Successive Attempts to Complete a Group Policy Installation of a Service Pack May Log an Event ID 102 Error (815438)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

SYMPTOMS

If you have already installed a service pack, you may not be able to deploy the same service pack level by using Group Policy and the following event ID 102 message may be logged in Event Viewer:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: Application Management
Event Category: None
Event ID: 102
Date: 3/11/2003
Time: 12:16:47 PM
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: Computer name
Description: The install of application Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (1033) from policy SP3 Install failed. The error was Fatal error during installation.
For example, if you deploy the service pack to an organizational unit and you use Group Policy to install it on the computer, if the computer is moved out of the organizational unit , restarted, and then placed back into the organizational unit, the installation is unsuccessful and you receive a 1603 error message.

CAUSE

You can configure the package installation program to test conditions on the computer before you start the actual installer routine. If you do so, the LaunchConditions evaluation tests to make sure that the service pack has not previously been installed. It does so to prevent the computer from downloading and reinstalling the service pack. This is a lengthy and invasive process. When the LaunchConditions routine determines that the service pack has already been installed on the computer, it returns a generic "ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" error message (or 0x643/1603 decimal) and quits.

RESOLUTION

RESOLUTION

Windows XP

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322389 How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Manual resolution information

You can also resolve this problem by following these steps:
  1. Go to the following Web site to download and install the Orca utility:

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/setup/orca_exe.asp

  2. Start the Orca utility, and then click Open on the File menu.
  3. Locate the service pack Update.msi file, and then click Open.
  4. In the Tables column, click Launch Condition.
  5. Click the condition labeled DoInstall OR DoUninstall OR DoFakeInstall OR DoFakeUninstall, and then add the "Installed OR" string to the beginning of the line.

    The condition changes to "Installed OR DoInstall OR DoUninstall OR DoFakeInstall OR DoFakeUninstall".
  6. On the File menu, click Save.
After you complete this procedure, a configuration error in the installation .msi file of the service pack is corrected. This allows the installer to correctly determine that the service pack has been installed, and handle it as an expected condition.

Copy the modified Update.msi file to the installation point for your clients. If you have already manually installed the service pack, you do not have to do anything else. If you have already deployed the service pack by using Group Policy, you have to replace or delete the locally cached .msi file. To do so, run a program or script to query the location of the cached copy using MsiGetProductInfo, and then delete the file.

Windows 2000

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

Manual resolution information

You can also resolve this problem by following these steps:
  1. Go to the following Web site to download and install the Orca utility:

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/setup/orca_exe.asp

  2. Start the Orca utility, and then click Open on the File menu.
  3. Locate the service pack Update.msi file, and then click Open.
  4. In the Tables column, click Launch Condition.
  5. Click the condition labeled DoInstall OR DoUninstall OR DoFakeInstall OR DoFakeUninstall, and then add the "Installed OR" string to the beginning of the line.

    The condition changes to "Installed OR DoInstall OR DoUninstall OR DoFakeInstall OR DoFakeUninstall".
  6. On the File menu, click Save.
After you complete this procedure, a configuration error in the installation .msi file of the service pack is corrected. This allows the installer to correctly determine that the service pack has been installed, and handle it as an expected condition.

Copy the modified Update.msi file to the installation point for your clients. If you have already manually installed the service pack, you do not have to do anything else. If you have already deployed the service pack by using Group Policy, you have to replace or delete the locally cached .msi file. To do so, run a program or script to query the location of the cached copy using MsiGetProductInfo, and then delete the file.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Windows XP

This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Windows 2000

This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.
To download the Windows Installer SDK, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/setup/platform_sdk_components_for_windows_installer_developers.asp

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:9/27/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE ATdownload kbWinXPsp2fix kbsetup kbWin2kSP4fix kbpending kbWin2000preSP4Fix kbfix kbbug KB815438
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