XP Service PAck 3 - ?!

sticker

Hay all,

I see XP Service pack 3 available on 'certain areas' of the web - but unavailable on M/Soft's site...

Is it officially available?! - if so, anyone here install it?

I hear it's a great performance boost to the OS! (granted could be bull!)

Thanks...

skuzzb

I downloaded it from softpidea....hardly a certain area but still not sure bout installing it. Just found this http://lifehacker.com/385295/field-guide-to-windows-xp-sp3and theres not much bad being said about it other than it looking like theres not the full 10% speed boost in there anymore!!

more here http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080429-microsoft-releases-the-long-anticipated-windows-xp-sp3.html

Sherifu

The boost is due to dual core & quad core systems being utilised. I think it's held back because there was a bug found. It's due now in May afaik. There's a thread around here about it.

/edit Thread here.

PogMoThoin

Would You trust service pack from a source other than windows update? I've often wondered who downloads those i see on the torrent sites.

sticker

Thanks for the replies - some interestng reading...

I think I'll wait for the official release

ntlbell

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Would You trust service pack from a source other than windows update? I've often wondered who downloads those i see on the torrent sites.

whats the differnce between a service pack and downloading the latest and greatest COD 7 billion?

Gadgetman496

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145285/microsoft_delays_release_of_windows_xp_sp3.html

...

jor el

It's still available to download from Windows Update, I got it last week when it initially released. Haven't installed it yet though, a bit worried about them pulling it at the last minute.

Bebop

SP3 Release Candidate 1 is available for download from Microsoft's download site, I have installed SP3 on about 10 PC's with no problems, the reason Microsoft have delayed putting it on Windows update is because of an issue with some retail point of sale (POS) systems that is unlikely to effect ordinary Windows XP users
SP3 is really just a rollup of all the updates since SP2, I cant honestly say I have noticed any speed difference over SP2

giddyup

XPSP3 is available on Windows Update and Download Center as of May 6th. It won't be available as an Automatic Update for a while but is available on the WU site.

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3299543&SiteID=17&mode=1

Gadgetman496

giddyup wrote: »

XPSP3 is available on Windows Update and Download Center as of May 6th. It won't be available as an Automatic Update for a while but is available on the WU site.

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3299543&SiteID=17&mode=1

Yep!

Just go ie then tools windows update custom and there she is looking me straight in the face.


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Gadgetman496

Well what do ya know?

SP3 has just popped up here on a second machine as an automatic update Yellow shield & all :eek:


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TouchingVirus

Been running it since it was RTM, I wouldn't worry about MS pulling it at the last minute because of a single conflict with some other piece of windows software most end users never heard of

Gadgetman496

Has anyone slipstreamed SP3 onto their installation disc yet?

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Gadgetman496

Official download from Microsoft site:

Handy for standalone installs or Slipstreaming:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5B33B5A8-5E76-401F-BE08-1E1555D4F3D4&displaylang=en


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cozmik

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Would You trust service pack from a source other than windows update? I've often wondered who downloads those i see on the torrent sites.

I compared the md5 of yesterdays offical release and the installer found on software sites last week and they are the same.

PogMoThoin

cozmik wrote: »

I compared the md5 of yesterdays offical release and the installer found on software sites last week and they are the same.

But how many people would do that? One of the main sources of malware is torrent downloads.

Sherifu

gadgetman496 wrote: »

Has anyone slipstreamed SP3 onto their installation disc yet?

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Yep.

Bebop

I have found that it works best on a clean install of Windows, this was true of both SP1 and SP2,
attempting an install on an well-used system with lots of software on it will fail

Gadgetman496

Bebop wrote: »

I have found that it works best on a clean install of Windows, this was true of both SP1 and SP2,
attempting an install on an well-used system with lots of software on it will fail

I'm normally one for wiping my OS 2 to 3 times a year purely because it keeps everything humming nicely & it's no big deal for me.

However my main system has had the OS onboard for a full year now & is showing no signs of needing a reinstall.

I've deployed SP3 & it upgraded fine & so far all appears to be hunky dorey...


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Gadgetman496

Sherifu wrote: »

Yep.

Sherifu,

Did you delete the SP2 folder from the disc contents before the slip?

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BopNiblets

I tried slipstreaming it with one of the RC builds using AutoStreamer but it didn't work.

http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Autostreamer-Download-13918.html

cozmik

PogMoThoin wrote: »

But how many people would do that? One of the main sources of malware is torrent downloads.

