I’m preparing to record one in a series of video tutorials for SitePoint, for which I’ll need a copy of Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), the web server that comes with Windows XP Professional, installed on my home computer for the first time since I installed Windows.
The usual way to do this is to launch Add or Remove Programs from the Control Panel, click Add/Remove Windows Components, pick IIS from the list and then go from there. But if, like me, you’re working with a copy of Windows that has been updated to Service Pack 2, you’ll just get this error:
Microsoft helpfully offers a solution to this in its online knowledge base. Problem is, the solution (which will most often require “Method 2″ in that article) requires you to have a Service Pack 2 CD on hand, and Microsoft’s web site does everything it can to talk you out of getting a copy of that CD.
After searching all over the site for a way to get the CD without having to pay (and wait) for Microsoft to ship it to me, I finally gave up and submitted a support request to Microsoft explaining my dilemma (you get two such requests for free).
In the end, I was able to find the answer myself. Via Paul Thurrott, I was able to find the full download of Service Pack 2, labelled “Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers” to scare off the plebs.
I had even found that download while scouring Microsoft’s site on my own, but the many messages on the page (all of which amount to “you don’t want this!”) drove me away.
I’d provide feedback on the knowledge base article, but it looks like Microsoft took away the feedback solicitation feature of its knowledge base. I’m kinda wishing I hadn’t wasted one of my free support requests…
Thanks a lot to Howl. I’ve tried this solution and works perfectly! THAAAAAAANKS!!!!
Thanks a lot Howl. It is 100% workable.
thanks howl!! the cmd also work for me.. been trying to figure out how to install iss for 2hrs now!! it was frustrating.
hello
Thanks you
I am iranian.
I am Hmong and it also help me too. Many thanks.
The solution that mos proposed adout replacing the files from a working system works fine. Thanks a lot.
thank you very much
i was going to learn php coz i lost hope for a week
but finaly this is working
thank you again
Solution for SP3 IIS
If you have this problem with XP SP3 i managed to bypass it by downloading the “Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers” which I installed.
After rebooting the PC, I tried to install the IIS service and, at my surprise, it asked me the Windows XP Professional Edition, which i used to install XP, and not the “Service Pack 3 Windows Cd”.
I hope it will work for other people.
hey i cant figure it out what is “xpsp2 ” command there! it is not working?
@Howl
Jul 20th, 2006 at 6:51 am
Greetings, I think I found a solution on another site. I did this:
Exited the entire add or remove programs panel. Then opened a command window and entered: esentutl /p %windir%\security\database\secedit.sdb
After doing this I attempted to add the IIS component and it worked perfectly.
It works for me.. thank you!
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