My thanks to Chris$ and mikiem2 for their insights into this issue - saved this old fart lots of time. I booted into Win7 and renamed the extensions of the 2 files mentioned, then copied SP3 versions over. Rebooted into XP-SP2/3 no problem and ran IE to check for changes, noticed info bar reported trying to connect to google.com instead of numerical IP address this time. Google search came up fine - shut IE down and activated the install wrapper for StartMenuX again, instant response that the giveaway was over - no "try again later" as before. So far, great!

Went to normal usage and got Fatal System Error BSOD, but rebooting and continuing normal usage testing hasn't resulted in another one thus far. I'm cautiously calling this experiment a success, having only updated 4 files to SP3 (2 before, and 2 more recent) to enable further usage of my system which continues to run prior programs as before.

I give credit to Chris$ and mikiem2 for their help, and no blame should further corrections become apparent.

BTW, the reason I didn't jump on SP3 when it first came out was because at that time, MS used the SP3 release to cripple high quality sound to satisfy the music industry.

There was/is a fix for that, but regardless it didn't effect good audio software -- what did the most damage was banning kernel drivers in later Windows versions. That killed off most of the good to great audio cards, & left the remainder with IMHO cobbled together, might work drivers. I was running Vegas Pro, Sound Forge, Cakewalk, Pro Tools, a bunch of Native Instruments stuff & so on in XP Pro SP3. That's originally why I kept it going regardless win7 on the same PC, but then my sound card died of old age, & the replacement ZX doesn't have XP drivers. :(

Anyway, not saying that to mean you should jump to SP3, but rather in case that was what was still holding you back should you want to try the upgrade.

There you go, Chris$ ! Precisely what I'd begun looking for, since a couple months ago I had run into a Skype update (in a cell phone dead zone, so Skype via my DSL line was pretty vital) that wouldn't install on SP2 - wanted SP3. Some research led to the idea that many installers simply look for the CPU capabilities pass through which was activated in SP3.

A few experiments to determine the minimum number of SP3 files needed to run AND satisfy the installer queries turned out to be - 2. Kernel32.dll provided the CPU info, but gdiplus.dll (going by failing memory here - got notes ssooomewhere)was needed to support it. Voila - Skype updated and has been working fine although I deny further updating to prevent losing use of it again.

Disclaimer - your mileage may vary - this is what worked for this setup which has been rolled UP through at least 5 different hardware upgrades w/o reinstalling the OS and most of my GOTD gems are still functional.

Will be trying the info Chris$ passed on in the next couple days - will have time off from work. BTW, the reason I didn't jump on SP3 when it first came out was because at that time, MS used the SP3 release to cripple high quality sound to satisfy the music industry.

Thanks Chris$ !!

Great Find Chris!

Note that when I tried renaming either of those files in my XP Mode VM [XP Pro SP3], Windows replaced those copies with files from Windows\ System32\ dllcache\ . If replacing those files does not work as expected [e.g. the old files remain in place], might probably have to boot to something else & replace those files in both System32 & dllcache folders. Likely not a problem because it worked in your SP2 VM, but wanted to mention just in case.

---

Unrelated [to this reply anyway], I mentioned I'd seen numbers for XP [I assume mostly SP3]. This may be the latest. http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8s-market-share-peaks-at-a-little-over-16

There is a workaround for the XP SP2 problem.

To confirm, I created an XP SP2 VM and attempted to install the current giveaway. I got the "Failed to Connect" error.

I replaced the SP2 versions of crypt32.dll and rsaenh.dll with versions from an XP SP3 VM and the giveaway installed as it would on any supported system.

I can't say whether or not the workaround would cause problems with other programs as I only tested in on a new SP2 VM. Backup your system before playing with system files because the data you lose will be yours.

"A whole lot less difficult than the helpfully suggested ideas of moving our XP systems to various virtual machines on hardware many of us don't feel the need for or don't have on hand."

Yes, it would be.

Microsoft's been seriously trying to kill off XP for years, & has been & will be taking steps to further discontinue support for ie8. That will likely only accelerate with win10 & the Edge browser. That said, I don't know from a coding [programming] perspective how easy or feasible it would be to use another browser, given that parts of ie are sort of built into Windows, and available to any software that wants to use them.

Then there are those that would argue, actually have been arguing for quite some time, that forcing users to abandon XP [& particularly XP SP2], is for their own good, regardless the amount of pain that causes. I'm not taking a stand here, one way or the other, but rather pointing out that's something you might encounter.

But that said, the main deciding factors I think would be if it was possible, at what cost, & are there enough people who would be helped by such a move to justify the effort & cost. I've seen figures on how many systems are still running XP -- something that will decline once 10 gets rolling -- but I've not seen any numbers RE: XP SP2.

The easiest way **For Me**...
I dislike the effects of installing a great many apps, e.g. the Cyberlink web cam software added over 5k registry entries. To me the software's complexity, impact on Windows, & it's older methods of operation, rule it out as something I'd be interested in, regardless what it does &/or how well. If I had installed that in my regular Windows OS, there would be no going back [unless I restored a backup or used virtualization like Karl]. But, & it's a big BUT, monitoring an install is a lengthy procedure in a regular copy of Windows with software installed -- the more files & registry entries you have, the longer it takes to perform before & after snapshots.

SO I use a couple of bare bones VMs, XP Pro SP3, & win7 32 bit. Win7 can go a bit crazy with new, temporary registry entries, so XP Pro is preferred. I've also got a win7 64 bit VM when/if I need it. I monitor GOTD offers in a VM, & if it's a keeper, I can transfer everything to my regular Windows installs about 90% of the time. Of the remaining 10%, 1/3-1/2 of them will work using the app's trial download rather than the GOTD. After that, a good portion of the remaining apps will work installing the trial & copying parts of the GOTD install from the VM.

The reason I emphasize it's the easiest For Me, is that I've been doing it that way for years, so I can generally tell what parts of an install are necessary & what parts are just Windows maintenance routines &/or basically BS. I avoid for example any msi install routine that I can, & I avoid adding yet another copy of C/C++ runtimes [I've already got them all].

So if I were in your boat, I'd figure out how to run a minimal copy of XP Pro SP3, or win7/8/8.1/10 32 bit, be that as a regular install, a VM, or even a portable version [see reboot.pro], monitor software installs, & transfer the installed software where I wanted/needed it. But as I've said, That's Me. I'm hesitant to say anyone should do anything similar, because it does involve a learning curve & accumulated experience, but there it is, FWIW, mentioned only because it's less work than many alternatives.

I've spent the last 6 days since my post above trying to chase down a way to FIX the GOTD wrapper problem with XP-SP2 machines and began following the security changes mentioned to SHA-2 and also discontinued use of SSL2 prompted by POODLE in Oct. 2014. Trying to install StartMenuX and having it fail on SP2 but succeed on dual-boot to Win7-64 on other partition suggested it was IE on XP-SP2 that was the issue. Following up that idea led me to realize IE couldn't even access simple HTTPS such as Google.com search (don't know how long that has been happening since I DO NOT use IE)and began trying to make it work.

