Tech Guide Issue III: How to Clean Uninstall WinXP Service Pack 2

[00025]

A lot of gamers(and computer users in general) has had problems with SP2 and while Microsoft had supposedly fixed a lot of issues on Windows XP the service pack also introduced a lot of problems. Mainly incompatible software, (the worst part is most of those incompatible softwares are games!).

So Im back at writing(Well not really since I just copied this off of my old reply in our old forums) a new tech guide to help those who want to get rid of Service Pack 2.

Well first off when you installed SP2, it asked you if you want to archive the files, and you did archive it... right? Cause if you didn't then you'll have a major, major problem. Archiving it will compile all the setup files so when you decide to uninstall it you could easily do so. If you didnt well it'll be easier to uninstall cause all you'll need to do is reformat your hard drive and nuke all of your data. But if you did archive it, then good, you get to keep all your data.

Now were ready to uninstall SP2!:agree: But hold on a moment! Its not as easy as it seems. Well although you could uninstall it from the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel it really doesn't fix the issues introduced by the Service Pack. So here's a step-by-step comprehensive guide on how to Clean uninstall SP2.

*note: do not attempt to do this if you feel like you don't have sufficient knowledge on Windows Recovery Console. Ask someone for help (like me:thumbsup: ) if you're lost. If you mess up you could always reformat! (Im kidding :p )

Here's how to use recovery console to clean uninstall SP2.

1. Restart your computer with your XP startup disk in your floppy drive. If you dont have a startup disk use your WinXP CD.

Press any key to boot from CD

2. When you receive the Welcome to Setup message, press R to start the Recovery Console.

3. Select the Windows XP installation in question.

4. It will ask you for the administrator password. If you didnt play with safemode and changed the admin password it would be blank. You will not be able to continue if you do not have the administrator password.

5. At the command prompt, type cd $ntservicepackuninstall$\spuninst, and then press ENTER.

In all of the following commands do not in any circumstance turn off the computer. It will leave a corrupt sector in your harddrive if you do so.

6.At the command prompt, type batch spuninst.txt, and then press ENTER.

The Spuninstal.txt file appears. As the file scrolls down, you will see errors and files being copied. Do not panic its normal.

7. After Windows XP SP2 is removed, type exit, and then press ENTER.

8. Restart your computer in Safe Mode.
Sometimes it locks up because you just uninstalled a component. If a lock up happens cold boot the PC(meaning unplug it then turn it back on after a minute)

9.When your computer restarts, Windows Explorer (Explorer.exe) does not run, and the Windows icons and the Start button are unavailable. To resolve this problem, follow these steps:
a. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to start Task Manager.
b. Click File, and then click New Task (Run...).
c. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
d. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\RpcSs
e. On the right side of the viewing pane, right-click ObjectName, click Modify, type LocalSystem in the Value data box, and then click OK.
f. Restart your computer

10. After this, SP2 is already uninstalled but sometimes(just sometimes) It still shows up in the Add Remove program list. If this happens dont worry. Here's what you'll do:
a. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
b. Click to select the Show Updates check box.
c. Click Windows XP Service Pack 2, and then click Remove.
d. Follow the instructions on the screen to remove Windows XP SP2.(If the instructions doesn't show up its all good, you already uninstalled it)

Then youre done!

*another Note: It would be better if you print out this guide if your gonna attempt to uninstall SP2 since you wont have access to the internet while you're uninstalling. And read the process first and ask for help before doing the uninstall process.

This wraps up the Tech Guide! I hope it helps!

[Polaris]

wow
could you compile a list of reasons why to uninstall in the first place?
it'd just be good to know because im about to do my ritual formats and what not, and i dont wanna hafta install and then uninstall sp2

[FluxX]

Um, don't you just go to add/remove programs/updates from control panel?

That worked for me.

That seems like some heavy overkill...

*Edit

Just reread it "1. Restart your computer with your XP startup disk in your floppy drive. If you dont have a startup disk use your WinXP CD."

Should read... "1. Go to control panel, select add/remove programs, select "unistal SP2" ;) .

*edit*edit

Unless you can point out these "issues" that don't unistall properly?

[00025]

The main "issue" that will not be resolved if you chose to uninstall it by just the Add/Remove programs is the explorer.exe file. For those who doesnt know what explorer.exe is, its just the main shell of Windows. Without it you wouldnt be able to use windows. There will be no Icons, no start menu, no nothing.

