Vista - Having trouble updating service pack 2 and other new updates

Hi, I have been having some computer problems lately, mostly with being unable to play a game I had recently purchased. I thought the problem was many things before figuring out that my computer has not updated itself in over a year+

So I go and try to update it from security panel, and it will not do it automatically. I can see the list of available updates, and the service pack 2 and recent others have all failed. I then went to microsoft site and downloaded the service pack 2 manually and when i installed it, instantly said not successfuly installed. I ran a check on my computer and it fixed some files and some were corrupted it said. I have done some research and found that I need a vista dvd or cd to start up and repair this issue ( i think ). Now my computer came with 1 cd when i bought it because vista was preinstalled on my computer, and I have long since lost that cd.

I begin to browse on internet for topics : how to fix vista without your computers startup disc, and got some results. i guess microsoft released a .iso file that you can burn to a disc and use as a recovery tool. I tried this and the cd i have burnt it too does not load when i start up my computer, just goes right to my desktop like vista normally would. Did i burn this cd wrong, or is this not even possible to do? Any help would be appreciated, my computer runs fine and I can browse the internet, but I cannot download any updates or play this one game due to some updates needed to be installed but something is not allowing me to install the updates.

Joe

1.Here you are recovery disk Create a Recovery Disc

There are two *.iso file -for x32 and for x64 system.Are you sure you choose corect image for your system?

2.If you have any missing files you can't fix it to use Vista Recovery Disk -you need full Vista DVD.If there are not too much corrupted files another solution would be fill missing files manually - I could help you in that but of course I need know what exactly is your system architecture x32 or x64?

So do this:

Run cmd.exe with administrative previlliges (right click on cmd.exe) as admin and type:

sfc /scannow

When it finish type in cmd.exe

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt

on your desktop appear sfcdetails.txt

Download firegenul Altair Technologies Ltd.
place firegenul.exe in C:\Windows\System32

next again run cmd.exe with admin previlliges and type:

firegenul

it creates report from WindowsUpdate.log and is stored in C:\Windows\System32 as FireGenReport.htm

Download and run Readiness Tool Description of the System Update Readiness Tool for Windows Vista, for Windows Server 2008, and for Windows 7
This tool create CheckSur.log file in C:\Windows\Logs\CBS

If nothing from above help you files
FireGenReport.htm,sfcdetails.txt and CheckSur.log pack and attache to post

Nice, ty trying that now and ill report what happens.

Ok for some reason , my .iso torrent is turning into a .zip file when i download it to my computer and when i open the .zip file there is no .iso in there just 4 files, none that are .iso though. Any thoughts? I know how to burn an image on the cd, but i do not think this is the right image.

I am moving on to your #2 method now until we can figure that .iso situation out

I did #2 and it found some errors and corrected them, and also couldnt correct some, i put that long command line in cmd prompt and it cannot open it says.

Also this might be a complete idiot quesiton, but i download the iso file from torrent and it ends up being 120 mb , but it is in .zip form. Do i need to extract these and make them an iso file somehow to get it to work? I think this is the problem im having but have never made an iso file out of other files before.

You have corrupted file associations.The best way unassociate file extensions *.zip *.iso and *.torrent Unassociate File Extention Type and associate them back.See also Default File Type Associations - Restore
Remove things which you downloaded because they are probably corrupted and download again

Nice thanks, going to try that now.

Heya Flavius, It is only letting me unassociate 1 type of file, now the rest will be greyed out when i try to unassociate them. I did .iso first and now the rest are greyed out ( .zip and ther is no torrent ones). This is all very confusing, ive spent at least 60+ hours tryin to fix my vista, im about to just throw my computer off the balcony.

I went to the other website you suggested about restoring the files, should i just restore all of those and merge too? I have done a few so far.


EDIT* ok i went to Default File Type Associations - Restore and downloaded and merged every one of those file types, but I am still unable to do my windows vista updates. I will try resetting computer now.

If you already fixed file associations back to post 2 do everything what I said there and attache logs to post...