F$cking Microsoft!!

Thursday 26 August 2004 Dan 6

So - I got a News Update today that Service Pack 2 for Windows XP was ready for download. Yippee I think to myself - I knew it'd likely be a bit of hard work, but away I went.

Click Windows Update (I don't have it set to auto as it annoys me!). One Critical Update found- Service Pack 2. Cool. Install. "License Agreement, do you accept?" Er, Duh. Yes. "Installing.... whirr click - FAILED! Error code: 8007F0CC"

OK, so I figure I've got something running or too much running. Kill everything, start over. Fail, Error Code: 8007F0CC . OK, Windows XP Newsgroup - Ahhh this error code is if you have change the Windows XP Boot Screen. Which I have. So in I go and restore it. Start over. Fail, Error Code: 8007F0CC. So I restore my desktop to *shudder* Default Aqua. Restart, fail, Error Code: 8007F0CC. Reset login screen back to Default. Restart, Error Code: 8007F0CC.

So, this is now a little while later - probably an hour, and I am pissed off and fed up. Jo went to bed just before I started, and I made the STUPID comment "I won't be long". My damn game Email addy is on the fritz (Blueyonder have restarted everything, but it might take 6-12 hours to resolve!), and now my computer looks like cold poo. It went from THIS to THIS. Full Size the windows that open to get a good idea!!

I literally changed everything back to default - but luckily, being Mister SmartyPants, I saved it, so it's going to be two clicks of a button to restore it. Unless of course the Demon Llamas come and get me and my backups...

Ahh well, nothing like bitching to make you feel better - and I just spent the better part of half an hour bitching to (well, WITH) someone which is always a laugh. No doubt it will carry on tomorrow, but for now, WinXP SP2 can stick itself up it's own arse.

Welcome!

Welcome to 0ddness!

For the newcomers amongst you, this blog is one of my little corners of the web where I generally spout rubbish, rant and rave about minor things, share music I love (and can't stand) and generally put the world to rights from my little corner of the web. I might talk about something I've watched, my family, my aches and pains, an upcoming movie, the news... and then switch to the weather, the crazy idiot I met in the street and the speed of a cat when running for its life.

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Welcome, enjoy, discuss!

-Dan

6 Responses to “F$cking Microsoft!!”

Anonymous said...: Hey Dan, I got the same error message and haven't been able to load SP2 yet. Have you solved the problem?

Also, I saw your "before" screen shot and I want to know where you got that theme? It looks like an OSX theme, right?

-Oren; August 27, 2004 5:42 pm
Dan said...: Oren

Yes, I managed to solve it - you have to edit your Boot.ini - it's likely from a modified bootscreen, which I definietly changed :) A couple of entries after this one has the solution!

As for my current theme - It's called "Nano" and while I got it from Deviant Art, a link to the complete look is http://www.customize.org/details/34699 which has WinAmp style, Icons and Cursors.

Note - Once you get SP2 running, and assuming you use SytleXP, you will need to download the update for SP2 from their site!

Good luck!

Dan; August 27, 2004 5:50 pm
Anonymous said...: Hi Dan,

Thanks for the scoop. I saw that other post but wanted to see if it worked for you as well. My system has a standard corporate image on it so I am a little sceptical about changing the boot screen but if that's what it takes, maybe I'll go for it. Is SP2 worth it?

Thanks for the scoop on your desktop theme, too.

-Oren; August 27, 2004 6:03 pm
Dan said...: SP2 probably IS worth it... The firewall seems to work fairly well, and anything it worries about, it does ask before allowing access. It also has a PopUp blocker in Internet Explorer that stops everything - you can add sites to ignore, and so far it's not popped up anything I didn't want - so that works as well.

It also changes settings in Outlook Express - resets security to high, won't let you read HTML in Emails, won't let you save attachments that could be harmful - you can go in and disable it though. I've got the PopUp blocker and Outlook Security disabled, as I use AdShield which is a bit easier for my liking :) I am using the firewall and haven't had any issues. I was using Sygate, and had a few issues with that - mostly local networking - but so far, nothing major to report.

I've tested it hard, going to some sites that usually try to drop all kinds of Spyware and Adware, and so far so good.

Of course, I give it a couple of weeks before Microsoft realise they've done something wrong, and release a patch for the patch ;)

Good luck with it - changing the boot.ini isn't that painless, and I was ready to kick the computer back into shape, but it rebooted straight in with no hassle.

And last note - after installing SP2 you need to restart your machine - I NEARLY hit the reset button, as it took a long time to reboot, but it was doing stuff behind the scenes, and now reboots fine once again. Tomorrow I will try and put my Boot Screen and Login Screen back to how they were!; August 27, 2004 6:09 pm
Anonymous said...: Dan,

Thank you very much for your input and feedback. Because I don't have complete access into everything in the system (cuz it's the company's computer). I might hold off or get really friendly with tech support so they'll give me access to the stuff I need.

Have a great day and I love reading your blog.

-Oren; August 27, 2004 6:23 pm
Dan said...: You are most welcome :)

Good luck with getting on the good side of Tech Support - try beer; it's an international currency that everyone understands!!

And thank you for the compliment :) I'm actually surprised at how many people actually read my meandering thoughts!

Dan; August 27, 2004 6:54 pm