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SP3 - should I bother?


Edde
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Guest Kenmarrow
I have tried numerous times to load it unsucessfully. It goes thru the motions and then just before it completes it stops and tells me " Access Denied" then it backs out ! I have shut down my MacAfee thinking that was problem. Maybe I will google it.. If anybody knows what the problem might be please LMK.. Ken
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I have tried numerous times to load it unsucessfully. It goes thru the motions and then just before it completes it stops and tells me " Access Denied" then it backs out ! I have shut down my MacAfee thinking that was problem. Maybe I will google it.. If anybody knows what the problem might be please LMK.. Ken

 

I looked at MS this am. There is an extensive list of junk that can be wrong when it comes to installing it. Too much to list, lol.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Don't think it does much really. I think its mostly a compilation of old fixes with a few new things for people that never got the last SP, but I could be wrong.

 

I updated nonetheless, no differences noticed.

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  • 1 month later...

Brief Description

Windows® XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system. This white paper summarizes what is new in Windows XP SP3.

 

Short Version - Installing SP3 brings you up to speed with all of the security updates. Additionally, newer updates require SP3 . First Tuesdays of every month microsoft releases updates. Right now there is a world wide attempt to exploit Windows based computers, and if you dont have the 'updates' you will have multiple security holes that could lead to confidential information theft from your computer. If you installed Windows xp from scratch, you should not have any problems. Most people that have problems are people that upgraded from windows 2000 or XP -Home to Professional.

 

Again, it is to protect the computer from compromise or exploitation.

 

Summary

Windows XP SP3 combines all previously released performance, security, and stability updates. It also provides a limited number of new and enhanced functionalities, although it does not significantly change the Windows XP experience or bring functionality from newer versions of Windows to Windows XP. The goals of Windows XP SP3 are to:

• Provide a new baseline for customers still deploying Windows XP, to help them avoid the inconvenience of applying individual updates.

• Fill gaps in the updates users might have missed by declining individual updates when using Automatic Updates, and to deliver updates not made available through Windows Update.

Windows Vista provides the most advanced security and management capability, but for PCs that cannot be upgraded to Windows Vista right now, Windows XP SP3 ensures these PCs have all available updates and allows these PCs to leverage some new Windows Server 2008 capabilities, such as Network Access Protection (NAP).

 

 

 

The real details - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...ang=en#filelist

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsxp/bb410118.aspx

Edited by Dcrasta
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Ok thanks. But that's basically all understood. I read that stuff myself previously ;)

 

WT F kind of updates would there be that were not delivered via Winblows Updates? That sounds stupid. Oh wait, we are talking about MS :character0032:

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Out of 'cycle' updates are the 'emergency' updates . I work in Managed security services (IT) and this is what happens..

 

 

Microsoft introduces the Patches on Tuesday (Patch Tuesday), followed by the hackers releasing '0 day' exploits (go to http://milw0rm.com or http://www.securityfocus.com/ to see what the 'latest' -0days are) followed by microsoft scrambling to release a 'hotfix'. Hotfixes are included in the next scheduled update (once a month or so). So between the last patch and the next one you get 'out of cycle releases'

 

SP3 includes all of the out of cycle releases and replaces additional files for compatibilities with the emerging releases, etc. Also, conditions like 'memory leaks' in windows files, and other 'secret' fixes (to vulnerabilities that were discovered in house but not announced). Some of the latest hotfixes will not work if you haven't upgraded to SP3.

 

SP3 will not break applications that were written according to Microsofts 'software specifications' so all this stuff about 'it broke my computer' just indicate the computer was 'broken' to begin with.

 

Its like a TSB comes out for you car. you can decide 'Oh well, forget that I am not going to fix it because I dont have a problem' .. But then something else related to the TSB breaks down the road. I personally recommend downloading all of the Service packs (I have SP3 on a CD) offline and saving them, so when you install windows, you can apply them before you connect your unpatched computer to the internet.

 

With high speed internet access, the speed with which PCs can become infected has now shortened. According to some of the anti-virus companies, if your Windows computer is not properly protected, it will take 12 minutes before it becomes infected if its connected to the internet. If you are with a popular cable broadband provider (like comcast) people constantly scan their network space for unpatched or 'semi-patched' computers. I have 'SNORT' ids running on my network and I see SSH, UPNP, NetBios, RPC, MSterminalServer, and other service scans all day long. I really doesn't cost you anything and is pretty easy to do (updating).

 

If you have a 64bit CPU, you may want to go to Xp-64 or (cough) Vista-64. I prefer Xp-64. I have been using it for about a year off and on but finally committed to it full time. Rocks, runs 99 % of my apps, and the ones it doesn't I just dual boot back to XP-Pro.

 

Whatever you decide to do use an Antivirus and Anti-spyware program and Firewall.

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Now that's good info Hugh. I know the kind of work you're in which is why I expected more info :hmm3grin2orange:

 

I run AVG 8 with everything it has, zonealarm free, windows defender. I run an adaware every few months. I use registry cleaner every long while.

 

Anyway I had 3 blue screens out of nowhere recently. So I did several spyware scans and each one found different stuff (some of which always can be a legit thing). When I ran Adaware it found something altogether different and less critical. I let it clean up and the other spy scans then came back negative.

 

This machine was an SP1 installation xp home has been updating since it was new and has everything but a new IE (using 6) and SP3.

 

Thanks for the info I'll have to consider it.

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I let it auto install on this new lad of XP (after I had done SP2), and it slowed me way down. Fought with it for a few days until I realized that it was SP3 giving me fits. I uninstalled it and she's running fine again. No more SP3 for me.
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I let it auto install on this new lad of XP (after I had done SP2), and it slowed me way down. Fought with it for a few days until I realized that it was SP3 giving me fits. I uninstalled it and she's running fine again. No more SP3 for me.

How do i know if i all ready have it? I am running xp, and let windows do an update a while back that took forever. Lately the laptop seems slow and my videos studder when i try to play them. Seems like the trouble started after the big update. I run Norton and did a defrag and cleared the temporary files. It perked up a little but still seems a little slow.

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How do i know if i all ready have it? I am running xp, and let windows do an update a while back that took forever. Lately the laptop seems slow and my videos studder when i try to play them. Seems like the trouble started after the big update. I run Norton and did a defrag and cleared the temporary files. It perked up a little but still seems a little slow.

 

Right click My computer ---> Properties. Look at the General tab that comes up. Under system it will show what SP you have installed.

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if you are having studdering problems try updating your video drivers. IF it doesnt go away and you have AMD CPU you have to install the AMD CPU drivers.

 

This is not directly related to SP3, but some drivers will have to be updated to be fully functional with SP3

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