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.

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.

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!

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.