Vista Service Pack 2 will not install Service pack did not install Reverting Changes
It is difficult to understanding why Microsoft would release a Service Pack without insuring that it will accommodate all versions of Windows Vista. If you think that Windows Vista has a Home, Business and Ultimate versions and then there is also a 32 bit and 64 bit versions too, then you can understand the complexity requiring 100% compliance before sending an update to the masses.
This link explains the problems related to Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) from Microsoft’s answers website. This Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack was released at the end of June 2009. Specifically the problems identified…..so far…..are for Windows Vista Ultimate installations with multi-languages installed.
Let us break this down. Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate is the so called top of the line Windows Vista version that one would spend extra money to have on a computer. Since that is a known fact, one would think…dare I say…assume….that Microsoft would want those that have Windows Vista Ultimate installed and have spent extra money to be supported before anyone else!
So, how is it possible that a service pack is released and not be able to support the Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate group of installations?!…and with multiple languages….why release a service pack that only caters to five languages? Why NOT wait until you have all languages supported before you release a service pack?
Now lets take a look at the business side of these decisions by some idiot at Microsoft for releasing a service pack too soon. We have spent on one of our computers 3 attempts to install Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2). Each time it has taken over 5 hours to get through the installation and then the revert process. The lost productivity in these failed attempts of Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) cannot be billed to Microsoft! Now, lets multiply this by the respondents in the link above….now let’s multiply this by everyone that does not know that their problem is a result of Microsoft ineptitude!
Why is it that we cannot bill our lost business productivity to Microsoft?
Did they inform us before the installation process that the process (within my Windows update routine) would fail because there is a limitation on the languages? (I certainly didn’t see a special warning window)
Did they build something into the update process to first check my system that I have their top of the line Windows Vista version, Windows Vista Ultimate, and that I have languages installed that are not supported? Therefore before we spend hours upon hours on unproductive labor time we can stop the process! (certainly doesn’t seem that way)
So, why can we NOT bill Microsoft for our lost productivity for their ineptitude? Someone has to take responsibility for lost business productivity and until Microsoft is held accountable for the lost productivity these types of ridiculous wasted time updates will continue to happen. Certainly this is more in line of a class action lawsuit against Microsoft…hopefully someone….at some point….will be able to get something in place to insure 100% integrity of all updates prior to release.
7 Responses so far
Frustrated
July 24th, 2009
2:34 am
I agree 100% with your analysis. It is just plain STUPID to release any updates until it is thourougly tested. Unbelieveable. My downtime and lost productivity has been quite significant as well. I will tell everyone I know NOT to install it until the issues are resolved.
Melih
July 25th, 2009
4:18 am
Just to continue this ridiculous saga from Microsoft, we found the following link at Microsoft Support in which they indicate that additional languages for Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 will be supported in the 2nd release of Vista Service Pack 2.
Yet while we wait, our Vista OS continues to tell us that we have a Service Pack 2 to download and install….oh yeah, that right after 3 install it still doesn’t work because we’re waiting on the 2nd release of Service Pack 2.
Again, the question arises why a service pack is being released with limited functionality?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947875
No, we have not received an answer to this question.
sfadmin
August 28th, 2009
6:41 pm
Hello,
A follow-up on this matter recently has the following response from Microsoft. You can find this by using Internet Explorer to go to the Microsoft NEWSGROUPS at either of the following URLS:
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.windowsupdate&mid=7202fd4f-f449-4509-a1e1-c02d5b86af54
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.windowsupdate&cat=en_US_56d1dd45-de9e-4fc5-9bc1-2d1d0de6daee&lang=en&cr=US
Additionally, the response given was as follows:
The second release of Windows Vista SP2 is scheduled for later in 2009.
Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947875 (Last Review: May 26, 2009)
I’d expect “later in 2009″ to mean “during 4Q09″ myself. That being said…
Free unlimited installation and compatibility support is available for
Windows Vista, but only for Service Pack 2 (SP2). This support for Windows
Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) is valid until November 26, 2009. Availability of
chat or e-mail support differs depending on your geographic location. Go to
http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?prid=13014&gprid=582034 &
select appropriate category (i.e., Download issue; Installation issue;
Issues after you install a service pack).
