The damage to the OS prevented me from installing NET Framework 3.0 or greater, so I first reinstalled Win XP Pro x64 and then reinstalled SolidWorks 2010. Everything seems to be working now as well as the MS updates.

Here is an article on system restore (http://www.myfixes.com/articles/system) which may have worked for my situation. The problem is a used the wrong DVD (previous Dell model)for the system recovery, and this required a reinstall of the OS.

Dell should not have a different or require a specific version of windows installer.
I would recommend that you install the latest “Windows Installer” which is 4.5 for Windows XP SP3.
Installing Windows Install V4.5 will not remove your existing programs.

By all means, try doing the .NET Framework cleanup firstly to see if that solves your problem.
I would avoid using registry repair software. It is difficult to get a good registry repair program, and sometimes they can do more harm than good.

I see the MS article regarding the Windows Update error you are getting.
Again, if all other programs are working OK, and you just want to get SolidWorks installed, I would firstly get the latest version of the Windows Installer downloaded and installed and go from there.

.NET Framework errors generally show up in the Windows Event Viewer. (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer)

Let us know how it goes.

Windows is reporting Windows ® Installer. V 3.01.4000.3959. Since this is a Dell M90 laptop, could Dell be using a different windows installer than Microsoft? Will running Windows Installer V4.5 installer remove my existing software programs, or is it a repair (I have the data backedup? I would be time consuming to reinstall all my software.

It do not solve my problem, so I am wondering if I should try .NET framework 3.5 SP1 (and / or .NET framework 3.0 SP2) first? Or,should I try using a registry repair software first as everything else seems to be working fine on my system except for Windows update? Other software continues to update (example: Quickbooks) without problems.

Here is the MS article that MS suggested I try to restore Windows Updates :http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316524

Indeed, try the .NET Framework Cleanup tool. I’m not sure however if the SolidWorks installer (msiexec) checks the version of Windows based on the .NET Framework or not.

I suggest you look into the Windows Installer.
1. Check that the Windows Installer Service is running (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services)
2. Check the Windows Installer Version. (Start -> run -> cmd. Then type: msiexec –version ) It should be Windows Installer Version 4.5. You can try and download and install the Windows installer from: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942288

After doing the above, I would try running the SolidWorks MSI installer. It should be located in /swwi/data/SolidWorks_English.msi (or similar).

SolidWorks does require a “healthy” running windows OS, so you may have to take more drastic steps to cleanup/reinstall windows. Best of luck.

I have all the latest Win XP Pro x64 SP installed as of last week, so I believe windows cannot determine the current SP. So my question is what .NET Framework version (1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, etc?) detects windows current service pack? I believe it is a registry problem, and MS Tech support has not been about to solve the problem yet.

When I preform a windows update, I receive the message “administrators only” and the error 0×80070002 appears in the windows update log. I suspect this error appears because Windows cannot detect the service packs (registry error) even though Windows XP SP 3.0 has been installed.