Did you click on the Details link in the error windows you included in your first post?
Have you looked in Event Viewer to see if anything useful has been recorded? You can get to Event Viewer as follows:
Press Ctrl+R to open the Run window
Type eventvwr.msc and press Enter
Look in all the areas. I don't have access to Vista but if it's anything like Windows 7, look under Windows Logs / Setup and Windows Logs / Application.
One of it's recommendations is to run System File Checker (sfc) and it explains exactly how to do so. Check out the article and see if any of it helps.
Did you click on the Details link in the error windows you included in your first post?
Have you looked in Event Viewer to see if anything useful has been recorded? You can get to Event Viewer as follows:
Press Ctrl+R to open the Run window
Type eventvwr.msc and press Enter
Look in all the areas. I don't have access to Vista but if it's anything like Windows 7, look under Windows Logs / Setup and Windows Logs / Application.
One of it's recommendations is to run System File Checker (sfc) and it explains exactly how to do so. Check out the article and see if any of it helps.
I apologize for my late reply. I didn't click on the details link, but I did go in the event viewer. I didn't see anything of note recorded. I also ran sfc and it didn't help. Any more recommendations?
Please look under "Method 2" on the link above and it will have download links for several different versions of the update readiness tool. You will need to download the one for all versions of Vista x64. You mentioned you have 64-bit windows. By any chance, could you be using a 32-bit version? You can check in control panel -> system.
The update readiness tool will take quite a while to run and it will appear to just be "installing software." So, be patient. When it is done there will basically be no confirmation other than it is "complete." Once it is complete, please find the following two files, open them in notepad and copy and paste their contents to the forum.
Where %SYSTEMROOT% is the folder windows is installed in. i.e. C:\Windows
The update readiness tool will attempt to fix the issues it finds, and will create the log file showing what it found, fixed, and couldn't fix. If anything couldn't get fixed we can fix it manually. After that, your service pack will install.
If the update readiness tool does not install, you'll have to provide the error or further information about THAT problem first.
Please look under "Method 2" on the link above and it will have download links for several different versions of the update readiness tool. You will need to download the one for all versions of Vista x64. You mentioned you have 64-bit windows. By any chance, could you be using a 32-bit version? You can check in control panel -> system.
The update readiness tool will take quite a while to run and it will appear to just be "installing software." So, be patient. When it is done there will basically be no confirmation other than it is "complete." Once it is complete, please find the following two files, open them in notepad and copy and paste their contents to the forum.
Where %SYSTEMROOT% is the folder windows is installed in. i.e. C:\Windows
The update readiness tool will attempt to fix the issues it finds, and will create the log file showing what it found, fixed, and couldn't fix. If anything couldn't get fixed we can fix it manually. After that, your service pack will install.
If the update readiness tool does not install, you'll have to provide the error or further information about THAT problem first.
Thanks AO for your response and I apologize for my late reply. Sometimes I don't get to reply as quickly as I like. I hope you guys don't mind. I wasn't using the 32bit version ot the tool at all actually. I was using the 64 bit version. It completed and said installation complete, but when I looked for the two files you suggested I couldn't find them. I looked in C:\Windows for them, but they weren't there. Should I look in another place or are they in another folder inside of C:\Windows?
I'm sorry maybe I'm confused or something, but I did look in there. Please tell me what to do next.
They are in
WINDOWS –> LOGS –> CBS
Open the windows folder, find the Logs folder, open it, find the CBS folder, open it, find the two log files, open them each and copy and paste to the forum.
Holy cow…
You have over 5000 errors that need to be resolved. Honestly, I see no way to resolve this issue. Something very drastic has happened to this computer and it appears to be severe corruption. Possibly a major series of updates were interrupted or Vista was not loaded properly.
I have a question. In your initial post, you said "before when you installed SP2, everything was fine…" Please tell me what you meant by that? Why would you be installing SP2 again?
Anyone else here is more than welcome to take a shot, but this appears to be a machine ready to be reformatted and reloaded.
I've seen 10 or 20 errors before and could resolve them, but 5000? Nah.. Not going to happen.
You have over 5000 errors that need to be resolved. Honestly, I see no way to resolve this issue. Something very drastic has happened to this computer and it appears to be severe corruption. Possibly a major series of updates were interrupted or Vista was not loaded properly.
I have a question. In your initial post, you said "before when you installed SP2, everything was fine…" Please tell me what you meant by that? Why would you be installing SP2 again?
Anyone else here is more than welcome to take a shot, but this appears to be a machine ready to be reformatted and reloaded.
I've seen 10 or 20 errors before and could resolve them, but 5000? Nah.. Not going to happen.
When I said before when I installed Sp2 it was back in the past after I had reformatted my computer. There was no problem then, but recently when I reformatted my comp due to a blue screeen problem it would not install at all. Since the reformat there is no copy of sp2 on it meaning I must reinstall.
And to zturker ok next time I will try to upload them in zip format instead of rar.
Well, you have some significant issues on this laptop. It looks like a failed installation of service pack 2 or something. Or failed installation of many updates.
I'm not really sure.
At this point, I suggest backing up your data and starting over fresh.
With Windows Vista and 7, Microsoft made no easy way to slipstream SP2 into the original installation disc. But, thankfully, with a little searching you can find the download information for a "Windows Vista with SP2 RTM Slipstreamed/Integrated DVD ISO Image" that you can use to make your own Vista installation disc that already has Service Pack 2 installed. Using the product key you currently have, you can use one of these downloaded discs to install a fresh system with SP2 already on it and avoid many headaches.
Well, you have some significant issues on this laptop. It looks like a failed installation of service pack 2 or something. Or failed installation of many updates.
I'm not really sure.
At this point, I suggest backing up your data and starting over fresh.
With Windows Vista and 7, Microsoft made no easy way to slipstream SP2 into the original installation disc. But, thankfully, with a little searching you can find the download information for a "Windows Vista with SP2 RTM Slipstreamed/Integrated DVD ISO Image" that you can use to make your own Vista installation disc that already has Service Pack 2 installed. Using the product key you currently have, you can use one of these downloaded discs to install a fresh system with SP2 already on it and avoid many headaches.
It's actually a desktop. I don't understand why it has so many errors and I just reformatted it maybe a month ago. Any idea why? My computer came with Vista 64 bit preloaded and an upgrade disc to Win 7. It didn't come with a disc. How can I make a disc ao? I would really like to try that and see if it works.
If you have an upgrade disc for windows 7, then why in the world haven't you upgraded?
Use the disc and install Windows 7.
I upgraded and didn't like it so I stuck with vista. It's my choice to stick with vista if I want. Now what about the disc you mentioned for vista. Do I just download it from the internet or what?
Thanks paws for the heads up. I had no idea where Oz was. 
