Installing Windows
XP Service Pack 3 sends some PCs into an endless series of reboots, according
to posts to a Microsoft
support forum.

Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft
and a prominent Windows blogger, has worked with users to tentatively identify
the problem as involving only machines using processors from Advanced
Micro Devices.

Messages from frustrated users began accumulating on the XP SP3 support newsgroup
Wednesday, just a day after Microsoft released
the update to the general public.

"I just installed Windows XP SP3 and after completing the processes and
when the system reboots, the system cannot proceed to load the Windows,"
said a user labeled as "Olin" in a message that kicked off a long
thread. "It just displays the flash screen of Windows then after it
reboots again."

Most users who left messages on the forum said that they were unable to boot
into Windows Safe mode -- a last-ditch way to sidestep the normal boot process
for troubleshooting purposes -- or revert to a previously saved System Restore
point.

Some were understandably upset. "Way to go, Microsoft, releasing the pile
of dung called SP3 that hoses your system so bad even Safe Mode isn't working!"
said a user identified as Mike Voss. "Props to your QA guys, they certainly
have done their job."

Johansson, who watched one of his PCs repeatedly reboot after installing XP
SP3, traded accounts with several other users on the newsgroup, and summarized
the results on his blog.

According to Johansson, there appear to be two separate issues. One affects
only AMD-equipped PCs sold by Hewlett-Packard.
"The problem is that HP, apparently along with other OEMs, deploys the
same image to Intel-based
computers that they do to AMD-based computers," said Johansson. "Because
the image for both Intel and AMD is the same all have the intelppm.sys driver
installed and running. That driver provides power management on Intel-based
computers. On an AMD-based computer, amdk8.sys provides the same functionality."

Running the "intelppm.sys" driver on an AMD-powered PC isn't normally
an issue, but on the first reboot after a service pack installation, it causes
"a big problem," Johansson said. The machine either fails to boot
or crashes and immediately reboots.

The other problem, according to Johansson, also seems to affect only AMD machines,
and involves an error message indicating trouble with the PC's BIOS. Johansson
said that the ensuing recommendation to update the BIOS is "most likely
not your problem," but said that the problem may be isolated to a specific
motherboard. "Possibly, it is related to computers with the ASUS A8N32-SLI
Deluxe motherboard in them," he said.

Johansson also spelled out workarounds for both problems on his blog. The HP
issue can be solved by disabling the intelppm.sys driver, while the second fix
requires the user to plug in a USB flash drive before booting.

Microsoft was not immediately available for comment early Friday, but someone
identified as a Microsoft employee on the support forum had asked users to e-mail
him information such as the PC's system configuration, tell him whether they
were able to enter Safe mode, and submit event viewer logs.

This isn't the first endless reboot problem Microsoft's faced in relation to
a service pack recently. In February, the company pulled
a Windows Vista SP1 prerequisite update from automatic delivery because it was
crippling some machines.

» posted by abennett

Computerworld

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