I just tried to install the Windows XP Media Center edition to a Dell
Precision 370 workstation, and I'm finding out that this is not such a
straightforward thing to do. In the middle of the install, it asks for
the Windows XP SP2 CD. This is completely baffling by itself. Since
Windows XP Media Center's install was written before SP2 was released, how
can it be asking for software that was written in the future during the
install?!

Since the SP2 install requires you download it through Windows Update, I
have no CD to provide the install. And the MSDN disk that contains the
Media Center CDs does not have a standalone CD with SP2, only full installs
of Windows XP with SP2 already integrated. Is the SP2 disk an essential
element during the install?

After the install finishes, the system is obviously broken. No network
adapter is located, and at least 70% of the system services marked as
Automatic do not start up at all. I cannot even look in event viewer
because the EventViewer service is not started!

Any advice on how to get this installation working is appreciated.

--
Will

MCE 2005 consists of two CDs.

CD #1 is Windows XP with SP2
CD #2 is the MCE superset

Boot from CD #1 and proceed with the installation. At some point it will
ask for CD #2. Swap CDs. When it finishes with CD #2 and asks for Windows
XP with SP2, that's CD #1.

Do as it tells you and swap CDs back to CD #1.
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Printing & Imaging
http://www.coribright.com/windows



"Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message
news:iqKdnS5-Lst6FF3enZ2dnUVZ_sadnZ2d@giganews.com...
>I just tried to install the Windows XP Media Center edition to a Dell
> Precision 370 workstation, and I'm finding out that this is not such a
> straightforward thing to do. In the middle of the install, it asks for
> the Windows XP SP2 CD. This is completely baffling by itself. Since
> Windows XP Media Center's install was written before SP2 was released, how
> can it be asking for software that was written in the future during the
> install?!
>
> Since the SP2 install requires you download it through Windows Update, I
> have no CD to provide the install. And the MSDN disk that contains the
> Media Center CDs does not have a standalone CD with SP2, only full
> installs
> of Windows XP with SP2 already integrated. Is the SP2 disk an essential
> element during the install?
>
> After the install finishes, the system is obviously broken. No network
> adapter is located, and at least 70% of the system services marked as
> Automatic do not start up at all. I cannot even look in event viewer
> because the EventViewer service is not started!
>
> Any advice on how to get this installation working is appreciated.
>
> --
> Will
>
>

To the original poster, to add to what Cari wrote,at this point, you should
not try to save what you have installed. Instead you should start over
fresh. Trying to save what you have will end up wasting more time.

--
Jason Tsang - Microsoft MVP

Find out about the MS MVP Program -
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx

"Cari (MS-MVP)" <Newsgroups1@coribright.com> wrote in message
news:%2316cBZAFGHA.1052@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> MCE 2005 consists of two CDs.
>
> CD #1 is Windows XP with SP2
> CD #2 is the MCE superset
>
> Boot from CD #1 and proceed with the installation. At some point it will
> ask for CD #2. Swap CDs. When it finishes with CD #2 and asks for
> Windows XP with SP2, that's CD #1.
>
> Do as it tells you and swap CDs back to CD #1.
> --
> Cari (MS-MVP)
> Printing & Imaging
> http://www.coribright.com/windows
>
>
>
> "Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message
> news:iqKdnS5-Lst6FF3enZ2dnUVZ_sadnZ2d@giganews.com...
>>I just tried to install the Windows XP Media Center edition to a Dell
>> Precision 370 workstation, and I'm finding out that this is not such a
>> straightforward thing to do. In the middle of the install, it asks for
>> the Windows XP SP2 CD. This is completely baffling by itself. Since
>> Windows XP Media Center's install was written before SP2 was released,
>> how
>> can it be asking for software that was written in the future during the
>> install?!
>>
>> Since the SP2 install requires you download it through Windows Update, I
>> have no CD to provide the install. And the MSDN disk that contains the
>> Media Center CDs does not have a standalone CD with SP2, only full
>> installs
>> of Windows XP with SP2 already integrated. Is the SP2 disk an
>> essential
>> element during the install?
>>
>> After the install finishes, the system is obviously broken. No network
>> adapter is located, and at least 70% of the system services marked as
>> Automatic do not start up at all. I cannot even look in event viewer
>> because the EventViewer service is not started!
>>
>> Any advice on how to get this installation working is appreciated.
>>
>> --
>> Will
>>
>>
>
>

Nothing on CD #1 said a word about SP2, and nothing in the modal dialog
asking to insert SP2 said a word about CD #1. So probably they could lower
their support costs by making the message say, simply, "Insert CD #1 Again"

Thanks for your help!

--
Will


"Cari (MS-MVP)" <Newsgroups1@coribright.com> wrote in message
news:#16cBZAFGHA.1052@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> MCE 2005 consists of two CDs.
>
> CD #1 is Windows XP with SP2
> CD #2 is the MCE superset
>
> Boot from CD #1 and proceed with the installation. At some point it will
> ask for CD #2. Swap CDs. When it finishes with CD #2 and asks for
Windows
> XP with SP2, that's CD #1.
>
> Do as it tells you and swap CDs back to CD #1.
> --
> Cari (MS-MVP)
> Printing & Imaging
> http://www.coribright.com/windows
>
>
>
> "Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message
> news:iqKdnS5-Lst6FF3enZ2dnUVZ_sadnZ2d@giganews.com...
> >I just tried to install the Windows XP Media Center edition to a Dell
> > Precision 370 workstation, and I'm finding out that this is not such a
> > straightforward thing to do. In the middle of the install, it asks
for
> > the Windows XP SP2 CD. This is completely baffling by itself. Since
> > Windows XP Media Center's install was written before SP2 was released,
how
> > can it be asking for software that was written in the future during the
> > install?!
> >
> > Since the SP2 install requires you download it through Windows Update, I
> > have no CD to provide the install. And the MSDN disk that contains the
> > Media Center CDs does not have a standalone CD with SP2, only full
> > installs
> > of Windows XP with SP2 already integrated. Is the SP2 disk an
essential
> > element during the install?
> >
> > After the install finishes, the system is obviously broken. No network
> > adapter is located, and at least 70% of the system services marked as
> > Automatic do not start up at all. I cannot even look in event viewer
> > because the EventViewer service is not started!
> >
> > Any advice on how to get this installation working is appreciated.
> >
> > --
> > Will
> >
> >
>
>