Well, IE STILL can't access G-search on this, but I have ZERO problems accessing secure sites of all types with Pale Moon (XP port of FireFox), MX-Nitro, even Chrome & Safari.
It doesn't seem any of the people having issues activating GOTD wrapper were having other issues preventing them using their prefered system - and probably hadn't been using IE for anything anyway.

Since GOTD programmers have figured out ways to provide the occasional MAC/Apple offering, and manage to provide 2 different versions of smartphone offerings - maybe I'm crazy in thinking a change to {USE DEFAULT BROWSER instead of USE IE} shouldn't be terribly difficult?????

A whole lot less difficult than the helpfully suggested ideas of moving our XP systems to various virtual machines on hardware many of us don't feel the need for or don't have on hand. There's also the great software companies who provide us with their programs who will be limiting their audience and potential users, not because their offerings won't work on our machines, but because GOTD can't get them to us to try.

Maybe someone out there is working on a security fix that doesn't require us to let MS install all their faulty updates ? I'm still researching FIXes, but with IE being the only browser on my system being a PITA, I'm seriously thinking it's more trouble than it's worth and will finally give up on GOTD after over 6 years.

Are Disk2VHD, or AOMEI / EaseUS better option than using 8.1's native VM?

If you mentioned it I didn't see it, softee -- do you have XP Pro or Home or...

Why that matters -- you wrote "8.1's Native VM". Microsoft has their free Virtual PC software, which connects to the host Windows OS [in this case 8.1] via remote desktop. The home version of XP does not include that capability, so it will not work. Microsoft included their Client Hyper-V VM Host software in win8/8.1 -- it requires XP Pro SP3. I've read of people installing win7's Virtual PC in win8/8.1, I **think** because it has lower or fewer hardware requirements then the updated Client Hyper-V.

If you have XP Pro, probably check out the hardware requirements to run Client Hyper-V 1st, making sure that you can run it, or you can try to install it & it will tell you if it can't/won't install -- the only downside I can think of if it won't install is that you've added a small bit of garbage to your copy of win8.1. If you have XP Pro & find that Client Hyper-V won't work because your hardware doesn't meet requirements, maybe Google on downloading & installing win7's Virtual PC.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt169373.aspx

What difference does your choice of VM Host software make?
Microsoft's software tends to better integrate with your host Windows OS, e.g. in win7's Virtual PC I can see all of my drives & their partitions using Windows Explorer in the running VM. With VirtualBox or VMWare you have to specify folders to share, so you can move files back & forth between the host OS & the VM. That's probably the major difference you'll notice right off the bat. Virtual PC is limited to 120GB VHDs I think, which is Not the case with Client Hyper-V. When it comes to performance, when I've created a VM from a copy of Windows installed & running from a hard drive, it's had better performance in VirtualBox vs. Virtual PC. OTOH VirtualBox has semi-frequent updates, some of those have been bad, requiring a return to the older version, & each update means installing new version Additions so the VMs work better. VMware is probably the most *Pro* choice, but it can get expensive if you run more than the Player.

Turning a running copy of Windows into a VM...
Basically you're doing 2 things, regardless the software you use -- 1) you're cloning the partition where Windows is installed to a Virtual Hard Disk [VHD], & 2) you're disabling existing critical hardware drivers so that when Windows starts as a VM, it'll find new hardware, the same way it does during Windows setup/install.

The 2 things I've found critical in my own experience, is 1) reducing the size of the partition, because you don't want much free space on that VHD -- I use dynamically expanding VHDs, which means while they might be 100GB or more, their actual physical size on disk is just what is used by your software & Windows. The most efficient way I've found to backup/restore VHDs is to simply copy & paste the VHD files, so size very definitely matters. The 2nd thing I've found critical is to disable software that starts with Windows as much as possible. That's because when you 1st start the VM Windows will go nuts searching for & installing drivers. Then you'll install software that's specific to the copy of Windows in your VM, to make that VM work better, This will again cause Windows to search for & install drivers. Anything that starts with Windows can have a significant impact on Windows performance as it does that searching/installing.

I can't say what are the best tools to make that happen... What I've done more than a few times, where I did not want to disturb the installed copy of Windows what-so-ever, is use a Paragon partition image backup restored to an empty .vhd file that I created in win7. With that .vhd file still mounted or attached, I've renamed folders for stuff that starts with Windows, like the security software, usually just adding _ to the front of the folder name. Then I've done a basic defrag, to pack the files towards the front of the VHD. Then I shrink the partition as much as possible, then clone or copy or backup/restore that partition to a new Dynamically Expanding .vhd file -- Paragon software resizes the partition to match the total space available, but only writes what's in the original, small partition -- that way I can have a 100GB VHD, but have a much smaller portion actually in use. I delete the 1st .vhd file, & use the 2nd with the P2V [Physical to Virtual] tools in Paragon software.

It *may* be possible to skip that step where I shrink the partition, either with other software tools or maybe even with the latest version of Paragon's apps, but that was the only way I could get a VHD with a small footprint out of the Paragon P2V tools I've used. It definitely would be possible to optionally do a disk/partition image backup of the original copy of Windows on your hard drive, then disable &/or uninstall software that starts with Windows, do a defrag, & shrink the partition, then use the results with something like Paragon's P2V tools -- if you wanted to put things back just restore the original image backup. I haven't done it that way because I did this in stages, & never wanted to disable the original copy of Windows for any length of time, e.g. I used a regular backup image of Vista from my wife's PC, later just copying the VM to her installed copy of win7, so there really was minimal downtime on that PC.

Once those steps are done I unattach or dismount the VHD, create a new VM in whatever host software, & have it use that VHD I got after using Paragon's P2V tool. Then I start the VM, Windows goes nuts adding drivers, I add the special software, e.g. in VirtualBox it's called Additions, Windows adds more drivers, & then when everything's set I go about uninstalling or reactivating apps in those folders I renamed. I'll go into Windows Device Mgr., set it to show hidden devices, then uninstall any old drivers -- I'll also note their names so I can make sure they're removed from the registry, & then after a test restart, remove those same files from the Windows\ System32\ Drivers folder. If your guest OS is newer than XP, it also doesn't hurt to remove those old drivers from C:\Windows\ System32\ DriverStore\ FileRepository\ . The reason is if for whatever reason Windows searches for drivers in the future, I don't want it getting confused & using those -- I have had problems with that sort of thing with Windows that's been migrated to different physical & virtual environments.

What's the difference between migrating a copy of Windows & installing fresh?
Migrating you get to keep all your software, though some of it may be keyed to your old hardware & so won't be registered. I migrated a copy of my installed XP Pro SP3 to a VM maybe 3 or 4 years ago -- it ran sluggish, but it ran. I again migrated a copy late last year -- it *Barely* ran. The main difference between the 2 copies was years of Windows updates. *To me* my experience might suggest you might have better luck with your installed copy of XP as-is, vs figuring out how to add SP3 & all later updates, but that's just a guess, & the only way to tell is to try it AFAIK.