You’ll find additional support for Vista SP2 issues in
microsoft.public.windows.vista.general newsgroup and in these forums (many
of which are monitored by MS, unlike the public newsgroups):
• http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistawu/threads/
• http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistainstall/threads
• http://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/itprovistasp/threads/
–
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client – since 2002
http://www.banthecheck.com
Basically there is no update on this issue for Windows Vista Ultimate with Multi-Language support. We will have to wait until later in 2009 to get what we really need!
jasonc
September 25th, 2009
11:46 am
Yep, I wasted a whole work day by losing control over my machine for hours on end… it kept getting to 100% complete, and then uninstalling. But then it kept wanting to give it to again. Making me keep postponing the nagging. And so I gave in, and it happened again. 10pm. Am going to find a way to turn off automatic updates. This is worse service than freeware.
K m C
October 12th, 2009
1:42 am
Is it a coincidence that an ineffective service pack appears with the release of Windows 7? Microsoft wants you to purchase the new OS.
I purchased Vista Ultimate 64 bit slightly over a year ago and have wasted too much time trying to install the new service pack. Microsoft can not be billed for this wasted time, but I can switch to Linux 64 bit instead of wasting more money on a greedy company. I attempted to install service pack 2 on Vista this month (Oct,09) and my computer has not been running properly since it automatically uninstalled.
Fred
October 27th, 2009
8:15 pm
I went into a meeting first thing this morning only to come out with a notice saying my computer was going to restart in 2 minutes… I went ahead and clicked okay.
It is now 4:15 in the afternoon and I’m in the middle of now trying to do a system restore to the restore it made during the update process.
Microsoft, this really, really sucks.
I don’t even have the multi language Vista Ultimate, just the normal Vista Ultimate version. WTF OVER.
I can’t believe Microsoft would release an update like this that does this much damage.
Oh yeah, this is a business machine and another Vista (Business) machine in the office this happened to last week. Sounds like this update is complete garbage.
sfadmin
January 10th, 2010
6:32 pm
Hello,
Here is the most recent update that continues to provide ongoing frustration about the upgrade to Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Service Pack 2 (SP2).
The last attempt for an upgrade was performed in July 2008 to no avail. Based on all the readings at Microsoft in the before mentioned links the suggestion was to wait til the end of 2009 at which time multi-language support would be available for SP2.
So, here we are in January 2010. I started the update process at 11:15 p.m. Saturday, January 9, 2010. Around 4:30 a.m. I received a notice that the upgrade had failed again and the system would revert back to SP1! At that point I fell asleep and when I woke up about 8:30 a.m. the revert to to SP1 was still underway. Finally it was done around 9:30 a.m.
This time a very peculiar and additional problem arose. I received an error that the Licensing Service SKU was not running and therefore I could not log in. The error code was 0xC004F055.
In order to get around this, there is a link in the error window to contact Microsoft. This will get you out on the web to receive support and also browse the web for any help. The help locations of value here are:
http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/genuinevista/thread/0db701be-69b7-4996-a9db-71aac5bc6a18
(I believe without contact Microsoft free support for SP2, this particular solution can work)
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?prid=13014&gprid=582034&st=1
(you will notice here that the end date for free Microsoft Windows Vista SP2 support ends on February 26th)
After contacting support on the phone not only for SP2 support, but also for Licensing Support, the solution to the problem came by restoring the system to the next best point that it was working. You can find this when you log into Windows Vista in Safe Mode and then going to START > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > SYSTEM RESTORE
I can tell you that this entire process ended about 11:30 a.m. the next day. 12 hours later I am no better off other than a complete waste of time and lost productivity for which Microsoft will not reimburse us. Not that we asked, but does anyone think they will pay us for these 12 hours?
Now we have to figure out how to get upgraded to Vista SP2, which I will have to contact Microsoft free support for SP2 before February 26th to see if they can help out. COnsidering the time this update has required, I will have to wait til I know I can make the time for this and not get paid for it.
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