Summary

Running IBM/Lenovo System Update on a ThinkPad on any OS other than XP and Vista results in an error message similar to "An error occurred while gathering user information."  This can be resolved if compatibility mode is enabled - so that the system reports it is running Windows XP.

Background

Running Windows 2003 R2 server on a ThinkPad is not a System Updated supported scenario.  The OS being reported to System Update is not handled properly, and this error message is displayed.

"An error occurred while gathering user information"

Problem

A dialog box saying, "An error occurred while gathering user information" is displayed when System Update is launched and starts searching for updates.  Failures usually occur between 6-10% in the progress indicator.

Solution

Right click on the shortcut that launches System Update, Properties, and Compatibility tab.  Run System update in compatibility mode for Windows XP.

Discussion

This was a scenario that was resolved while running Windows 2003 R2 Server w/SP2 on a ThinkPad T40.
System Update 3.00.0028 build date 2007-02-12.
This is not likely to resolve these issues for users already running Windows XP or 2000 or Vista; the OS version string being reported is not likely to be the cause of this error message.