If you were going to add a fresh copy of XP, *if* your existing license was for XP Pro, I think the best way to go would be to download VirtualXP.VHD, a just over 1GB file from Microsoft that's the basis for their XP Mode VM. It will not be activated the way it would be in certain versions of win7, so you'd have to use your key, but I believe it's been modified to run better in a VM. Otherwise you'd create a new VM, create a new VHD for it, attach the setup CD/DVD or ISO, start the VM, & install Windows the same way you would with your PC.

I personally don't know of any easy way to migrate your software to a new copy of XP SP3 in a VM. That said, if you backed up the VHD with XP on it [copied the file somewhere else], you could mount the VHD in win8.1, then from the original copy of XP try copying the apps from C:\Program Files & C:\Program Files\ Common Files. Copy what you could from Documents and Settings\ All Users\ Application Data\ , [Username]\ Application Data\ , [Username]\ My Documents\ , [Username]\ Local Settings\ Application Data. Open Regedit in your original copy of XP, export the "Software" keys from the Current User & Local Machine sections, and merge those with the registry in your new VM. It might trash your VM so you'd have to restore your copy [copy paste the copy on top of the changed VHD], or you might find the majority of your software worked. That's where the majority of stuff is stored for software, but doesn't take into account any needed drivers, any needed classes in the registry [CLSID] etc., so it all depends on how complicated your installed software is.

A lot of this is also, for lack of a better word, Luck. I've migrated copies of Windows to physical hardware & VMs -- some went near perfectly where other required days of work, & I never could spot any pattern. I took a win7 64 VM, stuck it on the hard drive for a PC my sons had put together, & 5 minutes later it was activated. Did the Exact same thing on another, similar PC, & it took 3 days. The 1st XP Pro SP3 VM I converted ran right off -- this 2nd try took a day to get Windows to start, & 3-4 days later it still ran terrible. On a more-or-less whim I tried running a VHD that was a restored backup from my win8.1 tablet in VirtualBox -- it fired right up, no prior conversions at all. So really I've given up on trying to predict success, but just cross my fingers & give it a try.

Last, a bit of explanation... A VHD is the generic term for a Virtual Hard Disk [or Drive], & it's a single file that with the proper drivers installed, Windows sees as a real hard drive when it's mounted [Windows calls it attached]. All VMs use VHDs, though there are several uses for VHDs that have nothing to do with VMs.

Microsoft has 2 VHD formats, .vhd & .vhdx, VirtualBox has .vdi, though it can use other format VHDs like .vhd, it's been a while since I ran VMware but I believe it's flexible also, but with a native format I *think* of VMDK.

I never fully migrated to win8/8.1 -- as when I was running XP Pro & Vista I guess I never really saw enough advantages to add the software I use to the newer version install. They seem to run as fast in 7, I don't have anything that will run on 8.1 & not 7, so I've just been lazy. That'll change with 10, FWIW, but the upgrade process for new builds is so onerous when you migrate software, I won't start doing that in earnest until RTM.

Because I spent most of my time in 7, I like .vhd because I can mount or attach it, & since I use several VMs for testing, they're small enough that 100GB is plenty [a 23GB .vhd is large for me]. Win8.1 can use .vhdx, which can deal with much larger amounts of space, & is generally more bulletproof. The downside to using .vhd files is I jump through hoops compacting the .vhd files from time to time -- the expanding files grow from things like Windows Update, so I compact them to get rid of free space that makes the file larger. For best performance you're supposed to use fixed size VHDs for VMs, & if you ran a XP SP2 VM, in theory it would not ever grow, so the usefulness of expanding VHDs would not apply. I added a hack to my XP Mode VM so it still gets limited updates, & so it still grows.

You're really talking about separate issues. Disk2VHD and similar programs turn your physical system (XP SP2 machine) into a virtual machine (P2V). If it works correctly then you won't have to migrate any individual programs, your entire PC will move. VMWare, Virtualbox, Virtual PC, and Hyper-V (which is included in Windows 8.1 and replaced Virtual PC) are programs that run a virtual operating system inside of your normal operating system. You can use those programs to create a new Virtual Machine or run an existing VM, such as the one you create with Disk2VHD.

If your old XP SP2 PC is a 32-bit system then you'll need to decide whether you're going to use VirtualBox, VMPlayer, or Virtual PC (or try them all). If it's a 64-bit system then you can use the Windows 8.1 built-in Hyper-V. Hyper-V does not support XP SP2 32-bit as a guest OS. You could also attempt to upgrade the old PC to SP3 again (XP SP3 is supported by Hyper-V).

Which VM program you use is personal preference. Mikiem uses VirtualBox and I typically use VMPlayer but both are amazing pieces of software. VirtualBox is probably more customizable; I find VMPlayer easier to use, probably just out of familiarity. If you want, download existing test VMs for both and give each a test compute.

Ideally, you'd want to migrate the programs that you use constantly to the physical Windows 8.1 PC. I'd migrate them from the XP SP2 box to an XP SP3 VM, then to a Windows 8.1 VM, and finally to the physical machine. I'd want them to work in a virtual environment before risking my real PC. As Mikiem talks about above, PC Mover probably isn't much of an option; it's unlikely to be much help moving from XP SP2 to 8.1.

If you want to give VMPlayer a go, let's assume you made a VHD file of your XP SP2 PC using Disk2VHD (don't make a vhdx, don't fix the HAL) and named it "XPSP2.vhd". Copy it to a directory on your Win 8.1 PC. Cut and paste the following into a text file (notepad works fine) and save it as "XPSP2.vmx" (same name as the vhd, different extension):

config.version = "8"
virtualHW.version = "7"
memsize = "512"
MemAllowAutoScaleDown = "FALSE"
displayName = "XP SP2 VHD"
guestOS = "winxppro"
ide0:0.present = "TRUE"
ide0:0.fileName = "XPSP2.vhd"

The vmx file is a configuration file that tells VMPlayer about the VM it's loading. Pay attention to the last line, make sure that the filename matchs the name of your VHD. The above is a couple of lines above the minimum and it will automatically get bigger as the file loads and as you "Edit Virtual Machine Settings". Start VMPlayer, click "Open a Virtual Machine", browse to the directory with "XPSP2.vmx", select it, it gets added to the library as "XP SP2 VHD", select it, select "Play Virtual Machine" and hopefully it will load. Well, I did say "hopefully"...

Thanks Chris and mikiem2 for your help.

"your time would likely be better spent getting an SP2 VM up and running in your Win 8 PC"

You convinced me. I am going to go this route. However, some thing are not clear to me.

My most important goal is to migrate as many installed apps as I can. Secondary goal, is try to install fresh SP3VM if I can, if not, stay with SP2VM.

1) How can I include all (as many as possible) installed apps in the VM. Do I make VM image of the entire C: logical drive (system partition) which contains XP SP2 and programs? Or, migrate just the installed programs separately, and fresh install XPSP3 in 8.1 VM - if it is possible to do OS and programs separately. )All my user data is in another partition, logical drive D so no problem moving that.)

2) Are Disk2VHD, or AOMEI / EaseUS better option than using 8.1's native VM? Or, are these the same thing, i.e. you use DIsk2VHD to create VM under 8.1?

