Ever have to do a repair install of WinXP? Often–in the past–if WinXP became unbootable, simply popping in a (genuine!) WinXP install CD and doing a repair install would solve the problem.
Not so, now. Microsoft, in its inscrutable campaign to become the most-hated software manufacturer on the planet, has made a repair install of XP much more difficult. Oh, the repair install will still work, but unless you have the lil tip below, you’ll be stuck with the “pristine” install of the OS exactly as it came on the install CD, with all the security holes and gaps still present, all the bugstomps and patches since the CD was pressed… unavailable.
Because Windows Update will fail, reporting only “a problem on your system”.
Nice going Me$$y$oft.
As it turns out, according to a report by Windows Secrets‘ Scott Dunn, attempting to update WinXP after a repair install will fail because some of the dlls in the most recent WU utility will not properly register on such an installation. The fix requires first installing the old WU installer (found here), using the command line and the /wuforce switch, and then attempting a Windows update. The new WU installer will then register its dlls properly and all will be as well with the WinXP install as can be with a WindowsXP install. (Meaning, so-so to headache after headache *heh*)
Until Me$$y$oift fixes its WU installer, better have the OLD WU installer in your back pocket just in case. ‘K?
(Yeh, yeh: you can manually register each of the WU installer dlls, instead–or write a batch file to do it–but unless you’re looking at a ton of repair installs, just having the old WU installer will work easily enough. Just (RIGHT-CLICK to) download wuinstaller_fix.txt and rename with a “bat” extension if you prefer a dll-registration approach.)