Just what service packs do I need?

Read the article that everyone's commenting on.
Subscribe to the RSS Feed for comments on this article.

As far as I am aware, service packs are cumulative and include everything from previous service packs, therefore if you install XP Service Pack 2 without installing Service Pack 1, the end result is the same as if you'd installed SP1 before SP2 (except that the latter case would be a bit more messy because there's be two sets of uninstallation backups).

As I said in the article, that is indeed the previous norm. However Vista SP2 does not follow that rule - it requires SP1 to be installed frist.

07-Aug-2009

Hi Leo

(Concentrating on Vista).

I kept my eye on SP1's progress for ages before the final release (not wanting to install a Beta, I opted to wait for the RTW).

As I remember, the Service Pack install first required some (3, as I remember) pre-requisite updates from Windows update before the Service Pack would install. (One of them was called pre-requisite for Vista Service pack 1, I think), but the other 2 were just 'updates' with KB numbers. The SP would, apparently, not install without them anyway.

As far as you (or anyone else) knows...is this still the case? Or would a more recently downloaded full-installer already include those pre-requisites and just install from a clean install of Vista itself?

Just wondered!
Thanks for any input.

You also cannot update from XP (sans Service Pack) straight to SP3. You must install SP2 first.

I had to install service pack 3 so I could register my verizon internet service and use there software.

I suspect, as Leo mentioned, that older machines have to gulp twice when a new service pack is installed. My 2003 Dell Dimension (XP Home) won't take SP3 at all. It installs up to the almost the last moment and then uninstalls itself. (I do this about once a month, just to test if anything has changed.)

I have 5 PC's running XP Pro. 4 installed SP3 perfectly but unfortunately my No.1 PC (the most important) just won't take it. I've tried 4 times & I've just about had a heart attack when it's finally said that the machine may no longer work after restarting! Fortunately it has, but I'm done trying various Microsoft & other suggestions. Interestingly, this No.1 PC has had way less stuff installed on it than any of my other machines & it's blisteringly fast too.

I, also have some problems with an Automatic Update to SP3. How can I safely revert back to SP2 if it's possible.

From what I've been reading lately, there is a consensus among security experts that unpatched systems and software are the single greatest security threat, and keeping them up-to-date is the single most effective way of keeping malware out - more than antiviruses, firewalls, etc. (though I wouldn't go without them either). In spite of an alarming growing number of "zero-day attacks," most malware out there exploits vulnerabilities that have long been patched.

It's not guaranteed that service packs are part of that equation, but it's also not guaranteed that Microsoft and other vendors will send you all the proper security patches if the latest service packs are not installed. I would strongly recommend everyone to install them (and I never had a single problem installing them - and mind you, I use A LOT of software from many vendors and for multiple purposes).

If you are having problems with just one specific application, replace it or contact the vendor - probably, lots of people will be having the same problem, and they will quickly have a fix. If lots of applications break at the same time, then most likely there is something wrong with your system - either software rot or outdated software and/or drivers. So, first try to be sure to update EVERYTHING you have (this doesn't mean you need to have major paid upgrades like, for example, going from Photoshop CS2 to CS3 or CS4, but it does mean having all the patches and updates for CS2 installed). Secunia Software Inspector, which is free for personal use and I always recommend to everyone, will help you detect most outdated software, but a direct check at each vendor's Web site (usually in the "Support" page) won't hurt either.

If it still doesn't work, I agree with Leo: backup your documents and data, then format the disk and perform a clean install. Apply the service packs and all security patches BEFORE installing anything else (in the most up-to-date versions, of course), and my bet is that everything will work.

I've had a realy mixed-bag of results from XP SP3.
We run a 30 unit network, domain controlled and Active Directory. When SP3 was applied, some units improved but some lost access to network printers and I could not restore them. So now, we've blocked SP3 from installing. I've posted this a few times and have had consultants here with not results on how to overcome the problem. Would love to hear if anyone else experienced or fixed this issue.
Great great site Leo - I recommend it to everyone who ask me techno questions.

You can also try slipstreaming SP2 and SP3 into an XP CD so that when Windows is installed the Service Packs are also installed.

To post a comment on "Just what service packs do I need?", please return to that article's main page.