3) I also have PCMover. Would that offer anything better or additional for creating VM, or is that totally different approach?

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"Presumably, you've already tried it"
Yes, I have seen this KB article, and many others, when I was trying to upgrade to SP3. Tried many things, always got stuck with "Access Denied". Then gave up and purchased new ASUS with 8.1. MS won ; (

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I am learning a lot. This thread will be very helpful to not only people facing "Failed to Connect.." but also to those stuck with XPSP2 and looking to move forward.

So, many thanks for me and future visitors, for your help : )

Not sure if this is best posted here, in a separate thread, or if there's any interest either way, Chris, but the sort of problem you tracked down [nice find BTW] is only going to get worse.

"IETF Officially Deprecates SSLv3"
https://threatpost.com/ietf-officially-deprecates-sslv3/113503

I suspect the inability of XP SP2 machines to connect is referenced by these two articles:
- Update: (Windows XP SP2) - End of Life for Windows XP based media players
- Evernote and POODLE

From the first article - "We recently changed our SSL certificate to use the SHA-2 hashing algorithm as SHA-1 is now considered unsecure... we have discovered an issue with Windows XP Service Pack 2 in that SHA-2 is only supported in Windows XP Service Pack 3".

If we assume that GOTD uses a secure connection to activate the giveaway, and that's probably a good assumption, then a computer with an OS of XP SP3, or above, must be utilized. Consequently, there is no fix for XP SP2.

XP3 upgrade failed several times... some cryptic 'lack of permission'.

That error generally results from corruption of the registry and can be fixed by the information located in this KB - "When you try to install Windows XP Service Pack, you receive the error message "Access is denied" or "Service Pack installation did not complete". Presumably, you've already tried it so that might not be the trouble.

But, rather than upgrading to SP3 your time would likely be better spent getting an SP2 VM up and running in your Win 8 PC. The SP2 VM might even give better performance than your old physical system. Compare the two processors at PassMark - CPU Benchmarks.

Hi Chris and mikiem2

I want to thank you both for your technical knowledge and above all, your persistence and patience in helping others. People like you make GAOTD and the forum such a great place to learn and get help.

You have proposed several alternatives, some I have considered and some I have explored. You have added clarity to these options and I am going to pursue.

I have a Dell Dimension 9150 XP SP2 which has been my workhorse for many years. It has the trove of carefully selected and installed hundreds of programs. My primary consideration is to migrate these or as many as I can to XP3 or 8.1. I do not have nor care about games.

XP3 upgrade failed several times. I believe it is not driver problem. Whocrashed does not tell me anything. Problem seems something buried inside the SP2 > SP3 upgrade process that stops, and in MS style it doesn't indicate what, except some cryptic 'lack of permission'. I gave up on SP3 upgrade after several tries.

I purchased new ASUS 8.1 which is now a standby machine.I am gathering GAOTD and other programs on that and hope to some day switch to it as my main computer...when I figure out how to migrate as many XP apps as I can. Virtualization within 8.1 is an option, or Disk2VHD as you suggested. I had put migration off because of inertia (leave it alone if it ain't broke) and fear.

Now, with the help and encouragement you have given, I'm going to attempt it.

Like to add another comment. I've been struggling for months to decipher why 'Failed to Connect'. I see many others are too. Initially I thought it was something in the SW offered. I asked for help in the Comment section. There was no help except others wrote they had the same problem. Then GAOTD started deleting such comments. It appears now that GAOTD activation process in not compatible with XP SP2. I would think that GAOTD knows this. I hope that instead of keeping mum, GAOTD would acknowledge and state XP SP3 as a GAOTD minimum 'system requirement' (apart from SW requirement) so people will not spin wheels and lose working versions of previously installed SW.

Thanks again to you both and many others who make GAOTD daily visits worthwhile.

The solution proposed 'reinstall XP SP3" does not work for me. I have a brand new Windows 8 with genuine license but I am not installing because I do not want to lose hundreds of my programs. I have also tried PC mover but it does not move many programs.

You're right, in that neither the XP -> win7 or XP -> win8.1 upgrade saves anything from your original XP install. If you were totally committed there *might* be a way, but it would be a lot of work -- so much so that I would expect you to say it's not worth it. The XP -> Vista upgrade did work. Likewise Vista -> win7, & win7 -> win8. Coming up with an ISO for 8/8.1 is fairly easy, but win7 might be more difficult, & Vista more difficult still. There's also the fact that no Windows upgrade is perfect -- it's not unusual to lose some programs in the process -- in this case you'd have that risk times 3. It's also possible that your hardware is not the best choice, &/or may not even be compatible with newer versions of Windows.

Alternatively, & there are no real guides or advice to follow doing this, it's often possible to move software installations from one copy of Windows to another. Much [most?] of the time it boils down to finding out where an app stores its key, & copying that along with the program's files. I've done it, with near 100% success, but it's always taken a long time, & I've never had anywhere near 100 apps to transfer that way. Since there's no real way to tell what files outside the program's folder are needed, short of looking/searching & trial & error, & since there's no way of finding needed registry keys, other than looking yourself &/or searching, sometimes for values listed in other keys, there are no rules that software could use, so you won't find a complete automated solution.

Chris' suggestion would work. You could use Disk2VHD, or I believe AOMEI & possibly EaseUS have similar tools, & several Paragon apps have it also. If you have games that rely on graphics hardware, some of the old methods of using that hardware are no longer supported, & in that case they would not work. There are 3 VM Host apps that are the most popular AFAIK -- Microsoft Virtual PC, VMware, & VirtualBox. Virtual PC will not work with the XP Home if that's what you've got. All 3 have a special software package to make XP run better as a VM -- before making the jump I'd check to see if VBox Additions for example works OK with XP SP2 -- it wouldn't help as much going to a VM if you run into SP2 limitations.

Another option, providing you have the disk space, would be to add a newer version of Windows along side your installed copy of XP. It would allow you to over time build up your collection of software in the new OS, & many if not most of the GOTD offers you install could probably be transferred to XP as well, e.g. use Regshot to monitor file & registry changes. *To me* this is the least painful way to transition to a new Windows version -- I did it with win98 -> XP Pro, then XP Pro -> Vista etc.

In fact I continued to run my old copy of XP Pro SP3 up until the end of last year, when I upgraded hardware & running XP Pro was no longer possible -- it's incompatible with current hardware. At that point I took what software I had to have & moved it from XP Pro to a copy of Win7, & what wouldn't work there, I moved to my XP Pro SP3 VM. That said, I had so many problems running XP Pro SP3, from security software compatibility to drivers not being available, that it was barely useable by the time I wiped it from my hard drive.

If you do not have the disk space, you should be able to find info & tools to run Windows off an external USB drive, or if you could use a eSATA drive, you might find that no modifications are necessary. The win10 preview runs off a USB drive with some limitations as-is.

softee, there's no reason to shudder at the BSOD. Whocrashed will tell you what the problem is.

