Service Pack 3

Kind of a broad question, no? Is there something in particular you had
in mind?

The only widely reported problem with SP 3 - and it's not Microsoft's
problem - affects computers with AMD processors. Turns out that some
OEMs, notably HP, use the same factory image for AMD processors that
they use for Intel processors. The image contains a power management
library that is not designed for an AMD processor.
---
Leonard Grey
Packin' the 'K'

Don Harvey wrote:
> Any problems with service pack 3. I have not installed it yet.
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Service Pack 3 

Thanks Leonard,

This is an old HP with a Celeron processor that I only use for backup. I
had heard some comments about 3. Since it is working well, wanted to avoid
any problems. Later on this month going to install SnappyFax and use the
machine exclusively for fax.


"Leonard Grey" wrote in message

> Kind of a broad question, no? Is there something in particular you had in
> mind?
>
> The only widely reported problem with SP 3 - and it's not Microsoft's
> problem - affects computers with AMD processors. Turns out that some OEMs,
> notably HP, use the same factory image for AMD processors that they use
> for Intel processors. The image contains a power management library that
> is not designed for an AMD processor.
> ---
> Leonard Grey
> Packin' the 'K'
>
> Don Harvey wrote:
>> Any problems with service pack 3. I have not installed it yet.
 >> Stay informed about: Service Pack 3 

"Don Harvey" wrote in message

> Any problems with service pack 3. I have not installed it yet.

Two major problems have been reported. With preparation on your part,
though, you won't (more than likley) experince any problems whatsoever.
Still, it is always wise to image your hard drive before undertaking any
major change like a Service Pack upgrade.

Problem #1: On certain PCs that come with an imaged hard drive
erroneously assuming the CPU is Intel rather than AMD (e.g., HPs),
upgrading to SP3 without applying a particular patch first is
problematic. See this page for more information and for the fix:

[URL="http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2008/05/08/does-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-sp3.aspx"]http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2008/05/08/does-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-sp3.aspx[/URL]

(or [URL="http://tinyurl.com/6zs52d"]http://tinyurl.com/6zs52d[/URL] )

Problem #2: It is best to disconnect all perpipheral devices (e.g., USB
external hard drives, printers, etc.) and configure a Clean Boot
environment (because certain anti-malware programs that run in the
background can interfere with the upgrade). See:

[URL="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353"]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353[/URL]

Personally, I have had best results *not* using Automatic Updates.
Instead, I recommend that people download the entire .iso file of SP3
from Microsoft and burn an SP3 CD:

[URL="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2fcde6ce-b5fb-4488-8c50-fe22559d164e&displaylang=en"]http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2fcde6ce-b5fb-4488-8c50-fe22559d164e&displaylang=en[/URL]

More reading material regarding the Best Practices method of upgrading
to SP3:

[URL="http://www.iaps.com/windows-xp-sp3-installation-guidelines.html"]http://www.iaps.com/windows-xp-sp3-installation-guidelines.html[/URL]

[URL="http://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldron/archive/2008/05/08/windows-xp-sp3-read-all-prerequisites-for-a-successful-installation.aspx"]http://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldron/archive/2008/05/08/windows-xp-sp3-read-all-prerequisites-for-a-successful-installation.aspx[/URL]
 >> Stay informed about: Service Pack 3