.gif "Proposed Answer")
Service Pack 3 Installation freezes at "Performing Cleanup."
- Hello. I'm currently running Windows XP Home Edition, Version 2002, Service Pack 2. AMD Athlon Processor, 1.10 GHz, 192 MB RAM. I have no programs running (excepting Firefox, now,) and have no automatic spyware or antivirus activated.
The installation just sits there when it gets to the point of "Finishing installation," and "Performing cleanup." I've seen that many people have had trouble with it freezing at "Running processes after Install," but I've gotten past that point and am puzzled as to why the install wont finish. Is there anything I can do?
All Replies
Same here - hangs up when "performing cleanup"Eric Sorensen wrote: Same here - hangs up when "performing cleanup"
Ditto -- tried via Windows Update site -- failed twice.
Downloaded the entire SP3 from Microsoft Update Catalog -- ran installation and it just sits there at the 'Finishing Installation' with 'Performing Cleanup' in the Details field of the Software Update Installation Wizard dialog.
So, what's the deal?!? Can MS offer us any insights?!?
I have the same problem today with the "performing cleanup" hang. Unless I get some solution to this, I may have to skip this SP3 and install Vista later.
For anyone interested, I finally managed to install SP3. Go through the same update procedure and once you get to the "performing cleanup" freeze, just call up the Task Manager to stop it. Reboot and SP3 installs nicely. Good luck!
- Proposed As Answer bypixil8 Tuesday, April 14, 2009 5:12 AM
Nervously, I took this step after a 7 hour hang on "Performing Cleanup." Worked like a charm - thanks!
- Proposed As Answer bypixil8 Tuesday, April 14, 2009 5:12 AM
For anyone interested, I finally managed to install SP3. Go through the same update procedure and once you get to the "performing cleanup" freeze, just call up the Task Manager to stop it. Reboot and SP3 installs nicely. Good luck!
This solution also worked for me on Windows XP Home Edition w/SP2. Thanks!- Proposed As Answer byJack Atom Friday, September 18, 2009 4:35 PM
- I am a system admin for 55 employees. Out of 20 or so we've upgraded, we've had 3 fail at this point: "Performing Cleanup"
We have always done the Task Manager, end task after waiting a minimum of 2 hours on the Performing Cleanup screen. It has always updated fine and no recognizable bad effects followed. I have no idea how much clean up is actually done prior to being able to end the task, but we always wanted to give it a chance to work itself out. so 2 to 3 hours before I'd feel comfortable dumping it.
But, again, it works - logging in afterwards shows SP3 installed and all functionality in tact. - Just want to chime in with my own experience here today... I had the same problem, on an old IBM NetVista A22 desktop unit running XP SP2. It hung at the same place you all are saying when I first tried to install SP3. I Googled and found this thread:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/itproxpsp/thread/fd539a17-41b9-4662-84ea-1aef8788b42e/
I followed the advice in the Friday, August 22, 2008 8:09 AM post made by "FrontierDK" and it worked for me. But in my case it was running some nasty AOL services as well as Windows Defender and PC Tools Firewall, so I used Task Mgr to quit out of those and then opened up Services and stopped those that still seemed to be going (seems in the case of the AOL stuff, they just don't want to quit!).
I then re-ran the SP3 installer. As before, it seemed to hang at the same place again but following the advice trend here in this thread, I just let it run, ready to wait 2 hrs if necessary before using Task Mgr to quit out of it. But after about 30 mins of it seemingly being stuck at this stage of the install, I got the "XP SP3 Installation Finished" screen.
I then breathed a sigh of relief. =)
To resolve this issue, download the entire Win XP service pack 3, which Microsoft calls 'Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers' (google it to find it), then unplug all your USB devices, then restart the computer in Safe Mode (no networking) and then install SP3 in Safe Mode, by double-clicking the file you just downloaded and proceeding according to the instructions you are given. Installation will take quite a while. When the computer asks you to restart it, let it do so, and it will then start Win XP normally (could take a few moments though, be patient), but now with SP3 installed!
Then plug all your USB devices back in and they will all work perfectly, provided that they are all XPSP3 compatible, which these days, they all are.
Hey all,
I have to install service pack 3 on machines at least once a day.
when it hangs at clean up, I give it 10 minutes and then I just push the reset button.
When I restart every thing is okay. I havn't had any problems with it so far.
cheers,
dogdaynoon
Hi all......
