PC softsware upgrade sequence errors

[rowing2]

We are upgrading a number of products on our Win NT Workstation PC’s as part of our Y2K project. I have tried numerous installation sequences and have yet to perform a clean round of upgrades. I have referred to numerous documents that define pre and post requirements for each of the upgrades and thought I had a final workable sequence. However when installing Win NT SP5, we get the following message just after pressing the final Restart button:

Drwtsn32.exe – DLL initialization failed. The application failed to initialize because the windows station is shutting down. OK

After clicking OK on the message, the PC never reboots. After 5 minutes we power down with the on/off button. Immediately repeating the SP5 installation then works correctly. We feel that there is some inherent problem that is causing the first install of SP5 to be in error due in part to one of the previous upgrades in the sequence. (One of our earlier attempts installed SP5 at the beginning of our overall sequence and it installed correctly. The sequence was changed after seeing requirements to upgrade IE prior to installing Win NT SP5.) Before rolling out this final upgrade process throughout our site, I need a consistent error-free installation sequence. Can anyone help by supplying the cause and problem related to the SP5 installation hang with Dr Watson, as well as any pre/post requirements that can help us generate a proper sequence of upgrades? All upgrades are performed using an Administrator’s account. Our current sequence is:

Outlook 98 file attachment patch
Outlook 98 date fix
Microsoft Jet 3.5 SP3
Internet Explorer 5.0 v10.003 (upgrade from IE 4.01)
Internet Explorer security patches (DHTM, MSHTML, Favorites, Scriplet typlib, ImportExportFavorites, and IFRAME)
IBM Client Access PTF service pack
Windows NT SP5 (upgrade from SP3)
Windows NT SP5 post fix (BIOS date value, Net user/time)
Microsoft MDAC 2.1.2.4202.3

Also, prior to running each upgrade, we shutoff the Microsoft Office Shortcut bar and Network Associates McShield service (for VirusScan anti-virus software). Are there other programs or services that should also be disabled during an upgrade?

What overall sequence should I use? If the above is correct, what is causing the SP5 hang problem?
Thanks!!!

[Axel]

I hate to point this out, but why use SP5? SP6 is on the download page and has been for about 2 weeks, I think - I'd say try it.

Also, remember that the service pack is the last thing you want to load as it works off the last load of the system. Every time you change a driver on the system or add anything new in the way of hardware, you'll want to re-run the service pack as the last thing you do. That might be why running the service pack again worked.

Do you have any registry hacks in place that might be causing you grief?

BTW - you do all your installs with multiple reboots ( I.E. a reboot after each install/config change is best ), don't try to run the service pack in as part of another install. I.E. - reboot after your last config or install, then do the service pack clean as the last item, then reboot again. I've had my best results that way and have had several other hacks recommend never mixing a service pack reboot with an install reboot. Windows Nice Try just doesn't like it. /forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by Axel (edited 11-22-1999).]

[socalgal]

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