. I am having very similar problems installing SP1 and wonder if you can share your experience to get my laptop updated to SP1 at least.

I have a Dell XPS laptop running Vista Home Premium 32bit, an OEM install by Dell, purchased around 18months ago. I had been running OK and had already installed SP1 via Update fine. But my laoptop started to show memory management issues recently and Dell service engineers concluded it was a software issue not physical memory, and suggested restoring factory intsall from a restore drive copy.

OK - did that. Vista update went about downloading and installing around 80 updates and security releases etc. But after all was done, SP1 did not show up. I cannot install Adobe design Suite without SP1, so Dell support tried all sorts and and the end tried a manual install of SP1. I get the same problem Animalzilla had - gets to the end, the says did not install properly and restored back to preinstall state. No explanation why. This is on my clean delivery state laptop which had once before already happily installed SP1. Why not now? I have lost about two days on this now, and this is a key working machine needed to run my business effectively. I need it back on line asap.

I have restored back to factory delivery state again, and again let update install all updates. Update tells me there is nothing left to update (now at least).

Should I be checking for drivers which may now be out of date? ANy ideas from you experience what I should do?

You should forget about SP1 and concentrate on installing SP2 (which is out now). Service Packs are cumulative - SP2 contains everything SP1 did, plus more.

Thanks for that - I was given the clear impression that I needed to install SP1 beofre attempting SP2. So there seems much confusion about all this. In the end I did in fact manage to get SP1 installed after my second attempt (and re-installing the Dell factory delivery state again). I let update install all available updates (against advice I have read on this forum) and did a manual install. And oddly it only took about 20mins - not the expected 2hours!

So - how do I go about installing SP2 then? Should it appear automatically as an update via updater, or should I look for and perform a manual install again?