Member Avatar for american212001

For some reason my stupid computer won't let me uninstall SP2. It goes through almost all of the steps and then on the last step it says that "the system cannot find the file specified" "Windows Service Pack 2 wasn't uninstalled." Also I can't uninstall Norton anti-virus and i dont know whats up with that; So if anybody could tell me what i can do plz help.

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Building on what and noted: the message "the system cannot find the file specified" during the final step usually means the SP2 uninstall routine cannot find its uninstall files. The uninstaller relies on a hidden folder that contains the service-pack removal files (commonly C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$ and a spuninst.exe inside). If those files are missing or damaged, Add/Remove Programs will fail even in Safe Mode.

Practical checks and next steps:

  • Reveal hidden and protected files (Explorer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> View) and look for C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$. If it exists, inspect for spuninst.exe and any uninstall logs. Also review Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) under Application/System for MsiInstaller or service-pack errors to see the exact missing file.
  • If the uninstall folder is missing, the least risky recovery is to use System Restore to a point before SP2 was applied (Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore), assuming restore points exist.
  • If no restore point is available, a Repair Install of Windows XP from the original CD (backup user data first) will refresh system files and often restore the missing uninstall components so the service pack can then be removed or reapplied.

About Norton: use the official Norton Remove and Reinstall utility from Symantec/ Norton Support and disable any tamper-protection option first; running the removal tool in Safe Mode with Networking can help if the product is corrupted. Note that a damaged antivirus or a present malware infection can delete uninstall files or block uninstallers — an offline rescue scan is worth considering.

Cautions: removing SP2 removes important security fixes. If SP2 is only causing compatibility issues, running the legacy application in a VM or using compatibility settings is safer than stripping the service pack.

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Member Avatar for mikeandike22

why do you want to uninstall sp2 you will need it to get future windows updates.
And for the norton problem just get a program like uninstaller plus or something like that.

Member Avatar for dlh6213

I believe you need to boot into Safe Mode to uninstall SP2 (Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel).

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