# Windows SP1a download problems **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767 "2003-07-20T17:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/1 "2003-07-20T17:16:23Z")
Well, okay, I can download the damn thing, but the installation fails every time. I’ve shut down all virus programs, but it still fails. In addition, it somehow screwed up my anti-spam program, so I had to do a restore on my computer. Any suggestions? Is this update even necessary? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/2 "2003-07-20T18:34:15Z")
What error (exact wording) does it give you ? SP1 will not install on a pirated copy of Windows XP. If you believe you have a legit copy of Windows XP, try installing it in Safe Mode. To boot into Safe Mode, press F8 when the comp is booting, then choose Safe Mode. I have found that the SP1 update improves stability. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/3 "2003-07-20T18:57:28Z")
Be warned though: SP1a will not install the Microsoft Java VM. You’ll have to install Sun Microsystem’s (vastly inferior, IMO) VM instead. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/4 "2003-07-20T20:55:43Z")
I’m having the same trouble. A pop up tells me that it needs to download other programs from the internet. It asks if that is OK, then another pop up says that connection cannot be made with the internet. It says to wait until later, since there may be heavy traffic, but it happens every time. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/5 "2003-07-20T21:26:53Z")
Here are the messages: This note comes up immediately after I choose to install in the typical or suggested manner. > [@](#): > > \*\*Setup needs to download additional files from the Internet to install one or more components you’ve selected. If you do not have Internet access, please contact your network administrator. > > Do you want Setup to download the additional files from the Internet?\*\* Immediately after clicking on “OK” the following message pops up. > [@](#): > > \*\*Setup was unable to download information about available > installation sites. > > Setup may have been unable to use your current proxy server settings. > Click Advanced if you know your proxy settings. > > The network may be busy; you can retry now or if you continue having > this problem, please try Setup at a later time.\*\* 😕 ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/6 "2003-07-20T22:40:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*Sun Microsystem’s (vastly inferior, IMO) VM \*\* Sorry for the hijack, but can you provide any basis, cite, benchmark or other information to back up the superiority of Microsoft’s VM? The only “feature” of MS’s VM I’ve seen is its support of broken non-standard Java, but I’d be interested in anything that backs up an assertion that it was actually worth the install. Personally (and anecdotally), I’ve had nothing but trouble with MS’s VM and usually solve people’s problems with Java by installing Sun’s. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/7 "2003-07-20T22:48:59Z")
In case you weren’t aware, IMO stands for In My Opinion, and in no way represents a statement of fact. My _opinion_ is that Sun’s J2RE is inferior to Microsoft’s VM. It’s laggy, resource intensive and its rendering of fonts sucks. Since I installed it, the Java games at Yahoo! no longer run smoothly, and the fonts aren’t rendered right, and in some cases are nearly unreadable. And the window sizes aren’t handled correctly, so that in some games it is impossible for me to see the complete chat box. If you have a fix for these problems, I’d love to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/8 "2003-07-20T22:57:04Z")
If you already have SP1, then you don’t need SP1a. Perhaps it won’t install over SP1. Read the disclaimers about SP1a. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/9 "2003-07-20T23:11:57Z")
Chefguy, when you go to Windows Update, did you download all of the other critical updates first? I know it says you shouldn’t have to do that, but I did. To continue the hijack, **Q.E.D.** , I just installed Sun JRE 1.4.2 and am not unhappy with it - I use it mostly for desktop jar apps from sourceforge - but how would one go about using the MS version instead? I thought I had simply screwed up my associations because a compression utility took .jar files as similiar to zips, but I couldn’t find a MS java engine to reassociate them with. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/10 "2003-07-20T23:23:32Z")
I wish I knew. I installed the Sun J2RE v. 1.4.2 a while back to use some online applets that wouldn’t run otherwise, and apparently this disabled the MS VM. I found a download of the MS VM [here](http://java-virtual-machine.net/download.html), but I’ll be damned if I can get it to work. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/11 "2003-07-20T23:43:10Z")
Yes, I have a licensed copy of XP that came with the computer. I went to the Microsoft website after the automatic update icon failed. Had the MS site identify which files were needed via computer scan. Downloaded the necessary files. No dice. The only message I get is at the website which says, basically, that the files failed to load (well, no shit, says I). I searched the site for FAQs without success, ditto an email contact, so I guess I’ll have to call them. Thread hijacks don’t offend me like they do some overly-sensitive folks on the board; but jeez, fellas, it’s Sunday…there should be peace and harmony… ::sound of retching, toilet flushing:: ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/12 "2003-07-21T00:51:09Z")
Two things: Are you trying to install the “express” or the “network” installation of SPx? The “express” install works much like the IE installation - that is, you donwload a small (400k) or so program and only the files that you need are actually downloaded. OTOH, the “network” installation includes all SPx files and is something like 130MB. I’ve seen problems like you describe with the “express” install, but not the “network” one. Secondly I am (for once) in complete agreement with Q.E.D. - I agree that MS’s JVM is far superior to Sun’s _on the Windows platform_. Here’s but one example - you can run AIM on a computer that doesn’t have “AIM proper” installed by running the Java version (called “AIM Express”) from the website. Using MS Java, the app looks like the stardard Windows one and runs almost as quickly. Using Sun’s JVM the windows aren’t rendered correctly and the app runs as slow as a dog. Text input boxes are only about 1/2 height and there’s extra whitespace around the bottom of the app’s main window. Even on a 3 GHz PC, it runs as if you were using a P90. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/13 "2003-07-21T00:57:39Z")
Hey, **Rex** , have you got a fix for the installation of the MS JVM I linked to in an earlier post? I can download it and install it (apparently), but if I disable the Sun J2RE, all I get is a white box where the applet should be. I’ve even tried completely uninstalling the Sun Java stuff, to no avail. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/14 "2003-07-21T01:59:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rex Fenestrarum \* > \*\*Two things: Are you trying to install the “express” or the “network” installation of SPx? The “express” install works much like the IE installation - that is, you donwload a small (400k) or so program and only the files that you need are actually downloaded. OTOH, the “network” installation includes all SPx files and is something like 130MB. I’ve seen problems like you describe with the “express” install, but not the “network” one. > \*\* Yeah, it’s the “express” version. Any idea for a fix? As to the rest of your email, I can only say "blahblahblahblah **Chefguy** blahblahblahblahblah. ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/15 "2003-07-21T02:29:06Z")
**Q.E.D.** : Control panel, Internet Options, Advanced, Java, UNcheck “Use Sun Java v.blah.” ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/16 "2003-07-21T02:36:28Z")
Yes, I know, **Alereon**. That’s what I meant when I said “disabled the Sun Java stuff” in my post above, with the results as noted. ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/17 "2003-07-21T03:11:05Z")
Ah. I’d think you’re fairly screwed then, as Microsoft is doing it’s best to make the world forget that it’s Java VM ever existed. Try reinstalling the Sun Java VM, see if you can force it into working. Failing that, I think it’s Windows reinstallation time. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/18 "2003-07-21T03:16:12Z")
I think so too. I’ve completely uninstalled and reinstalled Sun Java, and looked online for tweaks to make it act like the MS VM, to no avail. It works, just not the way I’d like it to. I’ve got all my docs backed in in preparation for a reformat and complete reinstall. Anyone know where I can find the orginal SP1, _not_ SP1a? ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/19 "2003-07-21T03:34:04Z")
The filename is xpsp1\_en\_x86.exe, and the file size is 140,440,152 bytes. Perhaps you will find this information helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767/20 "2003-07-21T03:39:45Z")
Yep, thank you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-sp1a-download-problems/189767.md?page=2)