Windows Vista service pack 2 fails to install.

[The_Absolute]

I am using windows vista home premium 64-bit. I tried downloading, and installing SP2 from the automatic windows updater, but when it is installing, it does so indefinitely. I let my computer idle for literally about Six hours while it was trying to install SP2, but it didn't budge 1%.

What are the advantages SP2 has over SP1? Is there any where on the internet that I can download it for free? Perhaps from an official microsoft source?

 

[story645]

What are the advantages SP2 has over SP1? Is there any where on the internet that I can download it for free? Perhaps from an official microsoft source?

You can download everything from the ms website (link), but this may also be a bug that's going to require filing a bug report and reinstalling vista. Do you have trouble with other updates?

 

[Newai]

Note that some antivirus and firewall programs may interfere with installing. I think this is the more common problem. But you're not the only one trudging through this and there seem to be many possibilities:

http://windowsfixup.com/2009/05/windows-vista-sp2-wont-install-fixes/

http://forums.techarena.in/operating-systems/1212358.htm

Other discussions:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source...oq=vista+service+pack+2+&fp=df82d86320cf60e9"

 

[The_Absolute]

This may be off-topic, but what advantages does Windows Vista SP2 have over SP1?

 

[Newai]

Since it fixes some security issues, I suppose it should be installed anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vista_Service_Pack_2#Service_Pack_2

Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista was released to manufacturing on April 28, 2009,[74] and released to Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update on May 26, 2009.[75] In addition to a number of security and other fixes, a number of new features have been added. However, it did not include Internet Explorer 8:[76][77]

* Windows Search 4.0 (currently available for SP1 systems as a standalone update)
* Feature Pack for Wireless adds support for Bluetooth 2.1
* Windows Feature Pack for Storage enables the data recording onto Blu-ray media
* Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify Wi-Fi configuration
* Improved support for resuming with active Wi-Fi connections
* Enables the exFAT file system to support UTC timestamps, which allows correct file synchronisation across time zones
* Support for ICCD/CCID smart cards
* Support for VIA 64-bit CPUs
* Improves audio and video performance for streaming high-definition content
* Improves Windows Media Center (WMC) in content protection for TV[78]
* Provides an improved power management policy that is up to 10% more efficient than the original in some configurations

Many users have reported an inability to install Service Pack 2. Perhaps most notable is the fact that the installation fails if the Master Boot Record of the boot disk is not the original Vista MBR. Among other things, this forces installation failure when alternate boot managers (e.g., GNU GRUB) are used for Dual boot systems. There is some debate as to whether Microsoft introduced this requirement for technical reasons or to limit the use of competing software.[79]

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 share a single service pack binary, reflecting the fact that their code bases were joined with the release of Server 2008.[76] Service Pack 2 is not a cumulative update meaning that Service Pack 1 must be installed first.