I have also experienced the same issue. What I did was Taskmanger>processes>locate the update.exe from the list.Right click and set priority to high.It worked for me
Abhilash
- Proposed As Answer byAbhilash CS Tuesday, April 27, 2010 2:24 AM
I just had it happen here (on 3 machines using the same image). What I did was go to task manager and turn off Wuauclt.exe (Windows Updates) because I was running from SP3 EXE and not using windows update (on all 3, and it worked for all 3). If you're using the standalone patch, try this. It finished within 10 minutes of me turning off windows update.
I have the same problem today with the "performing cleanup" hang. Unless I get some solution to this, I may have to skip this SP3 and install Vista later.
I took all the prior precautions, including having task manager already loaded before installing SP3. The install completed successfully. I made a new boot disk backup. But when I rebooted, I got the Blue Screen of Death.
If you have an HP computer with an AMD processor, please see the following link. Pay close attention to the part about running "sc config intelppm start= disabled" PRIOR to installing SP3. It also works later, as it did for me, when you have to boot during safe mode after the BSOD.
http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2008/05/08/does-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-sp3.aspx
I tried stopping wuauclt.exe but it just respawned itself. But when I stopped the Automatic Update service the SP3 install finished within a couple minutes. One clue to the source of the trouble was when the Windows update shield flashed to tell me it had downloaded a couple dozen updates and they were ready to install -- all the while the SP3 install was going on. I thought it was at least a good sign that the updates were all for SP3.
Joe
The cleanup that the installer refers to resides in the System Volume Information folder of the root directory (Usually the C: drive). If you check the properties of the folder, you'll notice that it's increased about 14GB in space. You can gain access to this folder via this Windows Knowledge Base article:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531
After gaining access, you can delete the folders that refer to restore points the SP3 installer made in case of failure. The Windows System is not dependent on these folders and it is fine to delete them if your SP3 installation reached the point in which it is "performing cleanup."
I hope this helps.
I am a system admin for 55 employees. Out of 20 or so we've upgraded, we've had 3 fail at this point: "Performing Cleanup"
We have always done the Task Manager, end task after waiting a minimum of 2 hours on the Performing Cleanup screen. It has always updated fine and no recognizable bad effects followed. I have no idea how much clean up is actually done prior to being able to end the task, but we always wanted to give it a chance to work itself out. so 2 to 3 hours before I'd feel comfortable dumping it.
But, again, it works - logging in afterwards shows SP3 installed and all functionality in tact.I would check again if I were you.
I had the same experience as you. It hung doing "Performing cleanup", I killed it in task mangler, I restarted it and, it showed that SP3 was happily installed. Everything looked good so I attempted to install Visual Studio 2010, which requires SP 3 and it FAILED, saying that Service Pack 3 was missing! (... even though System shows SP3!)
I have an explanation for why most of you can simply end the task at the "Performing Cleanup" point. After experiencing this myself on several computers, I got curious and somehow ended up looking up all the system restore points.
It appears after SP3 is installed, this "Performing Cleanup" actually begins installing a number of post-SP3 updates.
I wasn't sure where they were coming from, but I suspected that they were being downloaded. However, simply disconnecting LAN or WLAN at this point didn't work. If they were being downloaded, that must have happened before the installations were started. After about an hour and a half on one machine I just told the system to shut down which got the SP3 installer to end itself and show that it was complete. After restarting I did find that SP3 installed normally and updates were still available to be downloaded and installed.
So my recommendation is either to stay on top of it to shut down the machine if it takes too long, or make sure you are not connected to the internet before you begin the install.
I always recommend using the installer package that you download yourself and put on a CD or DVD instead of downloading it from Windows Update. A Google search should turn up the microsoft.com download for network admins or IT. Someone above had the right name for it.
I installed SP3 on a 4 year old laptop and it took about 3 hours for the Performing Cleanup to complete. I tried the tips above about disabling the Windows Update and end tasking the Wuauclt.exe. I'm not sure if it helped speed it up. I noticed that the harddrive made noise so there was activity. The free space on the C drive changed periodically so I knew something was going on. I looked in the Task Manager and displayed the I/O Read and I/O Write to see activity as well (but most of the activity was coming from svchost.exe).
- Thanks for this tip. Changing the priority to high made my hung installs finish within 5 minutes.
- I had this problem too and changing the priority helped.
www.mypchealth.co.uk I cant believe no one has posted this yet. Please! Understand that updates ARE ACTIVELY being installed during the "Performing Cleanup" process.
Just open Event Viewer and look at the System log!
Patches are constantly being applied. The amount of time will vary depending on the speed of the workstation and the number of patches that must be installed.
Hope this helps!
I am having the same problem right now, and was about to terminate the process, until I came across dconley's post. This is absolutely right, it is still installing updates. It is continuing to post new entries in the event viewer that new hotfixes have been installed.
