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Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Installation was not successful ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS 0x800700b7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 x64

While installing Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 x64 or Windows Server 2008 R2, you may receive the ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS 0x800700b7 error message. If this is the case, there are a number of ways to fix and recover from the error in order to install Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Windows 7 x64 or Windows Server 2008 R2 x64.

Introduction

With the release of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, some of you may be running into issues associated with its installation.  The most common error is experienced during the installation of Service Pack 1.  After you download and execute SP1 for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 you may be prompted with the following error message:

Installation was not successful, The service pack installer is already running.
Error: ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS (0x800700b7)

This error is sometimes seen during uninstallation of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

For more technical details on SP1, please refer to: List of all Hotfixes and Securty Updates included in Windows 7 Service Pack 1 x64 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 x64

Solution 1: Fixing ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS (0x800700b7)

A couple of things to keep in mind about SP1, (1) it is almost 550 MB for the five language stand-alone package, which in itself is quite hefty, compared to previous Service Packs for Windows; (2) it will take quite some time to install.  This typically means that after a failed installation, such as the [ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS (0x800700b7)] error you’re experiencing may require a while to rollback and undo anything that the SP1 installation had made.

One way to check whether the installation has finished rolling back any changes is to ensure that the MSIExec process is no longer running.  You can check this by starting Task Manager and checking if the process is running. 

1. Click Start > Run ..
2. Type taskmgr and hit enter.

Check whether you have a process running with the name of msiexec.exe.  If it is still showing that means that the clean-up operation has not yet completed.  Be patient and let it finish by itself.  Once it has finished, restart the computer and try installing SP1 again.

Solution 2: Other reasons for the ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS (0x800700b7) Error

There is another reason why you may get this error while installing Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and it could be related to your anti-virus or anti-malware application.  In particular there are some documented issues associated with Microsoft Security Essentials and Microsoft Forefront Client Security.

These programs might prevent the successful installation or removal of the service pack. Here are some suggested workarounds:

Microsoft Security Essentials ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS (0x800700b7) Workaround

If you have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, install the latest update to resolve the problem. You can then install or uninstall the service pack.

1. Find out if Microsoft Security Essentials is installed on your computer by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, and then, under Programs, clicking Uninstall a program.
2. If Microsoft Security Essentials appears in the list, it's installed on your computer. Check the version number to make sure Version 1.0.1963.0 or later is installed. If the correct version isn't installed, follow the next steps in this section. (Or, if Microsoft Security Essentials doesn't appear in the list, skip the rest of this section.)
3. Click the Start button, type "Microsoft Update" in the search box, and then click Check for updates.
4. Select Microsoft Security Essentials Client update package - KB2254596, click Install updates, and then wait for the installation to finish.
   
   Note: To install the latest version of Microsoft Security Essentials without using Microsoft Update, go to the Microsoft Security Essentials website.
   
   
5. Install Windows 7 SP1 RC or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 RC by following the steps you were using before the error message appeared.

Microsoft Forefront Client Security ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS (0x800700b7) Workaround

If you have Microsoft Forefront Client Security installed, uninstall it before you install or uninstall the service pack, and then reinstall Microsoft Forefront Client Security.

1. Find out if Microsoft Forefront Client Security is installed on your computer by clicking the Start button  , clicking Control Panel, and then, under Programs, clicking Uninstall a program.
2. If Microsoft Forefront Client Security Antimalware Service and Microsoft Forefront Client Security State Assessment Service appear in the list, contact your network administrator for instructions on how to uninstall Microsoft Forefront Client Security.
   
   Warning: Uninstalling Microsoft Forefront Client Security might make your computer (and your network, if you have one) more vulnerable to viruses, worms, or hackers. Reinstall Microsoft Forefront Client Security promptly to minimize the time your computer is unprotected.
   
   
3. After Microsoft Forefront Client Security is uninstalled, install or uninstall Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 by following the steps you were using before the error message appeared.
4. Contact your network administrator immediately for instructions on reinstalling Microsoft Forefront Client Security.
   
   Note: If you're a network administrator, go to Removing an existing installation of Client Security to learn how to uninstall Microsoft Forefront Client Security.

Solution 3: Internet Explorer 9 Beta & ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS (0x800700b7)

One last thing to look at is whether you have installed Internet Explorer 9 Beta at some stage and whether it is still installed. We have found that a number of our trial Service Pack 1 installations failed with a similar error message when IE9 Beta was installed.

To get around this, uninstall Internet Explorer 9 Beta, restart the computer and try installing Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 SP1 again.

Conclusion

This article outlined some of the more common reasons for the Installation was not successful ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS 0x800700b7 error message while installing Windows 7 x64 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and provided a number of workarounds associated with fixing and resolving the error.

References

Why am I receiving a message about Microsoft Security Essentials or Microsoft Forefront Client Security when installing a service pack?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/why-am-i-receiving-a-message-about-microsoft-security-essentials-or-microsoft-forefront-client-security-when-installing-a-service-pack

Removing an Existing Installation of Client Security
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb404233.aspx

[Permalink] - Updated: Monday, October 28, 2013

 

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