Readme for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003 with SP2

This document contains information that you should know before you install Microsoft® Windows Server® 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2). There are three versions of SP2: one for 32-bit operating systems, one for Itanium-based operating systems, and one for x64-based operating systems. SP2 contains the latest collection of updates to help improve the security, reliability, and performance of the following operating systems:

  • 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003

  • Itanium-based versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003

  • x64-based versions Microsoft Windows Server 2003 

  • Windows Server 2003 R2 Editions

  • KN versions of Windows Server 2003 R2

  • Windows® XP Professional x64 Edition

    Note

    If you are running Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, and subscribe to the Windows High Availability Support Program through a qualified original equipment manufacturer (OEM), do not install this service pack. Instead, you should contact your OEM for the service pack, updated adapter drivers, utilities, a custom hardware abstraction layer (HAL) if needed, and support. OEMs are required to test Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition with service packs. If you do not subscribe to this program, you can continue installing this service pack.

Before you install

Before you install SP2:

  • Review the following documentation.

  • Check the disc space requirements. See article 926029 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=74454).

  • Back up your servers. Your backup should include all data and configuration information that is necessary for that server to function. It is important to perform a backup of configuration information for servers, especially those that provide network infrastructure, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). When you perform the backup, be sure to include the boot and system partitions and the system state. Another way to back up configuration information is to create a backup set for Automated System Recovery.

  • Disconnect UPS devices. If you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to your destination computer, disconnect the connecting serial cable before running Setup. Setup automatically attempts to detect devices connected to serial ports, and UPS equipment can cause problems with the detection process.

  • Disable your antivirus software. If you are not connected to a network or the Internet and you want to minimize the installation time, you can disable your antivirus software. The time that it takes for the antivirus software to scan each file can add significant time to the installation: as much as an hour or more on slower computers. Be sure to enable the antivirus software after you install SP2.

  • Uninstall prerelease versions of SP2. Unless you have a supplementary support agreement with Microsoft, you must uninstall any prerelease versions of SP2 before you proceed. Upgrading to this version from any prerelease version is not supported.

  • Close all open programs.

How to install SP2 from the Web

You can install SP2 from:

  • Windows Update: You can use Microsoft Update to install SP2 on a single server running Windows Server 2003. You can update Itanium-based versions with SP2 only by using the CD or by downloading it from the Microsoft Download Center (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=77236).

  • Microsoft Download Center: You can download SP2 from the Microsoft Download Center (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=77236). We recommend that you save the SP2 installation file locally on the computer. Then if you have to restart the installation or reinstall SP2, you will not need to download the installation file again. Because the SP2 installation file is very large, if your computer has more than one hard disk, save the installation file on a disk other than your system disk.

Deploying SP2 to multiple servers

You can use the SP2 installation files to deploy SP2 to multiple servers that are already running one of the supported operating systems. And you can use the SP2 files to integrate a Windows Server 2003 operating system with SP2 and then install the operating system and SP2 together on multiple servers. This procedure is known as "slipstreaming." For more information, see:

Command-line options

You can define the way SP2 is installed by typing one or more of the following command-line options when you run the installation .exe file. You can precede the options with either a forward slash (/) or a hyphen (-). The options are not case-sensitive.

Note

You can also use the /Log and /Verbose options. For more information, see "The Package Installer (Formerly Called Update.exe) for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and Windows Components" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=42759).

Command-line option Description

/D:Path

Backs up the files that are required to remove the service pack to Path. Any location that you specify must be on the local drive. If you back up files but do not specify a folder, the default location is:

$ntservicepackuninstall$

/ER

Enables extended codes that return a detailed error message if the update installation fails. For more information, see "The Package Installer (Formerly Called Update.exe) for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and Windows Components" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=42759).

/F

or

/Forceappsclose

Forces other applications to close after you install the update package and before the computer is restarted. You cannot use this option with /integrate, /L, and /Z.

/Forcerestart

Restarts the computer after the installation is complete, even if a restart is not required to complete the installation. This option does not force applications to close.

/Integrate:Path

Integrates the SP2 source files into the path you specify. Be sure to provide the absolute path to your operating system source files. This option is the same as the /S option that was used by previous installers.

/L

Lists installed updates.

/N

or

/Nobackup

Does not create backup files during setup. We do not recommend this option because backup files allow you to remove SP2 in the future. An entry for SP2 does not appear in Add or Remove Programs if you use this option.

/O

or

/Overwriteoem

Overwrites OEM files without prompting.

/Promptrestart

If a restart is required, a dialog box notifies the user that a restart is required to complete setup. Intended for use with /Quiet.

/Q

or

/Quiet

Uses quiet mode. This mode shows no user interface during the installation of the updates. This is the same as unattended mode, except that the user interface is hidden. No prompts will appear during the installation process.

/U

or

/Passive

Installs the service pack in unattended mode. Only critical error prompts and a progress bar will appear during the installation. By default, the program invokes the /Warnrestart option.

/Warnrestart:[Seconds]

If a restart is required, a dialog box notifies the user that the computer will restart in the specified seconds. The user can click Cancel or Restart Now. The default is 60 seconds.

/X

or

/Extract

Extracts service pack files without starting Update.exe. You are prompted to provide the path for the folder in which you want the extracted service pack installation files to be placed. For more information, see "The Package Installer (Formerly Called Update.exe) for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and Windows Components" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=42759).

/Z

or

/Norestart

Does not restart the computer after the installation is complete, even if a restart is required to complete the installation.

/?

or

/Help

Displays Help.

Uninstalling SP2

It is possible to uninstall SP2 only if it was installed as an update to an existing operating system. It is not possible to remove only SP2 if you installed it as part of an integrated installation. In addition, you can only uninstall the last service pack that you installed. For example, if you install SP1 and then you install SP2, you can only uninstall SP2.

By default, backup files are created during the installation so you can remove SP2. Unless you specified the /nobackup option when installing SP2, then you can remove SP2 using Add or Remove Programs or the command prompt.

Important

If you remove SP2, a dialog box displays a list of the applications that you installed after you installed SP2. If you continue, these applications might not work correctly. Multiple descriptions of some applications might appear instead of a single generic description. You can ignore these additional descriptions.

To remove SP2 using a command prompt

  1. Open a command prompt, type the following, and then press ENTER (Option can be any option listed in the following table):

    %systemroot%\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\Spuninst.exe /Option

  2. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Option Description

/F

or

/Forceappsclose

Forces applications to close when the computer restarts.

/Q

or

/Quiet

Removes SP2 in quiet mode, which is the same as unattended mode except that the user interface is hidden and no prompts appear.

/U

or

/Passive

Removes the service pack in unattended mode. Only critical error prompts appear while SP2 is being uninstalled.

/Z

or

/Norestart

Does not restart the computer after the process of uninstalling SP2 is complete.

/?

or

/Help

Displays Help.

Additional resources

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