Warning to anyone planning to format using a pre-SP2 disc

So yesterday I planned to format my desktop. Among other really strange problems, I have learned the hard way that there is a known problem with Windows Genuine Advantage Validation and Service Pack 1. Apparently, after you download it and it asks you to validate, there's a VERY good chance it will hang, and if it does it will NOT be able to validate your install and you can't receive updates. I reformatted about 4 times last night, just trying to get my copy validated (thank god it's less than a 20 minute process). So now I'm stuck waiting til I can borrow an SP2 disc from a friend with an extremely useless computer. I've known for a long time that windows is a far from perfect os, but yesterday was the first time I've ever truly hated it.

So, yeah, if you're planning to format with an older disc... procede with caution.

 

i don't know but this problem never happened to me. i already reformatted my lappy for maybe about 20 times using xp sp1. i was able to dowload the updates with no hassle and windows genuine validation didn't cause any problem with sp1. but yeah xp is not a perfect OS and i have so much reasons to hate it but i also have so many reasons to love it!

btw, you can get a copy of sp2 disc for free. that way you won't need to borrow your friend's sp2 or download it.

 

Same, I've reformatted both my desktop and laptop with a sp1 disk more than once and it worked fine, however, on my desktop with only SP1 when i tried to get updates from microsoft update somewhere along the line my desktop got flooded with viruses, they were easy enough to get rid of, it was my fault for being stupid and not just making a disk for drivers/crucial updates...

Sorry to hear about what happened, hopefully it'll go well once you get that other disk. Perhaps your XP disk is messed up..

 

I've used these instructions to slipstream SP2 into older WinXP CDs:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/09/08/installing_windowsxp_and/
I strongly recommend doing this, then consider following up with RyanVM's post-SP2 update pack:
http://ryanvm.net/msfn/
That will get you most of the way to an up-to-date WinXP installation with the least amount of effort.

 

Have you guys formatted since the windows genuine validation service got enacted? Cuz I've formatted many times in the past too, without incident, until yesterday. In fact, I just formatted my laptop a couple months ago without a problem. I'm telling you, it's trouble.

 

never had that problem either. in fact, this is the first time i've ever heard someone bring it up. are you sure it's not something else ?

 

Isn't the WGA component only installed via Windows Update? If you re-format w/ SP1, then D/L SP2 outside of Windows Update, you should be able to apply it and continue on, no?

 

my friend who i was panicking to last night googled it and said it was a known issue -shrug- at that point i started drinking and now i'm at work so i haven't really had much chance to look into it. I now have a copy with SP2 slipstreamed in my possession, so hopefully it won't be an issue once i get home.

 

also, microsoft makes you validate for alot of downloads now, so i'd be surprised if i could get a standalone sp2 installer without validating anymore. i used to have a standalone copy, but it got deleted by accident.

 

I'm pretty sure you can use this link to get SP2 without the WGA, in case anyone needs it. It's a bigger d/l, because it's the entire SP2 SP, while I think going through Windows Update only gives you what you need to bring your system up to date.

 

Ive reformatted my computer twice this week no problems for me..

 

I recently reformatted to XP on my computer about four or five weeks ago, and I didn't have any trouble. And that was considering I was going from Win2k to XP, using a disc that did not come from my computer, and it was SP1. I was able to download SP2 through my university's online center, and everything has worked fine. I never even had to Activate/Validate Windows (though I still don't understand why not). If I were a betting person (which I'm not) I would say that you should def use an SP2 standalone download like above before you try using Windows Update.

 

yea, this never happens for me when i format. ive always used a sp1 disk to format, and nothing happens