Uninstall Sp2

I have my folder in place and the path is:

C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\spuninst.exe

If it is verified to be there on the computer in question, click start > run > and either browse to the "exe" or copy/paste the above path into the dialog box.

Christer

Edited: I don't know why there is a space between spuni and nst.exe. There shouldn't be and wasn't as I typed it!

 

It's the one in $NtServicePackUninstall$

All the others should be $NtUninstall$ for a number of hotfixes.

Thinking twice, if You installed SP1 and then SP2, You may have two instances of $NtServicePackUninstall$.

The one pertaining to SP2 has a file in the spuninst folder named "Service Pack 2.asms "

Christer

 

Jim,

That is happening very often (always ?) when I type a path. It was typed correctly and after previewing, I double checked it to be correct.
I've seen it happen to other people too ...... ...... any hint on how to avoid this?

Roy,

No, do not delete the $NtServicePackUninstall$ folder.

Do the uninstallation as I outlined in post #6.

Christer

 

Roy,
I have never done it myself but I'll restore a Ghost Image of my system when it still had those uninstall folders and try to uninstall using that command.

I'll be back,
Christer

 

Well, both the "copy and paste into the dialog box" method and browsing to the spuninst.exe brought up the "uninstall SP2 guide ". I didn't go further than that but the guide should be easy to follow.

Follow either of the two methods below:

1)

Go to START > RUN > and copy/paste the below path into the dialog box:

C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\spuninst.exe

(Don't forget to remove the annoying space between spuni and nst.exe!)

Click OK

2)

Go to START > RUN > and click the BROWSE button and direct it to the location of the correct spuninst.exe.

Click OPEN

Click OK

Please note:

If, during the installation of SP2, a storage location for the uninstall files other than the default, was chosen, then the default path will not work. You will either have to recall where the installer was instructed to put them or in Windows Explorer, do a search for SPUNINST.EXE and take notes of the actual path.

If neither of the above will work, then I'm out of ideas and would myself go get my Ghost Boot Disks ...... ...... !

Christer

 

Roy,
it seems to me that we have been doing a full circle ...... ...... and You came to the same conclusion as You did at the very beginning of this thread.

It appears that the installation of SP2 has gone wrong on Your system, it is definitely corrupt since no uninstall can be accomplished and it is likely that the only solution is a reinstallation.

You haven't said anything about the hardware setup but I conclude that it is a single harddrive with a single partition, C: only.

Before doing anything else, save Your important data to CD's or DVD's. I don't know if You have more than "My documents" as personal data but there are other folders that can be saved:

Outlook Express => do a search for *.dbx files. Copy everything in that location to a separate folder on CD/DVD.

Address book => do a search for *.wab and copy YourName.wab to CD/DVD.

Microsoft Outlook => do a search for Outlook.pst and copy it to CD/DVD.

Favorites => do a search for Favorites and copy the folder under Your user account to CD/DVD.

In all cases, avoid copying the system files, desktop.ini and thumbs.db, which may cause problems if copied back to a fresh installation. When You copy back, copy the contents, not the folders themselves. Well, subfolders created by You can be copied back but not the shell folders created by Windows.

By copying back the old files, You will replace newly created files. I recommend to not simply overwrite but to move the new "originals" to a backup location ...... ...... You never know.

I do recommend, if You take the plunge to reinstall, to invest in a backup harddrive and in some imaging software like Norton Ghost or any other to Your liking.
There are good guides on system setup, partitioning and effective use of Ghost at RADIFIED.

I personally have several images of different installations of SP2 and I can "jump" between them in a matter of minutes. If anything bad happens to my system, I can also let Ghost fix it by restoring an image. Like I said, it's a matter of minutes and a cup of coffee!

Christer