It seems to me that your situation screams for Disk2VHD, or similar program. Virtualize your old PC, install Windows 8, and run the old PC as a VM. You'll lose nothing except a physical box running XP SP2.

I have similar issues to softee and semo in recently losing the ability to activate GAOTD wrapper starting with start menu x a few days ago - same failed to connect message. Running XP Pro SP2/sp3 hybrid. I hadn't seen anything recently to attempt installing until start menu x was offered, so can't pin it down more closely, but I have hundreds of GAOTD programs on this XP Pro 32 bit SP2 laptop. It's not just them having problems, and the further I explore my situation, the more it seems as if servers have updated something recently. ( Been GAOTD forum member since 2009 I think, but password recovery and registering new account during the past hour+ using MY domain email to receive login info hasn't worked, using a gmail account to create new account was almost instant.)

Took me so long managing to get registered to post this, ran out of time to follow now. This is probably something simply corrected, like a certain ssl certificate now needs to be 1024 bits and it isn't. Will be back if I nail down some details.

Hello mikiem2

I respect your knowledge (read all your posts) and value your help.

What I am saying is

1) I'd love to upgrade to SP3 if only the darned thing would not hang each time. I've tried, many different ways. I have scoured google for help, any help. Tried everything I could find and finally, gave up. I shudder at the blue screen..do not want to lose my system and installed programs.

2) Everything else (except GAOTD activation), thousands of web sites, programs, transactions, programs....have worked fine since I tried SP3 upgrade and failed every time. SO, just to get GAOTD I am not going to try to upgrade to SP3 and risk blue screen and unrecoverable system/data.

My computer/Windows XP SP2 is not broken. Works fine with EVERYthing except GAOTD. Thousands other sites, including financial transactions work fine with XP SP2 on my desktop. Nothing else has compelled me to force a SP3 upgrade.

So, this problem is unique to GAOTD out of thousands of sites, apps that work fine.

3) I do not expect GAOTD to solve my specific problem. In my search for solution, I found that many other people have this exact problem that is unique to GAOTD activation.

4) I hope that people, especially on GAOTD, appreciate that fresh "Re-install XP SP3" is not a solution. What happens to hundreds of installed programs?!

Then I'll have to reinstall hundreds of programs. Many like GAOTD can not be re-installed. Which means lose hundreds of GAOTD and other programs painstakingly installed over years.

No thanks, I can live without more GAOTD but I will not risk losing my system, programs and data just to please GAOTD server. The solution proposed 'reinstall XP SP3" does not work for me. I have a brand new Windows 8 with genuine license but I am not installing because I do not want to lose hundreds of my programs. I have also tried PC mover but it does not move many programs.

I thank you and all other responders. I really do.

It is easy for people to advise "upgrade to SP3". It is not that simple. You have not faced the frustration that this 'upgrade' causes.

You're right in saying that most have not experienced your problems or frustrations, because the SP3 update either went smoothly, or XP SP3 was installed fresh. Personally I've done a lot both ways, adding SP3 &/or installing XP SP3 fresh, & the only problem I had was dealing with the boredom, since the upgrade was not in any way quick.

I Don't want to minimize your problems, but rather point out that you unfortunately seem to have a broken PC, or maybe more accurately, a broken Windows installation. I feel safe saying that because millions of Windows XP installs successfully upgraded to SP3. You might or might not have any other problems or symptoms, but the apparent fact that you can't upgrade to SP3 is proof of a problem with your Windows install in & of itself. The obvious cure would be to install XP SP3, rather than upgrading/updating XP SP2, along with all available updates.

I think everyone here can understand if you don't want to do that for whatever reason(s) -- we're not unsympathetic. At the same time however I'd humbly ask that you be as sympathetic to the crew at GOTD. In order to fix your immediate problem someone would first have to diagnose what's causing it, since it's not something common to XP SP3 [I installed & activated today's GOTD in my XP SP3 VM just fine]. That means either you'd have to diagnose it, or have someone else look at it. And if it's caused by not having SP3, there likely is no cure possible -- the world has moved on [years ago really] from the code used in XP SP2.

In that respect it's like the old Atari console I have sitting in the closet. It's sitting in the closet because we've moved on too -- at some point you just have to let go. In this case it shouldn't cost you a dime to back up your hard drive, install XP SP3 fresh, activate it using your current key, & install whatever updates & software -- while you should let go of XP entirely, you could get away just letting go of XP SP2. Or not -- it's your PC/laptop, so it's completely your choice.

Hello Semo and all responders

I want to thank you for persistently pursuing 'why doesn't GAOTD activation work with XP SP2"

For years I have activated many GAOTD programs. For the past several months, it fails to activate every time. "Failed to Connect". I have posted on GAOTD but no help. Like Semo, I have read all threads on Google and done everything:

IE works fine and can access GAOTD
Have disabled AV, Online Armor, Antimalware and other security programs
Still NoGo. GAOTD refuses to activate.
Worse yet, it would overwrite previous working versions of GAOTD SW and then fail to activate. I have lost many good working GAOTD programs.

I have legitimate version of Windows XP. It is not that I have aversion to upgrading it to XP SP3. I have tried several times to upgrade to SP3 but it hangs, some cryptic remark about not having permissions. Even though I am the only user and administrator on my desktop. I had to do a full restore to my working SP2. I have tried several times, different things, after reading many Google threads. But the upgrade to SP3 always hangs. I have wasted many days trying to upgrade and restore back to SP2. It is easy for people to advise "upgrade to SP3". It is not that simple. You have not faced the frustration that this 'upgrade' causes. Trying to understand why? I doubt even MS OS engineers know why it hangs, assuming you can reach these celestial people. So, 'upgrade to SP3' is NOT a solution.

Kudos to Semo for sticking with 'need GAOTD to activate with XP SP2". Same with me. I have not been able to install any GAOTD SW for months and have lost many good working programs because of overwriting by newer version.

I have no problem with any of the thousands of other sites, activations, installs. Everything else works fine even with XP SP2. The ONLY thing out of thousands that does not work is GAOTD activation! I hope GAOTD will fix this problem. [u]

My uses for this PC might seem rather basic.. the most important could be done on a good smartphone. It's main use of late has been to enjoy these wonderful games offered for free download on GOTD, because it has a nice big monitor. I got it first to learn how to use a computer and to experience the internet. I would gladly replace it with something newer and more modern, if I could. I gave up on updates and improvements when MS ended support for WinXP and have resorted to fixing what I can myself and dealing with the rest. I came here looking for others who had the same problem installing GOTD progs and how they might have fixed it. Most of them seem to have found the problem to be something else blocking the GOTD connection, that's why I pointed out mine failed even in Safe Mode (with networking:) when there shouldn't be any third party progs running in the background. I know (now) I could be having many compatibility issues, but I find it hard to accept they're keeping this one thing from working. If I weren't trying to install progs from GOTD, I wouldn't see anything wrong and would have nothing to complain about. I accept that compatibiility issues can affect anything, but I would expect to see more than one of them. Bottom line is I understand that.. and what I need to do to possibly improve my system, but I can't logically assume any such improvements would necessarily fix the problem I came here about. If it's being blocked, for instance, SP3 most certainly wouldn't unblock it.
You guys have my thanks, but since you haven't experienced this problem and found a fix for it and no one else is reporting a fix for it, I think I'm done here.

