Tip #12: SP2 Install Error - Access is denied.

I recently came across this error on a Windows XP Home Edition laptop that was pre Service Pack 2. When I went to install the Service Pack 2 download I got the following error and it bombed out of the install by rolling back to its original state:

SP2 Install Error - Access is denied

I’ve learnt that this is caused when permissions for one or more registry keys are restricted in a way that prevents the update of those registry keys. A failure to update a registry key may cause the Setup program to fail.

Here is the fix:

To update the permissions of the registry subkey, follow these steps:

a.	Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK to start Registry Editor.
b.	Locate and right-click the registry subkey that you noted in Step 2d, and then click Permissions.
c.	Under Group or user names, click Administrators.
d.	Under Permissions for Administrators, make sure that the Allow check box for the following entries is selected: • Full Control • Read
e.	Click Apply, and then click OK.
f.	On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.

Now reinstall Service Pack 2 again and it will complete successfully.

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