I can't seem to get SP2 stuffed into this machine, probably due to a software conflict.
When I do the install (4 times now) windows won't load. I know that it is in there somewhere because it starts up nice in safe mode. I don't get a SPECIFIC error MESSAGE, only NOTIFICATION that windows has FAILED to load.
I have taken the machine in to let a techy try his hand at it, but he had no more luck than I did. He and I have both done the required updating of drivers.
The problem computer is an HP Pavilion, with a scanner, Printer, and a USB hard drive attached.
Anyone heard of this problem? I assume that what I need is tips on how to isolate the problem, assuming that it is a software conflict.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
DaveIf the USB hard drive is not eseential (some kind of backup solution?) I would physically remove it, the scanner and the printer if they are USB devices. Do a system restore to get back to a safe point and start again.

  Thanks for replying so soon. I'm embarrassed to say that I forgot to mention that all 4 attempts to install were done with no peripherals attached except monitor, keyboard and mouse.
I think the install was ok, because in safe mode windows seems to be cool. It just fails to load in normal mode, which is why (In all my vast wisdom) I thought that it might be software related. I could just delete all the user installed software and try again, but as you can imagine that is a last resort.
Any other ideas?What about the sytem restore idea - to a point in time when this did not happen?Thanks again!!
I have done a system restore after each install to get back to an operating state. SP2 is not on my computer at this moment. I know I will have to re-install a 5th time in order to troubleshoot this, but I don't know how to troubleshoot.  My attempts to do this have been going on since SP2 was introduced. :-/Are you downlaoading SP2 or installing from CD? Microsoft will send it to you for free - no shipping either, or you can download it, burn it to CD and go from there.
I'm using the CD from Microsoft the last 3 attempts, because the first attempt was a downloaded copy, and it failed.well, I wouldn't spend too much time on this personally. I would back up important stuff and then reinstall the operating system after a good format of the hard drive.Strange enough, that's the same advice I got from the techy at CompUsa when he worked on it. Seems to be a problem with HP's proprietary software.
Thank you sincerely for your efforts!
Dave Quote

Strange enough, that's the same advice I got from the techy at CompUsa when he worked on it. Seems to be a problem with HP's proprietary software.