I have a DELL PowerEdge 2500 running W2K and SQLServer 2000 that had been
fully patched (critical) except for 2/2007 patches and SP1. After verifying
all hardware firmware and drivers were up to date, I finally attempted to
take the plunge and install SP1. The install went through all the normal
processes of checking for adequate disk space and continued as if no problems
were present. Upon trying to install sp1.cab I got a message indicating there
was not enough disk space to copy the file. I moved some files from C: and
hit retry and the SP1 install GUI vanished. I then got a message indicating
"the install did not complete and your system may not function properly", and
then the server rebooted itself and went into a reboot loop.

I did a repair on the system with the original install media and was able to
get it back so that it was functioning, but I know there are at least some
"minor" things that are not working and I may have some issues with some SQL
jobs as well. Some of the things I know aren't working:
1) I can no longer connect to the server via remote console. When I view the
System applet on the server the Remote tab is no longer present. Also, if I
attempt to view this applet via a right-click on My Computer, I first receive
a message indicating a "rundll32.exe - Entry point not found" error citing
IcfDisconnect not found in HNetCfg.dll, but then the applet opens (sans the
Remote tab). When attempting to access any Terminal Services applets I get a
"Snap-In failed" message.
2) The Help and Support Service will not start although it is configured
properly (according to how it is configured on our other servers). A message
similar to "the executable program this service is configured to run in does
not implement the service".

SQL starts fine and there are no event log errors noted other than for a
terminal services session not being able to start. So while I have one job
that has failed, I'm not sure it is related to the install problem or
something else.

So, I guess my question at the moment is...Considering the server is
functioning now, if I were to verify that I have enough space on C: and run
SP1 again, would I most likely be able to correct these issues and feel some
assurance that everything is as it should be?

And on a side note, has anyone else seen the annoying and somewhat scary
behavior of W2K3 SP1 installing and suddenly disappearing with no further
feedback during the "cleanup processes". This has happened on all of the DELL
servers I have installed it on and I find it to be very disturbing. I am
forced to perform a manual reboot, at which time the servers come up fine
reporting with SP1.

Sorry for the long post, and thank you in advance.

"Madman" <Madman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6291E716-6614-494E-92A0-1D92A080550E@microsoft.com...
I would never trust a server that had gone through an aborted
installation. I would consider it compromised.

The standard steps for a major upgrade (such as an SP installation)
go like so:
1. Create a full backup of the system partition.
2. Restore the backup to a different disk.
3. Test the restored system.
4. If Step 3 worked, install the service pack.
5. If Step 4 failed, revert to the restored system.

Steps 1 to 3 take some time to complete but they take far
less time than a complete rebuild.

Thanks, Pegasus. I agree with you and in a perfect world everyone has the
manpower, time windows, and hardware resources to perform the steps as you
suggest. Unfortunately, that is not the world I live in. I do have backups in
the form of a full from the weekend and differential from last night that I
could restore from, however they have not been "tested" as your step 3
indicates.

Regardless, I take your response to be a "No", I can't just attempt another
reinstall of SP1 and hope for the best. I'll have to monitor the situation
and see what seems best with the limited resources I have. I'd like to rant
about the inadequacies I have noted with this SP install, but I have work to
do.

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

Have a look at Acronis TrueImage. It costs money but
it saves you heaps of time in creating/restoring images.


"Madman" <Madman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
newsE23FB4B-C3E5-449F-A389-16E53C93D530@microsoft.com...