14 DAY TRIAL // A free Microsoft tool is available for download, designed to resolve failed installations of the second service pack for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Labeled the System Update Readiness Tool, the utility comes in handy in various scenarios when updates can no longer be integrated on top of Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 SP1. An illustrative example of a glitch end users might stumble upon is a failed install of either Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or Windows Server 2009 SP2 accompanied by the following error code: 80070490.
“To resolve this problem, run the System Update Readiness Tool (Checksur.exe),” Microsoft indicates. In the description of the tool, the company notes, “This tool is being offered because an inconsistency was found in the Windows servicing store which may prevent the successful installation of future updates, service packs, and software. This tool checks your computer for such inconsistencies and tries to resolve issues if found.”
In certain scenarios, especially when users have been running a copy of Vista SP1 for a long time, some components break down. An operating system that fails to deploy updates has suffered various Windows servicing store problems. In such a case, the issues affect not just plain-vanilla updates, but also major upgrades to the operating system, namely service-pack releases.
“System resources, such as file data, registry data, and even in-memory data, can develop inconsistencies during the lifetime of the operating system. These inconsistencies might be caused by various hardware failures or might be caused by software issues. In some cases, these inconsistencies can affect the Windows servicing store, and they can cause software updates not to work. The System Update Readiness Tool tries to resolve these inconsistencies,” Microsoft reveals.
The Redmond company has acted proactively with the availability of the System Update Readiness Tool. The utility has already been served automatically through Windows Update, as the software giant has attempted to deal with any problems that could prevent SP2 to be installed on top of Windows Vista. At the same time, Checksur.exe is also available for manual download, coming in handy to users that have disabled Automatic Updates.
“After you download the System Update Readiness Tool, it runs a onetime scan for inconsistencies that might prevent future servicing operations. This scan typically takes less than 15 minutes to run. However, the tool might take significantly longer on some computers. The Windows Update progress bar is not updated during the scan, and progress seems to stop at 60% complete for some time. This behavior is expected. The scan is still running and you should not cancel the update,” Microsoft adds.
- Windows Vista 32-bit and Windows Server 2008 32-bit - System Update Readiness Tool (KB947821) - Windows Vista 64-bit and Windows Server 2008 SP1 64-bit - System Update Readiness Tool for x64-based Systems (KB947821) - Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems - System Update Readiness Tool for Itanium-based Systems (KB947821)