Help with Windows Updates on a Boot Camp-enabled iMac?

[Systematic Chaos]

I just called in a favor and acquired myself a brand new monster of an iMac, along with an OEM copy of Windows XP SP 2. I spent last night playing around with the Mac side and then I ran Boot Camp and installed Win XP. I'm still in total awe of this machine and happy as a clam! :D

One funny problem, though. As I went through and updated everything on the machine, a problem developed with Windows Update (and Microsoft Update) after I installed SP3. What happens is that the updaters will give me a list of crucial and optional updates (from hotfixes to IE 7 and Windows Media Player 11). Now, when I select any update at all it will download but then immediately fail to install, and there is no error message I can find to tell me why.

So far, I have individually downloaded WMP and IE from the Microsoft website - from there they installed flawlessly - and I also found a little utility which will delete the files on your system which tells the updaters what you've already installed without having to check. I also downloaded and installed the Windows Installer v. 4.5. None of this has worked and I still have this one stupid little issue. I'm seeing that other people are having these types of problems, and that they might be related to SP3. Of course, since this is a Mac running XP I don't rule out that it may be a glitch with Boot Camp. I'm out of ideas though.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[whistler162]

1. Try this method...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910336

[Systematic Chaos]

3. Yep, I did that and still no luck.

I'm either going to uninstall SP3 altogether or just quit worrying about it. Most of those hotfixes aren't likely to make a big splash in my life either way anyway.

But thanks for trying! :)

[Gore1FL]

2. I am more familiar with parallels.

but you might want to see if using a bridged network setting in your VM fixes this.

[Systematic Chaos]

4. Thank you for the advice, but unfortunately that one goes way over my head.

I know enough about computers to solve a lot of things, but there are still tons of things I would like to learn. :)

[Gore1FL]

5. I am not sure if this is the same in boot camp

but in PArallels, on the VM config screen, you can click on the network and change a radio button. When you boot the machine, it takes those settings.

I do the PC side of Parallels, so I am quite the novice at the Mac interface part of it.