[zcaveman]

Windows XP SP3 has been available to download for a while, but Microsoft just started pushing it out via Automatic Update last week, so be aware that you may be getting it (whether you want it or not) if you have XP set to automatically download and install updates. SP3 has caused problems on some systems, though. If you don't want it, set Windows Update to manual so you can choose which updates to install.

If anyone has actually installed XP SP3, please post your results.

[Lucko]

Installed it Sunday 20th, took about 20 minutes on high speed cable, have not noticed any changes or problems on my Dell xps 410 -- requires restart, but does auto back-up -- I'm on 12gb Illinois comcast at the moment, my Duval comcast is slightly slower -- FWIW Lucko

[zcaveman]

Thanks. I bit the bullet and just finished installing it myself tonight. From start to reboot took me about 40 minutes. Setup and download took about 10 of that. Then I missed a prompt. Everything went smooth. I did some app check out and everything looks good.

[MelZ]

I installed it and have found no issues, yet? ;D

[784caroline]

Installed it (auto install) sunday...it took a fair amount of time to do the back up but its working and no problems are evident!

[WLAN56]

Both of our computers (Dell's) are set for Auto Update. One computer tried twice and the other tried once. Neither completed the Update. I keep getting an Update halt, Program Not Responding ? Will try again in a few days.

[villages07]

My fairly new Dell did the dowload over the last couple of days and I did the update today....went smoothly, no problems noted so far. This is a ginormous update (somewhere between 30 and 60 MB) so be patient.

[WLAN56]

I tried to do the update again. Still no luck. Seems to have stopped in the same place again (while building Cabinets?) I left it running for about 2 hours.

I've got two computers networked. Could this be causing a problem?

Do I need to turn off McAfee while doing the update? ???

[zcaveman]

You need to turn off any antivirus during the download. They interfere with the download.

[WLAN56]

Thanks zcaveman, I'll give it another try tomarrow night when I've got nothing else to do. I looked at MS on the SP3 upgrade and it indicated that if I had all of the SP2 updates that SP3 was just a consolidation of them and really added only a few minor additions. I'd say the heck with SP3 if it would just quit bugging me.

[WLAN56]

I gave it another try at downloading the upgrade. Turned off my anti-spam program first. Upgrade took less then 10 minutes each computer. I guess when it say's to turn off other programs, that is what it means. MS has now stopped bugging me.

[gfmucci]

After turning off my virus software, I again attempted downloading SP3. I got an error message 90% through the process that, when clicked, deinstalled everything back to SP2 status.

I'm wondiering, does IE7 need to be installed first? I am currently running IE6.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by gfmucci

After turning off my virus software, I again attempted downloading SP3. I got an error message 90% through the process that, when clicked, deinstalled everything back to SP2 status.

I'm wondiering, does IE7 need to be installed first? I am currently running IE6.

I don't think IE7 matters but why did you not go IE7? I think it is a great improvement over IE6.

I did not mention it in my earlier post but in one of the planning posts it says to do a scandisk and a defrag before you start - even if you do not think it needs one. After that I backed up all data and shutdown Norton's A/V and Firewall and did the installs. To entertain my self while it was downloading and installing, I bought up the Windows Task Manager and watched the network and CPU grids go up and down. But don't forget to watch for the messages to reply to. Or it will just sit there. And once it finishes do not forget to run another Windows Update. There are add-on fixes out there.

Z

[gfmucci]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

I don't think IE7 matters but why did you not go IE7? I think it is a great improvement over IE6.

Z

Most recently, I installed IE7 two times. Both times it would self-scroll, having a mind of its own, for the first two or three seconds of opening a new page. Drove me nuts. Something was not right. That couldn't have been a "default" setting.

I could try downloading and installing it again, but I ended up adding Firefox instead which is a very nice internet program.

I thought there might have been a certain required sequencing of installation of Microsoft programs such as requiring the installation IE7 first that caused the SP3 to uninstall itself. I've heard of such things.

I had both installed at one time a few weeks ago. But I had a problem with my Money program and those help people told me to uninstall IE7 and revert to SP2 to try to fix the problem with their program. Oiu vey!

My desktop computer and OS are 5 years old. I have a recently purchased laptop with Vista. I think I will just wait for the desktop to die, and, in the meantime, back up to my external hard drive very often.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by gfmucci

My desktop computer and OS are 5 years old. I have a recently purchased laptop with Vista. I think I will just wait for the desktop to die, and, in the meantime, back up to my external hard drive very often.

Sounds like a good idea.