I agree. What I find strange though is Microsoft said they were delaying the release to fix some last minute bug they found but according to the md5 they haven't made any changes.

Gadgetman496

cozmik wrote: »

I agree. What I find strange though is Microsoft said they were delaying the release to fix some last minute bug they found but according to the md5 they haven't made any changes.

The problem is to do with users running a specific type of software & won't effect the majority of users.

SP3 can always be removed through the Add Remove feature in the Control Panel (Should you encounter issues) so it's not as if it's set in stone.





I certainly wouldn't recommend using Torrents as a source for Service Packs updates. :eek:


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Capt'n Midnight

If you have a single PC that's fairly up to date then you might only need 50-70 MB through windows update

if you have lots of PC's then here is the 316MB version
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5B33B5A8-5E76-401F-BE08-1E1555D4F3D4&displaylang=en

Oh look Microsoft treat third party hosting of service packs as priacy

The Microsoft Download Center site is your only authorized web source for downloading a licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3. To report a website offering unlicensed copies of Windows XP SP3 for download, please send e-mail to: piracy@microsoft.com or visit http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/ReportingUs.mspx.

other SP3 links
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsxp/0a5b9b10-17e3-40d9-8d3c-0077c953a761.aspx

giddyup

cozmik wrote: »

I agree. What I find strange though is Microsoft said they were delaying the release to fix some last minute bug they found but according to the md5 they haven't made any changes.

From the blog post:
To help protect customers, we put filtering in place to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems running Microsoft Dynamics RMS. We are still testing a fix and are working to make it publicly available via Microsoft Download Center this month.

No bug fix in the SP. Just a change on Windows Update to prevent this being offered to Dynamics users.

Gadgetman496

Sherifu wrote: »

Yep.

Did you use Autostreamer or nLite?

What size was the end result?

My XP Pro +SP2 disc is over 600MB as is so it ain't going to fit on CD if I Slip SP3 on top.


Did you scale yours down or did you burn it to DVD?


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Gadgetman496

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) - resets & locks max half-open connection limit.

In January Microsoft released a security update "KB941644" which done the same but removal of this update gave you back control on your half open connections.

Now SP3 has locked it again.

Can it be adjusted now?


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PogMoThoin

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Would You trust service pack from a source other than windows update? I've often wondered who downloads those i see on the torrent sites.

If the file has a digital cert from MS and passes OK then I've no problem with it.

sticker

Is the 316meg version posted earlier on this thread worth going for?

I've a quad core and I hear it'll boost the OS performance - fact or fiction?!

sticker

Disregard last post - I downloaded, it installed it TWICE, and got the same error half way through:



Any ideasd - the OS is program heavy and over a year old

aidan_walsh

What Iolo product are you using? You might need to shut it down before running the installer.

Capt'n Midnight

sticker wrote: »

Is the 316meg version posted earlier on this thread worth going for?

I've a quad core and I hear it'll boost the OS performance - fact or fiction?!

No need unless you have lots of PC's to update , as I posted a patched PC will have most of this already and only need a little more.

I've seen reports of up to 10% speed up on the interweb, but you would probably get that much by giving the pc a good cleanup anway. ANd that up to 10% don't mean 10% in everything all the time, jsut some stuff is 10% faster. And from a physological point of view us humans can notice stuff about an 1/8th diffrent from each other so 10% is at / below the threshold of noticing for the casual users unless the time it

sticker

aidan_walsh wrote: »

What Iolo product are you using? You might need to shut it down before running the installer.

System Mech 7 - How did you know?!

sticker

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

No need unless you have lots of PC's to update , as I posted a patched PC will have most of this already and only need a little more.

I've seen reports of up to 10% speed up on the interweb, but you would probably get that much by giving the pc a good cleanup anway. ANd that up to 10% don't mean 10% in everything all the time, jsut some stuff is 10% faster. And from a physological point of view us humans can notice stuff about an 1/8th diffrent from each other so 10% is at / below the threshold of noticing for the casual users unless the time it

Thanks Capt - I think I'll just let windows update to it's job and leave it at that... There was just a few scattered articles that said dual/quad cores would benefit greatly from the patch.

But I think you're right - any major updates would come down the update pipe!

aidan_walsh

sticker wrote: »

System Mech 7 - How did you know?!

Googled the module name in the error, suggested it was an Iolo product.

