Windows 7 Win 7 SP1 install fails in 3 different partitions !

[arealnoob]

I have a box with two 500 GB drives and Windows 7 installed in 3 partitions ( one partition in one hard drive and two partitions in the other hard drive). I have 2 additional Win7 installations, which I seldom use, so that I can have a failsafe resource to fix systems problems from in my main partition. I tried to install Win7 SP1 in my main partition, but the install failed with an "invalid_data" error. I then installed the "Windows 7 System Update Readiness Tool", per SP1's instructions, but that didn't yield any additional data.

Curious, I tried to install SP1 in backup partition 1, which has some software installed, but that got me the exact same result: SP1 failure to install, with the same error reported.

Even curioser, I tried to install SP1 in my 3rd partition, which is a spanking new install with zero software installed, i.e., a total software virgin. The exact same result was obtained: SP1 failure to install, with the same error reported.

In all 3 partitions, I can update the system just fine via Windows Update...except for SP1.

In partitions 1 and 2, I tried the SP1 install with the antivirus (Avast! ) disabled, per tips in several threads at Technet Forums and here. The 3rd partition doesn't have an antivirus installed (it's never used, except to update via Windows Update so I can create a system image to use in case of a dire emergency.

I can understand if installing SP1 in a heavily accessed system, with lots of software installed, fails due to whatever reason, but it really blows my mind that SP1 would fail on a FRESH install of Windows 7.

Can someone shed some light on this...and possibly provide a tip so I can update my Windows 7 systems to SP1 ?

THANKS !

 

[patcooke]

Souns like it must be reading the update source rather then writing the update target which is failing. Are you running the SP1 installs all from the same source?

 

[arealnoob]

re:
> Are you running the SP1 installs all from the same source?

I used two different downloads of Win 7 32-bit SP1.

The file size for both downloads is 550,718 kb
The file name is "windows6.1-KB976932-X86"

Ideas ?

 

[patcooke]

Not tried those - I used the
7601.17514.101119-1850_Update_Sp_Wave1-GRMSP1.1_DVD.iso
1953.3MB

from here:

Download details: Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (KB976932)

 

[arealnoob]

Isn't "windows6.1-KB976932-X86" included in the download you link to ?

 

[arealnoob]

A happy ending.

When I checked the CBS.log for the main partition, one of the errors
listed was that the .cab file could not be unpacked...ergo the failure to install.

The problem was that I had used 2 different SP1 downloads,
so that had to be a mistake...or was it not ?

To be on the safe side, I re-downloaded SP1...and tried again.
This time the installation went smoothly.

Incredibly...BOTH copies of the SP1 I had downloaded previously were corrupt.

The 2nd partition's SP1 install went smoothly, so I figured I was home safe.

The joke was on me. When I tried to install SP1 in the 3rd system : failure.

By now, I'm feeling comfortable with opening the CBS.log file and checking it out,
so I tried to do that...but was informed that somebody else, not me, owned the file,
even though the account I use to log in belongs to the Administrator's group.

I checked the permissions for the file and saw that my account name was not listed
so I took over ownership of the file...and the whole partition just to be on the safe side.

This time the installation went smoothly.

Whew !

To readers of this thread with SP1 install problems : keep those two items in mind.

Make sure you have an uncorrupted copy of SP1
...and make sure you own all the files on the drive where you're installing SP1.

C'ya...

 

[patcooke]

Thanks for the feedback - Sod's Law rules in this business!