SP2 rewrites explorer.exe according to the added features. When you uninstall using just the Add/Remove Programs it removes the SP2 features but does not restore the original explorer.exe(the one before you installed SP2). It doent really affect anything except that the SP2 explorer.exe takes up more CPU and memory usage. Some people even experience a lot of crashes and BSODs if SP2 isn't uninstalld properly.

[00025]

And some people need that extra memory and CPU for their other programs.

[00025]

wow
could you compile a list of reasons why to uninstall in the first place?
it'd just be good to know because im about to do my ritual formats and what not, and i dont wanna hafta install and then uninstall sp2

Well there are some people who experience incompatibility issues with SP2. Software titles like Zone Alarm, Norton Antivirus, Kaspersky Antivirus, etc. doesn't seem to work properly and until Microsoft(or the software developers themselves) fixes this you may wanna uninstall SP2.

Some games that I've heard of that weren't compatible with SP2 are:
Freelancer
Command and Conquer: Generals
Command and Conquer: Zero Hour
Halo: Combat Evolved
Starwars: Battlefront (a patch is coming out soon)
Rise Of Nations
Impossible Creatures
UT2004 (this was resolved by the latest patch but there are rare cases in which it didnt work. Like Dark Messenger's case)
Warcraft III
Battle Chess

Plus the memory consumption of SP2 services are way too high. Unless you know how to manually stop them through Task Manager and/or services.msc, some systems may experience slowdowns while using memory intensive programs (Games, 3D programs, etc.)

I myself still have SP2 just because I know how to shut the services off manually. But some people couldnt be bothered doing so. So the easiest way to resolve the problem is to just uninstall it and wait for a better Service Pack to come out.

*Edit:
I found the complete list of incompatible softwares and games in Microsoft's website
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242

[00025]

Well I guess the list of games affected by SP2 has decreased since its first release. Its about time that the developers heeded the cries of their consumer.

Hooray for Patches!

[Polaris]

Plus the memory consumption of SP2 services are way too high. Unless you know how to manually stop them through Task Manager some systems may experience slowdowns while using memory intensive programs (Games, 3D programs, etc.)

I myself still have SP2 just because I know how to shut the services off manually. But some people couldnt be bothered doing so. So the easiest way to resolve the problem is to just uninstall it and wait for a better Service Pack to come out.

would you mind telling us what those services are? i know how to stop em (msconfig, right?) so........ i just need to know what the service is and what it does or doesnt do
thanks

[00025]

It seems like you know what you're doing so Im gonna give you a list of services that should be disabled. If you disable all of this you just basically removed SP2(and some insignificant SP1 services) without actually uninstalling it.

Do not use msconfig! Instead run services.msc(type it in Start->Run), this way you would know what you are disabling and you could decide whether you need it or not (descriptions of each service will be shown). What you should do is edit the startup type to disabled by right clicking and going to properties. There you could change the startup type in a dropdown menu.

*These are all the service edited by SP2 but some computer systems require some of these services to be able to run properly. Disable at your own discretion and read the descriptions carefully. If you dont know what the service means, ask.

**This only works for standalone computer(not networked)
I dont know how to set services for networked computers.

Disable all these services in services.msc:
Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Error Reporting Service
Human Interface Device Access
Indexing Service
Messenger
NetLogon
Network DDE
Network DDE DSDM
Network Location Awareness
Network Provisioning Service
Performance Logs and Alerts
Portable Media Serial Number Service
QoS RSVP
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Registry Service
Routing and Remote Access
Telnet (only in XP pro)
Security Center
Server
Smart Card
SSDP Discovery Service
TCP/IP Netbios Helper Service
Wireless Zero Configuration
WMI Performance Adaptor

Remember to restart after doing this. If your system did not boot properly take note of the error message that the system will show, boot to safe mode w/ networking and post the error message you got here so I could tell you what caused it. Or if it didn't show any error message but you feel like there's something wrong, describe it to me.

[Polaris]

are there any numbers to cpu usage savings available?

[00025]

Its hard to determine because each PC has different specs. You'll have to consider the size of your page file to determine the amout of CPU usage saved by disabling those, cause some of them uses the page file that you determined as virtual memory. You'll also have to consider processor and memory speeds and amounts. And you could only determine CPU usage as you are using the service.

