Failed Upgrade XP SP2 to SP3, etc.
 

Upgrading XP SP2 to XP SP3 fails. It claims that is can't write Beethoven's Symphony #9 WMA and then hangs. I have to cancel the upgrade.

I've also tried re-installing XP SP2 from the CD which came with the PC. It claims that it can't write the same WMA file, as well as a few files which I think are desktop background images. At least the SP2 installation allows me to skip these steps and it runs to completion.

Looking at a working XP SP3 on another computer, I have found that the Beethoven WMA file is in \Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Music\.... I find that this is a Read-Only directory on the SP2 machine (which I can't upgrade). I haven't tried an SP3 upgrade after removing the Read Only status.

I'd greatly appreciate some insight / suggestions. And, yes, I want to stick with XP.

Thanks,

bob / seacue

Why not delete the wma file, do the upgrade and then re-install it from the other M/C? Although I'm at a total loss as to why sp3 wants to upgrade a wma file.

I tried going to XP3 and had exactly the same problem. I
deleted that bloody useless wma file but it didn't do zip.

Forget XP3. Your puter will keep working just fine with XP2.

I have SP3 stored on my external disk for the day when I might think of installing it.

That day has just receded further into the future. Thanks for the warning.

Thank you all for the suggestions so far. Are there no more suggestions?

Are we to assume, therefore, that you have read and tried #4 and it failed?

Time has come when no critical computer activities are in progress so I again tried to install SP3 - using the hint given by SoCal Ap in message #4. This time the upgrade appears to have gone fine. Thank you SoCal.