Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
Windows XP SP3 is about to be released. Should you jump on the bandwagon immediately and install it? That depends on your tolerance for risk.
I've read that Windows XP Sp3 is to be released this week. Should I install it?
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That depends on who you are, and your tolerance for risk. 
If you're someone like me, techie and proud of it, or willing to set an example for others ... well, then by all means go for it. I will.
On the other hand if you're not me ... you might want to wait.
Here's why...
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SP3 is big. And while I honestly don't believe it'll be a problem for most people simply by virtue of everything it's attempting to encompass it will cause problems for some.
You don't want to be one of those folks unless you're in a position to take the time to work through whatever issue pops up.
I'll of course be updating my machines as soon as it hits. But even then, I'm not going to take unnecessary risks ... my wife's machine, of course, will be one of the last. I'll want to make sure that SP3's working well on the other five or six XP machines I have around here first.
So, what should you do?
For most folks, I recommend the following:
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Make a full backup of your machine. If anything goes wrong you'll always have this point to come back to. (You should, of course, be doing this regularly anyway.)
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Make sure that if Windows Automatic Updates is on its set to "download and notify" only. Don't let it automatically install anything. Yes, that means you may have to live with the "updates are available" notification for a while after SP3 is downloaded.
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Wait. Wait for others to take the update. Wait for problem reports to circulate. Wait for some level of confidence that the update will in fact work. Pay attention to tech news sites, even the popular press, and sites like Ask Leo! for problem reports and a sense for just how bad it is, or isn't. How long to wait? I'd recommend 3 to 4 weeks, though I know that others recommend even longer, and it's hard to argue against it.
Regardless of when you take the update, now or later, at a minimum take a full backup of your system drive immediately prior to installing SP3. It's the only way to truly protect yourself in case something goes wrong.
Like I said, I don't expect SP3 to have a tremendous number of problems, or cause the same number of issues that, say, SP2 did. But unless you have a specific need to hurry, waiting for others to try it out first is a safe and sensible approach.
Article C3363 - April 26, 2008
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
I installed windows XP SP3, and everything was going great but after I tried to restart my PC it did not turn on. I don't Know what happened but I am not recomended to install this update until Microsoft gets ready to support it .... thanks ...
Posted by: Hairol Sibaja at May 3, 2008 6:10 AMHsibaja
I downloaded and installed SP3 without a single problem. From start to finish it took approximately 1 hour. I also prepared my computer in advance by cleaning out all the junk (Ccleaner) and ran an error check and then a defrag.
I also disabled my anti virus program.
I've now noticed my PC boots up faster. That said, I have 2 gigs of RAM and a Pentium4 3 gig chip so it's never really been slow. My guess is the 10% overall increase that people have commented on is actuate.
Happy camper Brad
Posted by: Brad D at May 7, 2008 12:10 AMWell, a week has gone by and I'm happy to report that my XP SP3 upgrade has had no ill effects on two computers.
The only strange thing (and it's trite) Windows media player acted like I had never used it before. A simple 2 second fix.
In my opinion, this update is a must do.
Both XP (HP & DELL) computers are booting up faster, and also running faster and using less RAM memory.
Brad
Posted by: Brad at May 14, 2008 5:22 PMWell it wont work on my Dell Inspiron. The install goes fine but then windows will not start in other than safe mode so I have had to restore it to the point before install - twice. FYI the install process automatically creates one if you have system restore turned on.
I'm not alone but the common thread *seems* to be nvidia graphics cards...
I've set this on to ignore with windows update until it matures :)
Posted by: Flick at September 10, 2008 3:50 AMOK, for anyone who uses ANY, yes it is in CAPS and the word is ANY remote services, do not install SP3. I have it on two platforms and can no longer use RDP, Remote Registry, Remote Web Workplace to RDP, remote shutdown and restart, and the new RDP client (Yep they snuck that in there too) although FAST when connecting to a system you have not had the misfortune to upgrade, cannot set the screen resolution correctly.
If you do any remote work, SP3 is not for you. BTW, I use ATI video, so I will not try the Nvidia fix. I may try upgrading my drivers for the ATI's, but if that does not work, I will declare anathema on SP3 and refuse to allow it to be in my domain (small pun intended)
10-Oct-2008