transition pack for sbs 2003 sp2

Good question. Agree there doesn't seem to be any web confirmation this version will work though it seem logical, but there are differences.
Perhaps obtain the nearest Microsoft customer service center phone number from:
http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/

There isnt a different Transition Pack.  Not yet, anyway.  You have to remove SP2 from your Small Business Server, upgrade to R2, and then you can run the R2 Transition Pack, re-patching everything afterwards.  

Heres a (not so) quick summary on what Ive experienced to back up the above statement:  
I tried purchasing the SBS 2003 Standard Edition Transition Pack for a client of mine, and was going to follow the steps outlined here:  http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2006/01/12/417350.aspx.  However, that version is no longer available for purchase.  I could only buy the SBS 2003 R2 Standard Edition Transition Pack, which includes SP2.  

When I received the Transition Pack I noticed the following message on the back of the box:  The Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Transition Pack is designed to help you transition a computer running Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition and the server applications included in that package. 

So I called the Ingram Micro licensing department to verify if this Transition Pack could be used to upgrade non-R2 SBS versions.  They said it could not, and that the server had to be SBS 2003 R2.  So I purchased a Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition Upgrade for under $300.  When I went to run the upgrade I got an error message:  
Setup.exe  Common Language Runtime Debugging Services
Application has generated an exception that could not be handled.  
Process id=0x474 (1140), Thread id=0x568 (1384)
Click OK to terminate the application.
Click CANCEL to debug the application.

I found that the error message is caused by having Service Pack 2 installed on SBS 2003 when trying to run the Transition Pack.  KB932600 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932600) doesnt list my exact error but it does list what I was trying to do.  

So I thought Id just try and run the Transition Pack anyway.  I got the following error:  
Before running the Transition Pack Wizard, you must install Service Pack 1 for Windows Small Business Server 2003.  This service pack is available at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=39425).  After you install the service pack, reboot your server, and then restart the Transition Pack Wizard.  

So, long story short (too late!), I was forced to perform the following steps on my clients server:  
1. Uninstall SP2
2. Run the R2 Upgrade
3. Run the R2 Transition Pack
4. Uninstalled IE7 in Safe Mode (http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2007/01/29/activation-loop-after-completing-the-sbs-transition-pack.aspx)
5. Re-applied SP2
6. Re-patched the server via Microsoft Updates

Its frustrating that the Transition Pack states that it includes SP2, but doesnt work if its already installed.  But thats classic Microsoft:  creating artificial limitations in their software all in the name of higher licensing revenue.  

Thanks very much for posting your findings bminetwork2277. Good information to have, and I am sure it will asst those that follow.
--Rob

Yup, very good info, but I've been reading elsewhere, for the transition to be "legal" you must purchase the SBS 2003 to SBS 2003 R2 Upgrade pack, is this true?

Yes I have read that also... But so long as you transition out of SBS I can't see this issue once you go standard.