"it's "special" Win-XP Media Center Edition 2002 purchased in 2003"

OK, that tells us a lot.

1st, some of your original hardware's gone, is no longer in spec if it's original, e.g. the power supply. That may not be causing any of the problems you're experiencing, but should be considered when you're figuring out what you want to do -- total failure might be a year or two, or 5 seconds away.

2nd, the newest version of Windows you could probably get working on that rig is Vista [7 could work, but any TV cards etc. probably wouldn't], & then it may have to be done as an upgrade rather than the preferred fresh install. [I'm not saying you should/shouldn't -- only what's IMHO possible]

3rd, it would be wise I think to figure out what it is *exactly* that you want to use that PC for, & if there's more than one task or activity, prioritize them. If it's watching TV, there's better -- same if you're recording, playing games & so on. Better doesn't necessarily have to mean new parts or hardware -- if for example you wanted to improve your TV viewing, & perhaps your recording experience, you might be able to do that simply by booting to a special *nix-based media center DVD. Making up a prioritized list should also make it easier to figure out what you'll use when that PC fails. And with list in hand, you could make a 2nd list re: what your immediate goals are.

I have no idea what you use your media center PC for, nor do I know what software's installed, & out of that what software you use. Maybe that live DVD would handle all your TV stuff so you could install XP SP3 without having to worry about anything media center? Or maybe you'll find you get a better experience from adding a *nix-based media center to your hard drive, using something like WIne for any Windows software, or maybe using your laptop connected to your TV. Maybe the best route would be a fresh install of your XP Media Center Edition from a slip-streamed DVD with SP3 added. Or use today's GOTD on your laptop, creating a boot disc/USB stick to backup your XP install, then add the SP3 update, without fear because you know you could restore everything if you wanted or needed to.

At any rate, it is certain that whatever you use the media portion of your media PC for, there's better because that sort of software has come a Long LONG way since then. It's also certain that your media center PC will break -- I'm not saying that to depress you, but as a friend so that you can plan if & as possible. If it did break you'd have to use something like your laptop for GOTD anyway, so maybe hooking it up to your TV now isn't a terrible idea? Maybe you can get your XP Media Center Edition working with GOTD again, but even so, you *might* be happier using something other than that version of XP. I'm just putting down some stuff you might want to think about.

Putting it another way, if we can focus on what you want to use your media center PC for, and how to do that the best way possible, any of your current problems with GOTD might not matter anymore -- in the end you might be able to do everything you want, better than you ever could. Maybe worth a thought anyway?

Whatever compatibility issues AVG or Flash have, they're apparently working and show no errors.
I'm focused on looking for something that worked, but now it's broken.. a corrupted dll or other file

If you restored a backup from before the problem started, and confirmed it still worked, then you have a shot using your method. You could compare a system that worked to one that doesn't and isolate the changes. Unless the "corrupted dll" can be located by System File Checker, which presumably you've already run, then you don't really have much of a chance of finding it. But if you have time to burn then Dependency Walker may be the tool you need.

BTW, SP3 installs fine on a Win XP SP2 MCE OS.

mikiem2, I don't doubt what you say about compatibility issues. I'm at least slightly surprised each time I turn my PC on and it works. This was never a "normal" PC, it's "special" Win-XP Media Center Edition 2002 purchased in 2003. I was informed by MS that many of the offered updates for XP-Pro were not compatible with this version. When SP3 came out, I was on dialup and many of us had big problems trying to install it in bits and pieces. I only recently got satellite where I could dl large files, but my first try to install on another old XP machine totally screwed it up forever. Not much incentive to try it on what I'm using now.
It may sound like I'm shooting in the dark and hoping to hit this setup problem, but I've kept it working all these years by following my instinct. And something is telling me it's not part of a widespread issue. I can only go by what I see. Whatever compatibility issues AVG or Flash have, they're apparently working and show no errors. I can't find anything else that won't work as it did before.. just the GOTD setup files. It's hard for me to accept that other software installed a file that keeps only GOTD setup from working. I don't say it's impossible, just not the first thing I'd look for.
Rather than looking for anything that changed, I'm focussed on looking for something that worked, but now it's broken.. a corrupted dll or other file, or an error that never got cleared once it was corrected. I'm looking for something I can see, rather than assuming it's something I can't see. You say I assume this or that, but I'm trying to recognize my assumptions and get past them. That's why I'm here.

I said I'd try the GOTD game in Vista on Sunday -- I did & it worked, though with an anomaly -- the browser did not open to GOTD on exit, & in fact setup.exe never did fully exit. That's with an Intel rig running Vista 32 with all updates, UAC off, & McAfee running normally.

"Anyhow. Here's the thing. GOTD worked fine for me for years. Then recently, they changed their container to the alphanumeric folder name. From that day forward I've had the error message to which this forum thread is dedicated."

OK, that part is fact. It's the **Why** that isn't. From what's been posted so far, you cannot say with 100% certainty that on the night before, or earlier on the day that GOTD stopped working, you didn't pick up another infection. Again going by what's been posted, I don't think a silent software update is out of the question -- neither is mal-ware receiving new commands or instructions. And that's assuming or conceding that whatever broke, did so overnight.

It's common for people to imagine that they see cause & effect relationships -- it's actually how our brains are hard wired, how ancient man figured out how to start & use fire. It's often terribly useful. For us to understand cause & effect with any accuracy however, we need to make sure we know & understand the underlying factors that are the cause(s). Before we knew there were such things as bacteria & viruses, illness was often thought caused by stuff like magic & witchcraft -- something they're dealing with re: Ebola.

Though it's not perfect, there is Scientific Method. Techs of any & every sort start the process of fixing whatever it is they fix, by verifying the problem, & verifying the base condition, i.e. the state of operational condition, of whatever it is they're working on. Without that you get stuff like the people who call in to complain that their cable's out, in the middle of a widespread power outage.

In context, millions of events happened on the day GOTD changed the way they name their .zip file downloads, & we could very well point to any of them as the cause of problems getting those downloads to work. Some are more likely than others, granted -- I wouldn't expect a gnat in South America biting someone caused Any PC problems -- but what exactly was/is at fault remains unknown.

Running Vista itself doesn't mean GOTD won't work -- I found that out yesterday -- but it didn't work perfectly, so Vista *might* be prone to problems with GOTD, &/or it *might* be that particular Vista install *might* be more prone to GOTD-related problems. There are all sorts of Next Steps that could be taken, *if* anyone wanted to take them, that could narrow it down further.

[I Do Not want anyone to feel bad about false cause/effect relationships they've thought they've seen in the past -- it's just the way we're designed to think. If it helps anyone in that respect, there's always someone who has done worse... Some of my personal favorites are customers complaining that auto tech's broke their A/C -- they'd switched it off & the customer forgot there was a on/off switch. The same sort of thing happens with radios losing channel presets when disconnected -- a problem common enough that at least some manufacturers started designing in backup systems/methods. And then there was the car that had been in salt water, which since it's both corrosive & electrically conductive, causes electronics to go haywire -- the guard quit the night he saw the *haunted car*. That's just a smattering, a VERY small sample of stuff I've seen -- there are forums & blogs & such that report what techs & tech support regularly deal with.]

