Windows Vista Service Pack 1

i would like to add something here not to intrude.

i just got this computer together about a month now every update was done

all drivers updated, no viruses,no malware,but sp1 will not install, standalone will not,
safe mode will not help install sp1, and i pruchased sp1 from ms and that will not install
and last ms support is clueless i have been in contact with them for some 7-10 hours
nothing

PS
i am in need of some assistance as well

sorry for the intrusion

Yeah fuzzy, I just reread what I wrote and it came across much harsher than I intended sorry, I have that problem sometimes. but moving past that. Tell me if the following describes your system:

Processor:Intel Pentium 4 820 / 3.0 GB, 64 bit, dual core, 2MB's L2 cache
MotherBoard: NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition, 800 MHz FSB
RAM: 1-8 GB's (you said you have 2), DDR II SDRAM - Non-ECC, 533MHz, DIMM 240 pin, Unbuffered, Two DDR channels
HDD: 1 x 250 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150 -7200 RPM
GFX: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS, DDR SDRAM, 256 DVI
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme music
Mouse: logitech wireless trackball (lol from you not Dell? Does it have a model number?)

I got those through a google of your system, if something is incorrect please advise but going on those specs:

Have you flashed your BIOS and updated you drivers for your Mobo using WHQL signed drivers?

Have you updated you GFX card using the latest WHQL signed drivers?

I won't ask about the sound card since there are no WHQL signed drivers because Creative won't make any, they want you to buy the X-Fi2 when they finally release it. (source: out of the mouth, or actually keyboard lol, of a Creative VP) THIS could be your main problem. Are you using 5.1 surround? The combination of 5.1 and any Creative card has been lethal to many VISTA users. Check out the forums on Creative's own site if you think I'm "creative bashing". Until now I have always used and loved creative, so I have no ax to grind there, it's a HUGE problem though. I finally took MY creative card back and am using the onboard sound (which sucks). After ensuring your video card and MoBo drivers are up to date, try taking your sound card out and installing the SP1.

Also are you using nTune with your nVidia stuff? That has had compatability problems with Vista and as such nVidia came out with a fix, which should be applied when you update drivers.

I have read of folks having problems with the wireless mice until they download a MS program as well. Dmex know about thta i think and should be able to address that issue.

I know you are frustrated, you should have seen me the 11th or 12th time I wiped my hard drive and did yet another install of Vista.............. But once these folks walked me through my hardware issues, it went smooth as a baby's butt. I really do think you should at least EXPLORE the possibility thta you may have a hardware issue or two. It can't hurt................... and a Computer really makes a pretty poor anchor, especially for 5000 dollars (or there about's if I read the right page).

your right bubba it would be an expensive anchor lol i'm sorry for getting smart with you i really do think vista is best os microsoft has come out with yet i really do like it alot. you have my comp specs down good. logitech mouse m/n T-RA18 and the graphics card is actualy a 256 mb nvidia GeForce 6800. i updated the bios from dell web site and i went thru all my hardware and software and updated everything i could with vista drivers and boy was that a pain. i keep my sys updated and run antivirus at least once a week and all the recomended cleaning and defragging done weekly as well. as far as the 5.1 i don't know i use headphones so don't have speakers turned on. i don't use ntune or any others just wmp11. as far as updated drivers for your Mobo using WHQL signed drivers, i don't know about that? i never did look for Mobo drivers. now i did upgrade from xp to vista and did a clean install. once and awhile i do get the blue screen when i turn on my system but outside of that it runs great. i have been considering a clean install of vista to see if that corrects my issues such as they are. tks for your help bubba

You weren't "smart" with me lol. I told you I re-read my reply and I came across as a **REMOVED**. Sorry. As for Mobo drivers, here is a link to get them from nVidia, I can't get you to the EXACT link because I don't know exactly which 4 series you have, but if you look at the third drop down menu (if the link loads what I am seeing lol) you can choose the 4 series that you have. There are 4 choices for an nForce4 motherboard: SLI x16 INTEL, SLI INTEL, SLI XE INTEL, and ULTRA INTEL. The link for that is:

Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers

If you look at the FOURTH drop down you will have an option for Drivers, software and HDMI audio drivers. The driver version will obviously update your drivers lol, and the software option will allow you to flash your BIOS. If you have not, I would do both along with the HDMI drivers.

You apparently know about updating your drivers but I don't know how the Dell system works, even though I HAVE a Dell machine (not this one). Until very recently I thought all I had to do was install the Windows updates and everything was fine. I have since learned otherwise. I was also told, but lack the knowledge to confirm, that upgrades from XP to VISTA have many more problems than clean installs.

Try the motherboard updates and see if that helps. Again, I'm sorry I came across as such a **REMOVED** in my first post, that was not my intent.

no problemo bubba and thanks for the help and info

as i said, thats good enough for me. no way do i do this update.

Sigh.

There is a continuing discussion going on at ZDNet about Vista - Ed Bott keeps blogging about how good it is and keeps getting slammed by hecklers of all walks of life.

Facts.

1) M$ beta tested Longhorn a lot longer than any other previous OS.

2) M$ is rumored (and I don't see how this could be false) to have allowed OEMs to slap "works with Vista' labels on hardware that *doesn't* work with Vista.

3) Vista is 10 times better than XP - and for those whiners complaining about how it takes more memory - wow, gee, really? Show me many examples of *newer* operating systems requiring less RAM than older Operating systems (and keep the comparisons apples to apples and oranges to oranges - don't give me an example of *ix uses less than Apple / OS X uses less than windows - that will just show your idiocy).

4) Vista makes *much* better use of resources, and especially in terms of the GUI, which it achieves by offloading a lot of the processing to the GPU, as it should, instead of relying on the CPU.

5) A lot of OEMs pushed machines which had motherboard with onboard graphics accelerators - a bad combination for Vista, as offloading task to the GPU pretty much re-loaded it back to the CPU....see Brink's explanation elsewhere.

6) Vista is a lot safer of an OS OOB than XP ever was.

7) There is not 100% safe OS

8) An OS is only as safe as the user keeps it.

Those who are having computer problems need to analyze hardcore what their hardware really is - and what is really installed on their machine(s). Just because it is brand spanking new doesn't mean that the OEM made it *right*.

That has been the premise of my arguments in those comments i have made in the Bott blogs. It's not Vista so much as the OEMs trying to cut corners - why do you think they were offering PCs for $499 that had a big label on it saying "Vista ready"?

They wanted to unload these PCs on the poor, unsuspecting public while they geared up their mid-range and high end PCs that *do* run Vista without a problem.

i downloaded it and installed it about two weeks ago.. haven't noticed any difference yet. although i didn't had any problems with my system before either.

OK if you insist.

The posts have now been scrubbed clean and others removed.

Shawn