Gadgetman496

Some users are starting to report issues:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/09/windows_xp_sp3_reboots_crashes/



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Capt'n Midnight

gadgetman496 wrote: »

Some users are starting to report issues:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/09/windows_xp_sp3_reboots_crashes/

at least the error happens straight away , interesting that it seem to be AMD CPU's probably they tested less rather than a particular problem with the CPU.

slave1

Downloaded it via Windows Update, around 59meg for me and installed without issue.....

Bebop

Jesper Johansson's blog gives some good pointers on this issue:

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

Zapho

The 316meg is a standalone version. Handy if you have a newly installed machine and don't have any updates installed yet (or need to install it on a machine with no net connection). If you go via windows update, I'd assume it only installs the updates it needs, saving you time.

I've installed it myself, with no major problems (originally from a torrent)

I've also managed to slipstream it to an XP pro install disk, without a hitch.
Only annoying thing is that my intel 3945 wireless card doesn't seem to be as willing to connect to weak signals as it did with SP2 (Those damn craft malware coders have struck again huh )

Gadgetman496

Zapho wrote: »

I've also managed to slipstream it to an XP pro install disk, without a hitch.

Zapo,

Did you use nLite or Autostreamer to Slipstream it?

How did you fit it onto one CD (Or did you use a DVD)?

My SP2 disc is already over 600MB so the SP3 won't fit without removing a heap of stuff via nLite first.

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newbie2

I installed SP3 the other day and it seemed to be ok, but then when I left a virus scan over night (Bitdefender) when I checked it in the morning, the scan had finished but the desktop had frozen. A quick reboot and i get the error "NTLDR is missing - press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart". Did this, and then get and error - "No operating system found". Another reboot and the same problem. Dl'd a fix from another site and installed a bootable disk on a USB. Rebooted from the USB flash drive. nothing. Rebooted from the windows XP installation disc. Got to the screen that asks you weather you want to install XP, repair or unistall. I wanted to choose repair by pressing "R". Nothing. Turned off the machine and went onto komplett.

Any ideas?

Gadgetman496

newbie2 wrote: »

I installed SP3 the other day and it seemed to be ok, but then when I left a virus scan over night (Bitdefender) when I checked it in the morning, the scan had finished but the desktop had frozen. A quick reboot and i get the error "NTLDR is missing - press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart". Did this, and then get and error - "No operating system found". Another reboot and the same problem. Dl'd a fix from another site and installed a bootable disk on a USB. Rebooted from the USB flash drive. nothing. Rebooted from the windows XP installation disc. Got to the screen that asks you weather you want to install XP, repair or unistall. I wanted to choose repair by pressing "R". Nothing. Turned off the machine and went onto komplett.

Any ideas?

Something similar happened to me before.

Boot into your BIOS & make sure your "Boot Order" is set correctly (As in set your boot device to CD first & HDD second.

Also check that if your drives are configured as a RAID that that is also set correctly in the BIOS.

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newbie2

Thanks man, I'll give it a go when I get home tonight. If I can't do anything with it - is there any solution to getting some of my files off of the c drive? Most of my stuff is stored on a separate drive, but some of "my documents' are stuck on the c drive. there aren't many but is there a way to get any of the stuff? or will this be ever known as "The great PC crash of 2008"?

Explosive_Cornflake

As far as I can remember, try fixmbr from the admin console on the disc.
If you need to grab the files of the disc a knoppix cd will sort you out.

Gadgetman496

You really should be able to recover from that error but if you eventually can't it is possible to retrieve your documents.

You would need to remove the drive & caddy it to another machine or install it as a second drive in another machine. Then you would need to take ownership of your user account & pull your documents off.

How to take ownership:

Claim Ownership Of Files From another Computer

This is particularly useful if you have the HDD from another machine installed or connected to yours.

Proceed as follows:

My computer,
Tools,
Folder options,
View tab,
Scroll to bottom and uncheck use simplified file sharing,


That gives u the security tab(Which wasn’t there before) when you properties a folder or file (As in right click it & choose properties)

When you’re in the security tab click advanced
Owner tab,
Highlight your machine,
Check the replace owner box,
Apply
Ok

Then you’re the happy owner of the files on the third party drive.

newbie2

thanks all. after letting the pc "rest" overnight, i checked the boot sequence and booted from the cd. started xp recovery and then rebooted from drive. windows did a chkdisc and booted up as normal. do you think the problem was related to d'ling sp3?

thanks again
rafter

Bebop

sticker wrote: »

Is the 316meg version posted earlier on this thread worth going for?

I've a quad core and I hear it'll boost the OS performance - fact or fiction?!

Hard to say..any increase in speed could be put down to the clean install of XP