"The other software sites,as well as all the video and audio ones, all still work as before..."

There ya go... I'd suspect it anyway. On-line & downloadable video are pretty big mal-ware conduits. Regardless anything GOTD, I'd suggest you try some of the free scanning tools at sites like Kaspersky.

"... something in my pc just does'nt work and play well with the new container. I have no way of knowing how many older pc's may share this problem..."

Common sense would suggest that many [maybe even most?] people taking advantage of GOTD offers don't have tons of money to spend -- that's partly because of comments on the download page emphasizing free-ware, partly because there are usually more expensive alternatives with hundreds of reports saying that they work, partly because if you've got money to burn, it's faster & easier to buy whatever you want, & if it doesn't work, forget about it. If you don't have the money to blow on software, it's more likely you also don't have the money for the latest/greatest PC/laptop.

AFAIK GOTD isn't a totally altruistic venture. Common sense would strongly suggest that it's in their best interest to have as many visitors as possible, as many downloads as possible etc. Put both together & it suggests the percentage of people having problems is pretty low. That logic is confirmed if you Google -- there are hits, so problems are not unknown, but few compared to most searches regarding popular sites.

"At some point I'll likely get a new pc, or at least install the Win7 update disks I got when MS was offering them. Maybe 10. Who knows? But,for now,this site is gone for me. "

All that of course is up to you. Most people don't do everything that they should, people often make fun of, maybe resent those that try hard to do everything they should, & often people like to sort of preach, even force others to do stuff that they don't bother with themselves. That's life. From the mindset of a technician, FWIW, replacing anything from PCs to cars is usually not at the top of their lists -- their concern is usually more focused on what problems there are & what those problems are costing you.

It's so very unlikely that it's near impossible IMHO that your PC is infected with mal-ware designed *Only* to prevent you from using GOTD. If such a thing existed, & was the source of your problems, then it would be fair to say nothing else is probably effected. In the absence of that GOTD-specific mal-ware, something's most likely broken, & having other effects besides GOTD not working. Those effects might be [or seem] minor &/or may be unknown to you. That obviously doesn't mean they do not exist.

I don't want to try & change anyone's mind -- I don't want to play Chicken Little saying the sky is going to fall. As long as you realize the pros & cons, the potential risks & rewards, cool. :)

"If you truly do run an unprotected PC then I can envision a case where malware is preventing the installation of GOTD programs. The malware could interpret the wrapper as an antivirus program and shuts the process down. "

Mal-ware also often includes its own anti-virus routines. If you *own* a PC/laptop, the last thing you want is someone else coming in & taking advantage of your work compromising that system in the 1st place. If you have a botnet, you want/need to depend on those systems being available -- a wholesale takeover is the last thing you want. If you put quite a bit of time, effort, maybe $ into a more sophisticated bit of mal-ware, one that [you hope] evades security software, you don't want some schmuck's POS *Noticeably* infecting the system, so that the owner tries to repair it. They have documented mal-ware that not just prevents new infections, but goes after stuff that's already present.

they changed their container to the alphanumeric folder name

I didn't alter my pc in such a way as to make it unable to used gotd's programs.

If you truly do run an unprotected PC then I can envision a case where malware is preventing the installation of GOTD programs. The malware could interpret the wrapper as an antivirus program and shuts the process down.

Or, it's a Windows Update.

It could be a number of things. But, as you correctly point out, GOTD isn't going to change the wrapper. So, if your PC is the "Canary" then it would be helpful if you would report back if you ever find a resolution.

Yeah, Vista isn't a great system, tho arguable not the worst one MS sold ( That's a 2-way tie between ME & Win8) Why do you think there's not going to be a Win9. MS wants to put some distance between the next OS and the smoking POS that is 8.
Anyhow. Here's the thing. GOTD worked fine for me for years. Then recently, they changed their container to the alphanumeric folder name. From that day forward I've had the error message to which this forum thread is dedicated.
Yes I download a lot,but hardly ever add new installed software. Again, the only problem I've had is here. The other software sites,as well as all the video and audio ones, all still work as before, so I'm pretty confident that my problem isn't at my end-at least in the sense I did'nt alter my pc in such a way as to make it unable to used gotd's programs.
Most likely, something in my pc just does'nt work and play well with the new container. I have no way of knowing how many older pc's may share this problem, and don't expect GODT will change anything to accomodate a likely small number of incompatible pc's. I'm obviously not the only one affected,otherwise this thread would'nt be here.
At some point I'll likely get a new pc, or at least install the Win7 update disks I got when MS was offering them. Maybe 10. Who knows? But,for now,this site is gone for me.

Actually Chris & I are in the same boat FWIW -- just a couple of users trying to help out. :) WE didn't change anything, nor do we have any info on changes.

So what it boils down to in my perspective anyway is there are two possibilities, 1) GOTD changed something, or the devs who write the server software they use, or the devs who write the wrapper, or 2) none of those 3 changed anything.

If 1), the 2 possible solutions are A) try to come up with something that works, or B) not.

If 2), the choice is to fix the systems that don't work, or not.

No, my computer has'nt changed.

This if you don't mind my saying so is at the root of the issue. Personally I don't have any info or data actually in front of me saying that your PC is or isn't the same as it was 1 year ago. I don't have any data saying anything changed at GOTD's end either. So all I ever could do is say what I thought *might* help.

That the stuff proposed was all stuff that the individuals having problems might try is unavoidable -- my stuff works so I don't have anything to try & change, nor any way to measure if a change helped or not -- AFAIK GOTD's servers etc. work, & they have their own tech people if they didn't. Personally I just felt better posting suggestions that might help, rather than ignoring any complaints or telling anyone in the politest way possible the Politically Correct equivalent of "You're outa' luck buddy." :)

... my computer has'nt changed... so all of these increasingly
elaborate fixes are pretty much going to be futile.

Actually I can pretty much guarantee that your computer has changed, not only from Microsoft updates but from the apparently frequent downloads, & I assume installation of at least some of those downloads. Odds are you've also got an exploit or three in place because of no security software -- I have no way of knowing because I don't have hands-on obviously, but looking at infection rates from people running security software, odds are definitely in favor of your Windows install being compromised.

You're also running Vista... Don't take my word for it -- millions of people have posted on-line that it's a POS. ;) Most of those posts also say you'd be loads better off running 7/8.1/10. For the clear majority, upgrading would be anything but futile. Whether it's necessary or not is of course obviously subjective -- If you're happy with your system running Vista, You're happy with it running Vista. Myself, I'm with millions of other Windows users.

The ONLY problem is here. I did'nt break things at my end, you broke them at yours.