Memory usage however can be easily determined in the Task Manager because all of the services are constantly using memory space. However it still depends on the computer's specs.

If you wanna know how much memory usage I've saved by disabling some of it (I didn't disable all, as I have said some of the services could be crucial to some systems), I've saved about an average of 49,000+ K depending on what programs I am using. That amount of memory usage saving probably won't do much difference while browsing the web or doing work stuff but if you open a memory intensive program, like say a game, you'll notice an increase in performance.

[FluxX]

Hey... checdk this site out for which services to disable :) ...

http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

[00025]

Oh yeah black viper! check out his stuff too he's really good at tweaking stuff in windows. I think he has a guide to create an ultimate gaming OS in WinXP, 98se and 2000pro. I tried it in my 98se before switching to XP and it was really good. His disabled services for "safe" are no different from mine though.

[shutupandshave]

Woah 00025!
Disabling all those services could screw your config if it's ANYTHING except a standalone USB modem connected PC.

I did a clean format and then installed SP2, and it runs FAR faster than it ever did with SP1.

[00025]

It also works on ethernet connected PC.

And yes disabling all of those services may screw up other PCs that's why I said "Disable at your own discretion and read the descriptions carefully", meaning that if you think you need it, don't disable it.

If SP2 works wonderfully in your PC then good for you, but some people are having problems with it and sometimes the only way resolve these problems is to either uninstall SP2 or disable the services.

I think a lot of you are misinterpreting this guide. Im not saying that everyone should uninstall or disable SP2 on their systems. This is merely a guide to help those people who are having problems with SP2. If you don't have problems with SP2 then don't follow the guide. Simple as that.

Don't worry my feelings wont get hurt if you didn't follow my guide. :)

[Apocalypse]

Now apart from the compatibilty issues what benefits do you get from disabling all those things or things you reckon you don't need, I ask because my comp is serious need of a tune up and i would like to know how to go about doing it.

[Fragman]

first of all get adaware and spybot run them then do a disk defrag if you need any help ask ill be glad to help.

http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5

http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10289035.html?tag=lst-0-2

[Apocalypse]

yea i do that frequently, also use registry mechanic every other day.

What i was really looking for is tweaks and stuff
get rid of all the stuff i don't need, basically just tune this up for games.

[Fragman]

ah i get ya well theres a number of program the ign half life 2 tune up guide may give you some help http://gear.ign.com/articles/554/554744p1.html and this ut2004 tweak guide may all the ini editing i think you probly can skip. http://www.tweakguides.com/UT2004_1.html

[Fragman]

One other 2 http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=411 this one is for over clocking and stuff USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!! I must stress the risk factor and advise you to only use the none over clocking portions. On any guide i give you.

[KPR[X-303]]

Unfortunatly it keeps fragments of it i did all that 2 times already and tried all the other ways to uninstall it

I can no longer access my Graphics Card Control Center
I can no longer play Homeworld 2 or any of my older games
I can no longer use my spybot and firewalls
My router no longer works
20 of my 40 Stargate Screensavers no longer work

and more...

[mOle]

Main problem with SP2 is that it fucks ur net connections up.. and will pop up during games.. whining

[Karmashock]

nothing worked when I installed SP2... stupid thing...

[tom]

I didn't/haven't had a single problem with it.

[mOle]

well. its retarded... 00025.. can you tell me how i remove the icon in task bar teling me to install it again? i wanna kill it

[Karmashock]

turn off auto update. :D

[mOle]

well.. this is a shame..

i have gone to school... learning all this stuff that 00025 post's but.... THAT i dont know

[Max_Faktor]

YAAAR.. i run a pirated copy of XP that is strictly for the use of business' with Multiple stations... i dont have to register ever and all upgrades work fine..it came with service pack 2.. my deal is it never asked me to install service pack 2 .. does the same thing work for me... oh and do you think that it might be the problem im having at certain times when something im doing makes my computer just restart unannounced? This has been a problem a few times...
not just during game play.. i can simply be surfing the net... and if it is this SP2, then would'nt Microsoft be offering a solution; perhaps one where i dont have to uninstall it?

[00025]

that doesnt look like an SP2 problem, Its probably a system stability issue. If it is there's nothing I can do about if without knowing your full system specs and all the tweaks you did to it (ie. overclocking).