I guess I will just let it finish itself out, even if it takes all night.
Thanks for the help!
- hi all ok this does work but one thing you all fail to reaslice try to install the latest version of c++ expree 2010 and you will get a fail xp3 is the requied service pack for c++express 2010 but will not install microsfot r useless company in my eye there r more problem with there softwere than i care to imagaine old apple system that i used to use as a 15 year old kid at school worked 100X better than this rubbish system that bill gate the con man has spun out for us all i alwasy say never buy the ____ alwasy download free softwear screw bill gate the idots man and minpulate windows to work for u remove the background ____ that runs all the time kill all micrposft spying that install with every windows version u can have task mamanger up runing 7 processes if u munipulate windows to ur own use screw what the leagl ____ says this man cant supply me with a fully working 100% bufg free softwere i anit buying it and i anit going to leave it as it is the man compnay is the most useless comapny iv ever had the miss foputune to use softwear from how the ____ this man ever got the leagl right to produ ____ like this i will never know but money talks inb the big wide world he got it he just bribe the asses and he can do as he like typical american company way .
Thank you, kebes22, and especially dconley! I was amazed that 3 hours(!) into a SP3 installation (from the downloaded entire service pack) it was still doing anything useful, but, as you said, it was still putting on hotfixes.
It was taking 10-15 minutes per hotfix, though! So I fired up Process Explorer, and found two invisible (not shown on the task bar) instances of Internet Explorer running, and one of them was using most of the CPU. I killed them, and now the hotfixes are taking ~2 minutes each, which still seems slow, but it is a lot better than 10-15 minutes.
Microsoft people, if you ever read this, THIS IS A BUG! Installing additional hotfixes is NOT "performing cleanup." When you display a message that says it is performing cleanup when it is ACTUALLY doing something else, that is FALSE information conveyed to the user, which is a BUG. SO FIX IT!!!
In this case, it is a bug with real, significant consequences, because it leads frustrated users to halt the installation when they really should let it continue to run. What it SHOULD do is display a message that says something like "installing hotfix 1 of 100" or "installing hotfix KB123456" etc.. It is IMPORTANT that users be able to tell the difference between stuck/hung and actually doing something useful. When you display the same "performing cleanup" message for hours, it is natural to assume that it is stuck/hung, so it is natural for the frustrated user to do the wrong thing (i.e., abort it -- while cursing Bill Gates' name and vowing to buy a Mac next time).
This sort of bug, and the general attitude at Microsoft which tolerates it, are among the reasons that Windows is widely perceived as being of much lower quality than the Mac OS. (The cavalier attitude toward virus/trojan vulnerability is another reason, going for a DECADE without even bothering to implement a flavor of safe mode in 32-bit Windows that only loads signed executables, etc..)
Dave (GeeksAlive)
BTW, Nerrik, 192 MB of RAM is nowhere near enough. XP barely limps along with 512 MB these days, and really prefers 1GB or more. If you still have this old machine, then go to crucial.com and see if you can put some more RAM in it.
Dave
- SP3 can take an eon on slow machines... and yes 192mb is redicoulous........ it would be so cheap to upgrade that. I have machines with 512 and they are painful with sp3. We are upgrading them soon to 1.5gig just to get another year or two out of them.
www.mypchealth.co.uk Just a quick note that may help you guys..
There are two processes called update.exe:
- The main installer, which holds ~40MB memory footprint
- A child update.exe process for each hotfix (one at a time), which tends to hold ~11MB memory footprint.
When setting the priority to High in task manager, do this for the main update.exe, and then watch the process list as new child update.exe processes get forked, and the old disappears. As a new child appears, it must also be set to high.
Should get hotfix times down to about 30 secs each (depending on the hotfix, and PC speed).
DaveSame problem myself on two machines yesterday - simply killing the update and rebooting was the answer
Windows XP Service Pack 3 Hangs on "Performing cleanup"
Pete
- At performining cleanup it is migrating the hotfixes from Windows Service Pack 2 to Windows Service Pack 3. You really shouldn't shut the machine down in the middle of this. You can see what it is doing at the log file on C:\Windows directory. It usually is called srvpack.log or something similar... We have had machine in my place of work take 24 hours before. You could try cleaning up the hotfix installers by running ccleaner on the machine prior to install.
I wanted to pass along that when running in to this on a system i had to kill the update.exe task that had the lowest RAM usage.
It seems that one of the hotfix installers got hung up.
In the system event log you'll see ntservicepack entries during the cleanup process.
if you see that it stops processing hotfixes you might need to kill the one that's hung up and it will continue.
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