Symptoms
When you try to install Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or an update for Visual Studio 2008 with SP1, you receive an exception error message, and the installation process stops.
Cause
This problem occurs because the installer's "chainer" cannot create a log file on the temp folder. This problem can occur if the device that contains the temp folder has insufficient free space. This problem can also occur if you have insufficient permission to write to the temp folder.
Workaround
To work around this problem, run the following command from an elevated Command Prompt window:
VS08SP1_VS90SP1-KB#######-x86.exe /log <valid folder>\Note The ####### placeholder represents the KB article number of the update. Make sure that the target folder is writable for the account from which you are running the installer. And, make sure that sufficient space is available for the installation. Approximately 4 gigabyte (GB) of free space is required.