Please think about that statement for a moment... Millions of Windows users elect to stay far, far away from Vista. Millions of Windows users also elect to run security software. Many, many thousands of those same users download & install offers from GOTD. Are you suggesting that you're correct & that they're not? It's possible I suppose -- people do win big time with the lottery, but odds are more than overwhelming against it. :)

Y'know, from my standpoint here, it's kinda simple.
1. Site worked (for years on multiple pc's)
2. Site made change in it's packaging.
3. Site no longer works.
Do you see anything here about my pc? No, my computer has'nt changed.
What's changed is the sites download format, so all of these increasingly
elaborate fixes are pretty much going to be futile. My computer isn't
broken-downloads from over 20 other sites continue to work just fine. The
ONLY problem is here. I did'nt break things at my end, you broke them at yours.

"That said, I'm wondering if a prog that auto-updates like my AVG Free 2015 could have installed a file or version of a file that's not compatible with SP2"

I just recorded the update from AVG 2014 Free to AVG 2015 Free in my XP Mode VM running XP Pro SP3. As noted it added C/C++ runtime files from Microsoft dated 11/6/12. At the least those are almost certainly incompatible in some ways with XP SP2, but you'd have to write & ask the developers at AVG for details on how those files, & AVG software itself might be incompatible & what problems it might cause.

Windows Installer error messages were reported -- [as noted] problems with Windows Installer are extremely well documented on-line, & it's quite possible AVG Free &/or any needed C/C++ runtimes were not installed properly & are not working properly. That would likely compound any compatibility problems I think. It's easy to tell if something like Notepad is working or not, but users do not see anything from those runtime files when they're working, & users have no indication of whether software like AVG is working properly or not. For troubleshooting purposes someone might download the latest runtimes available for their Windows version from Microsoft & see if they installed, checking the logs they leave in the temp folder(s). If/when there's a question regarding software, companies normally advise remove & reinstall as a 1st step.

Find & download the tool on-line that completely removes AVG software, use it on your XP SP2 install, & see if GOTD works. If it does, then AVG is obviously not working properly. ;)

"I'm looking for something that's preventing only the GOTD Setup from making a connection."

That's making an assumption that may or may not be valid. When something doesn't work, that's really the only fact that's known,i.e. that whatever doesn't work. When/if there's an error message, the only fact is that that message was displayed. Is it accurate? Who Knows? When it comes to software, always remember that it's dumb -- it has no intelligence what-so-ever. When a message is displayed, it's because certain conditions were met by that running software that triggered pre-written, hard coded text to appear in a window. There are a great many things that can go wrong, but only a limited number of error messages.

"I'm stuck on the fact that it worked and then it didn't. "

That's generally how anything & everything breaks. Really. Stuff doesn't slowly break -- it may show slighter symptoms that grow worse, sometimes if or as more damage is done, but whatever broke, broke, as in stopped performing to original specs, & that moment happens as if you flipped a switch.

"nothing else is telling me it can't connect. I was hoping it was an error that got stuck someplace and is simply repeating rather than a new error each time.. something that just needs to be cleared or reset. Anyway, that's what I keep looking for. "

You're looking for the wrong things & making assumptions -- I think you're using the wrong approach for logical troubleshooting. That's not good or bad -- just is. Some people are better at it than others because of the ways their mind works -- Chris is better at troubleshooting than I.

Every bit of written programming code has it's own error messages, IF there are any error messages in that code. Each bit of code has it's own error conditions &/or triggers. Sometimes you'll get similar error messages, sometimes not.

Smacking an old TV could sometimes jiggle a poor connection(s) so it'd work -- software not so much. Software works, or it doesn't. There may be some combination of software that when everything's running, something breaks -- if you don't look to see what's running you won't know that's happening, & it may *Seem* like something sometimes works, sometimes not, but that is not what's actually going on.

"your advice to try radical solutions in hopes of fixing this one problem sound like the doctor saying 'You're dying, anyway. You might as well try a high risk treatment for a relatively minor problem."

:) Actually the patient "Is Dead", & you're trying to play Dr. Frankenstein. :)

If everyone will please forgive me for using a stereotype for a moment, Engineers are famous among technicians for being poor at troubleshooting &/or fixing problems. IMHO that's because they get far too deep into theories & such, trying to figure out exactly what might have gone wrong on a micro scale -- a tech OTOH looks at it on a more macro scale, & often being lower paid [vs. an engineer], with an eye on the clock.

I can't [& wouldn't] speak for Chris, but myself it keeps brain cells working thinking, typing up my posts. If I was charged with fixing your PC, or if this was another, more typical forum, the solution would be 1) collect system specs, to see the latest Windows version it could run, 2) record any keys possible, 3) collect software & driver setup files, 4) create a partition image backup, & export sections of the registry, 5) wipe disk, 6) install Windows per step 1.

Why all that? Because there are potential problems with bad [out of date or buggy] software, old Windows files & garbage, mal-ware, & stuff the user has done wrong. Chop one tree down, then you have to get rid of it, dig up the stump, & then there's another right behind it, & another, & another. When my one son put together a PC for his brother I used a USB 3.0 drive dock, copied win7 HP 64 from an up to date VM, booted the system to a Paragon DVD to remove existing drivers in the registry, & fired up, then activated Windows.

That was not typical because I had the VM -- total time <45 minutes. If I had done a fresh win7 install, I'd have restored a backup of the expanded win7 setup files [10-15 minutes], let it setup on 1st boot, & run Windows Update. Or you can set up a win7 .wim file with all updates & use that. At any rate I can't see how it would take more than an afternoon, plus 2-4 hours if there was a lot of software to install. I've a hunch you've already spent longer than that. ;)

There is a separate issue, the one of trust, which the relative efficiency of a reinstall completely disregards I think, which is good. We're all human, & humans make mistakes, forget, make assumptions [including about what's important to mention], & frankly not all people are always honest. Doesn't matter if someone neglected to mention anything, doesn't matter if they know what they're talking about, none of that stuff matters because you've got a solution in a set amount of time. Sometimes there is a solution to whatever problem that, if it were known, would take less than 5 minutes, but it's kind of crazy to spend days looking for it if/when you could replace everything in an afternoon.

Yes, adding SP3 could fail, but restoring a backup & trying again should fix that. Better, odds are extremely high installing XP with SP3 already added would work, as attested to by the millions who have done just that. Yes, with the huge number of updates for XP, one or more might fail. Trying an update again might work, restoring a backup & trying again might work more often, but if the hardware will support it, moving to a newer version of Windows means fewer updates, & again the odds of success increase.

you guys with your advice to try radical solutions

I'm wondering if a prog that auto-updates like my AVG Free 2015 could have installed a file or version of a file that's not compatible with SP2

I'm looking for something that's preventing only the GOTD Setup from making a connection.

But, it's a Personal Computer so it's your choice. That being typed, I'm pretty sure the version of Adobe Flash you installed isn't compatible and your version of AVG itself is likely not compatible. AFAIK, Avira and Avast are the only common free antiviruses that claim SP2 as a minimum requirement. Also, you mention Windows Installer version 4, you might want to confirm that it's actually version 4.5 (enter "msiexec" in a run box to find the version).