windows xp sp3

[thecomputeraddict]

I'm downloading sp3 right now and I plan to put it on tonight, anything I should do before installing it just to be safe?

 

[Sparkyy]

I just made sure I had all the other previous updates from Microsoft and installed it on my mom's computer over LogMeIn, worked beautifully and she hasn't had an issue since.
I kept hearing all these horror stories but that wasn't the case for me or I got lucky. Just make sure everything is backed up if it goes south on you.

 

[al3x3y]

i have it installed and everything is good pretty good with it.just make a backup before upgrading cause you never know

 

[OldMX]

If you go for the clean install, slipstream the service pack into your install disk with nlite or autostreamer, if not, please backup your most important data since its a big change to the system...better safe than sorry

 

[Joe Average]

Do a clean install, with a "new" integrated XP SP3 CD you can make yourself as just mentioned in the post above. Upgrades = bad karma, always. Clean install = the best solution. There's a thread here that's active right now as a matter of fact with a guy that just tried the "upgrade" from XP SP2 to SP3 and wham, nothing but issues. In fact, you'll find a lot of people with such problems and complaints, just as people did when they "upgraded" from SP1 to SP2 which was truly a big jump for XP.

If you're going to back up all your data and important stuff before this "upgrade" anyway, might as well close that gap and just do the clean install which is almost guaranteed to be problem-free compared to an "upgrade" of dumping one service pack onto an already preinstalled OS.

Good luck, regardless...

 

[t00thless]

i've only had one problem doing the upgrade.

one machine is stuck on this one update. some updates aren't being offered (ie 7, media player 11, etc.). every time i try to install the one update it has, it fails. i haven't gotten around to trouble shooting it yet.

no problems doing a fresh install from a sp3 disc.

 

[HopePoisoned]

I updated last night.

This machine I was updating had always had problems one way or another, for the last 7 years probably; and I mean but problems. I've reimaged this computer so many times, but this time, however, the update went through with no problems. Although, the computer is still as slow as it has always been. I'm not sure if SP3 has slowed it down at all, though, or if it has always been this slow.

I however, cannot upgrade my Vista to SP1; it gets errors one way or another and I cannot fix them, I've tried so many things (of side note, it's illegally activated and MS picked up on it on that update, so I bought Home Premium SP1 and will be installing that, just to get squared away on things as it was only 99 dollars (clean install ftw, the only things staying are my files, all programs will be fresh!)

 

[Incomplete_Spork]

I have heard that there were some problems but I have had nothing happen to me.

Yet.

 

[0ptional]

i installed sp3 on one of the hp machines with an nforce 430 and an athlon x2, the notorious failure machines, and it worked just fine...

 

[chulerico]

I have installed several times without issues, but would definetly have a backup just in case,

sam