service pack 3

XP service pack 3 is now available on microsoft update website.
Anyone have any knowledge how stable this version is?

I downloaded it the other day, it is very large, but seems ot be
working fine. I have not noticed anything different. I MAY have
already had most, if not all, of the updates anyway.

I have twice tried to install SP3 on my HP a1540n and both times it got
into a restart loop very early in the boot sequence. I am now doing my
second restore of my system (DP has a restore mechanism, but there is a
lot of stuff of remove/add still).

I thought the restart loop the first time around was a fluke. Several
hours wasted on this.

I sure don't want to do this again, but will be pestered to apply this
update. The restore went back to IE 6. In trying to update to IE7 I was
first asked to update to SP3!!

Is there any way to find out when SP3 will work on my PC?

Brent
--
brent.beach at gmail.com

when snowballs freeze in Hell
You don't need SP3. Why screw up your system with it??

First time mine failed I found that the auto-updates was trying to download
and install SP3 at the same time as I had manually started it. I went in
and disabled the auto-update option.

After that it was time to kill my anti-virus/spyware programs as one of them
thought SP3 was malware trying to destroy the system...go figure. Never
figured out which of them was complaining but SP3 installed just fine after
they were disabled.

After the update and boot I had no further problems. Anti-virus/spyware
programs are behaving just fine and so is the rest of the system, so far...

Installed SP3 yesterday and all is well. I'm running AVG Free Ver 8.0 and
did not have to disable it.

It's perfectly stable on all my self-built systems. OEM systems may not be
so lucky...

However, there is one major problem AFAIC. Due to a ridiculous
restriction imposed upon IE integration, the Address toolbar is no
longer available as an option on the taskbar (it was removed during
one of the beta releases and remains inaccessible in SP3 final).

Quite why it had to be removed is unclear since it provided the exact
same functionality as Start > Run (and THAT's not been removed!),
making it one of the more useful toolbars. Even typing an URL only
launched the default browser -- which needn't be IE, of course.

The only way to restore the Address toolbar to the taskbar is to unlock
the taskbar and create a new toolbar from any folder (such as My
Do***ents), then drag it onto the desktop, then right-click it. The
Address toolbar is still an option here. Select it, and deselect the
new toolbar you created. Finally, drag the Address toolbar onto the
taskbar. Address then becomes an option in the taskbar again but, if
it's disabled, the option disappears...

The Address toolbar will also disappear following a logoff, as will any
other toolbars (although they will remain selectable from the taskbar).

A third-party Address toolbar appears to be the only permanent fix for
this. The Google Desktop toolbar is one, but it's nowhere near as
convenient as the standard Address toolbar was -- you can't run
programs from it, for instance.

Anyone know of a decent alternative? TIA

It has been reported that there may be issues with some AMD processor
based computers (and HP's in particular) and SP3. Something to do with
an Intel driver that is installed by the OEM disk image that conflicts.

There could be some copyright issues as well. I tried to back up a copy of a
older version of Photoshop that was a copy and Sonic or Nero would not make
another copy on two different computers updated to sp3. They now give error
messages and try to lock up the computer. I think MS is trying to slip a
fast one in. I have not tried to back up a DVD but I have my suspicion. Just
my early observations!

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Mr Dogs

It appears to be a problem with SP3 and my (and perhaps all) HP/AMD
machines. I guess no one with HP/AMD was a beta tester.

I have now restored my machine and got all (probably missed a couple)
the apps running again. Had problem with my network but resolved now.
The PC was out for two days, probably 15 or 20 hours of farting around
to get it back to what appears where I was before the update.

You can be darn sure I won't be applying any more MS updates in the
first month they are available.

Brent

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1 16th May 03:18 dick blisters External User Posts: 1	service pack 3 XP service pack 3 is now available on microsoft update website. Anyone have any knowledge how stable this version is?

2 16th May 03:19 f/fgeorge External User Posts: 1	service pack 3 I downloaded it the other day, it is very large, but seems ot be working fine. I have not noticed anything different. I MAY have already had most, if not all, of the updates anyway.

4 16th May 03:19 olfart External User Posts: 1	service pack 3 when snowballs freeze in Hell You don't need SP3. Why screw up your system with it??

6 16th May 03:19 colin External User Posts: 1	service pack 3 Installed SP3 yesterday and all is well. I'm running AVG Free Ver 8.0 and did not have to disable it.

8 16th May 03:19 two.dogs External User Posts: 1	service pack 3 It has been reported that there may be issues with some AMD processor based computers (and HP's in particular) and SP3. Something to do with an Intel driver that is installed by the OEM disk image that conflicts.