Harddisk appears as local disk

Stoleaway: I won't be on long - network issues. Please post error numbers and error message you're getting

Seagate ext Drive is our focus.

Defender: Please post error numbers and error message you're getting

SP1: Please post error numbers and error message you're getting

Bill if I may can I suggest Download: System Update Readiness Tool for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB947821) [September 2012] - Microsoft Download Center - Download Details the readiness tool for that SP1? Do you reckon it sort that out if not no harm having it aboard if not already on?

John, SURT is a very good tool to follow SFC. It's sort of like doing a repair install as it contains many of the core cabinet files. It does no harm to have it, other than it's big. SUPERantiSpyWare - no problem keeping it on - I usually try to eliminate recently added things when trouble shooting - other than tools I understand.

stoleaway:
Defender - well you have restarted your system right? so there is another issue with that. Maybe Norton is preventing it. Not sure, but let's skip that issue for the moment.

After you try a "solution" try Windows Update again. You don't have to or want to do all suggestions. If one works, you're done and SP1 is able to be installed - or is installed.

I've tried to list suggestions in order of "ease of use". I'm not confident that the easy fixes will solve the issue, but that's how I go about things. It might be more steps, but less work in the long run.

Keep in mind that you do have to try WU after you take action, simply turning off AV or doing a clean boot for example won't tell you much - you have to try to install SP1 through Windows Update.

SP1 - I'd try this first: MS Fixit - this resets WU components. I don't think that will be enough, but it's easy.

Another easy "fix" is running troubleshooters in Win7. There's one for Windows Update

Microsoft said:

To run the Windows Update troubleshooter
Open the Windows Update troubleshooter by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel.
In the search box, type troubleshooter, and then click Troubleshooting. Under System and Security, click Fix problems with Windows Update.

This article (also references the above trouble shooter) suggests turning off your AV program, although it warns you that your system will be unprotected until you turn AV back on.

And finally the last easy "fix": How to perform a clean boot to troubleshoot a problem in Win7
While booted in "clean" mode - try getting SP1 through Windows Update

Then a more robust fix: Windows Update error 80073712

You've already run SURT, so focus on the information that follows "When SURT doesn't resolve the issue"
Since you have an HP and they don't ship install DVDs anymore, follow this SevenForums tutorial:Repair Install to create a disc from the Win7 ISO - make sure you get the x64 ISO - then follow the instructions. This is the best way to recover when SFC & SURT can't fix system integrity issues. A repair install is probably better called an in place upgrade, even though you're not really upgrading - you're repairing.

Personal notation: There are too many things called "repair" and I get confused by "create a repair disc", "repair my system", "repair install" - add to that the various "recovery" options. Oh well, I just have to sort it out when I get to those option choices. It's not too often that my machines need that kind of attention - no machine should.

This is a bit technical but goes step by step: Advanced guidelines for diagnosing and fixing servicing corruption
Hopefully, the Repair Install will resolve any system integrity issues and this information won't be necessary

That's plenty for now.

Thanks Wordsworth,

The issue with the card reader wasn't that it was present, it was that it was presented as a USB device with a drive letter.

I agree that at some point stoleaway will want the device back and rebooting should find the device attached, install the appropriate drivers (at least ask). I'll have to remember to ask if Dev Mgr shows the card reader when we're through this exercise. I believe it will show up under the IDE/ATA controller section as Ricoh controllers.

Wordsworth said:

stoleaway said:

I am not sure what Disk 1 is as well, it wasn't there before but it turned out to be a generic multi card usb device (what is this?)

I don't want to jump in and confuse things more but according to the specs for your system HP Pavilion Slimline s5680d you have a 6 in 1 memory card reader in this system which I believe you have now uninstalled in Device Manager. You will need to reinstall this at some point to setup the drive letters properly (it may be reinstalled automatically with a reboot). You should have a slot on the system perhaps on the front somewhere that will take, for example, a camera memory card into it. Useful device to have if you ever want to take photos with a digital camera.

edit: after a little more thought - the "generic" indicates to me that the system used a base driver to resolve some HW issue. We'll double check all drivers once SP1 is installed.

stoleaway:

Technet said:

What is Click-to-Run?
Click-to-Run is a new software delivery mechanism built by the Office product team. It’s based on core virtualization and streaming technologies from the Microsoft App-V team in Cambridge, MA. Click-to-Run is optimized for home users on broadband connections (at least 1Mbps), and there are three key pillars of the investment:

1. It’s fast. Home users can stream Office and be running their apps in as little as 90 seconds (under 5 minutes on average), or about 10% of the time it would take otherwise. The products still run locally utilizing the PC’s resources, they don’t “run in the cloud”.
2. With Click-to-Run, it’s easier to always be running the latest and most secure version of Office. Click-to-Run users get the latest bits right away (rather than old bits that need to be patched immediately, which can take another 60 minutes over the internet). Click-to-Run users also get updated automatically over time, with no need to download or install patches. The product seamlessly updates itself in the background.
3. It’s low impact, and co-exists with other software on the machine. Click-to-Run products are virtualized, so they don’t conflict with other software. For instance, users can run Office 2007 for their production scenarios while they evaluate a trial of Office 2010. This addresses a major user pain point.

Click-to-Run products also take up about half the disk space of normal products, they repair more completely, and they won’t break other software installed on the PC because they have private copies of all of their files and registration.

Click-to-Run is not a new Office “product”, it’s a new way of delivering and updating the products with which you are already familiar. Click-to-Run delivery is available for both the Office Home and Student 2010, and Office Home and Business 2010 products. It has full language support, and will work on both 32-bit and 64-bit Operating Systems (although only the 32-bit version of Office is actually run on both platforms).

How does Click-to-Run work?
Products delivered via Click-to-Run execute in a virtual application environment on the local Operating System. This means that they have private copies of their files and settings, and that any changes they make are captured in the virtual environment. The effect is they don’t end up modifying any other software installed on the System. With few exceptions, only user data actually passes through the virtual environment to the local System. Click-to-Run users may notice that they have a virtual Q: drive on their PCs, this is the virtual file system used by Office.

I dunno, I'm not a big fan of automatic updates for anything other than AV. I turn off automatic updaters for almost everything that I install - they don't need to chew up my system resources. I can click the check for updates anytime.

I posted this as information only. I want to keep the focus on the ext HD - more of a personal reminder than anything else. As we work an issue, new things crop up and I might get sidetracked and lose focus on what we're trying to fix. Like a cat and a flashlight =:>