Download Windows XP SP3 Installation CD or Order Online

Is this new update around 500Mb sized? If thats true the 11$ shipping cost CD would be more better because you can even share it.

In easy to understand terms please, what are the benefits of SP3 over SP2&1? I’ve tried ‘googling’ this, but have yet to get a satisfactory answer.

this month’s digit also has xp sp3

Amit, I recently installed the SP3 on my computer. However, my computer started to give strange kind of problems. My computer vendor told me that although it is out in the market, it is still not advisable to install SP3.

I’d also like to know more about SP3

Sue, SP3 is definitely recommended over SP1 or below, \’cos AFAIK those versions didn\’t have certain components like the Windows Firewall etc. Other than that, SP3 is basically just one huge package consisting of all the updates ever released by MS since SP2 came out. So from a security perspective, SP3 is a must. New features? Just 1 or 2, and none that an average home user need worry about. Basically, if you have kept automatic updates on and your system has been updated regularly, then SP3 won\’t really be required as your system should have all the patches and updates installed already. If not, I\’d recommend you go ahead and install it (though for experienced users I highly recommend a fresh install from a user-slipstreamed or original XP SP3 CD). Hope this helps! :)

I’m sticking with SP2. I installed SP3 a while back, wrecked my Windows installation and had to reinstall from scratch having wiped the drive. Now I cannot run my SATA hard drive with SATA drivers and there are a couple of performance issues. I wouldn’t recommend the “upgrade” if your machine is running fine. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.

Sri Amit,

In my system windows updates are regularly downloading but they could not be installed. Windows try to install the updates for sometime and reports the updates are not installed. What can be the problem?

Thanks Amit — it really did help. I do get the regular updates and have been afraid of what SP3 might do to my computer, so I will probably block the automatic update that’s coming and order the CD.

Recently, I’ve just formatted my laptop and when i start updating windows, the SP3 can’t be downloaded and although I have waited for about 1 hour, it still won’t budge. I get frustrated. Any recommendation that I could used to protect my laptop and I’m using a genuine windows XP.

In all the discussion I’ve read regarding Windows XP SP3, I’ve not seen reference to my question.

I ordered the update CD from the Windows Update link and started to use it to update my OS. But when I clicked on the link, “What to know before installing SP3,” all the information is written about SP2 (TWO) and not SP3.

No one at Microsoft seems to be able to understand my problem. I’m thinking that if the instructions are for SP2, I may not have a SP3 CD even though the label says it is.

Has anyone else who ordered the CD looked at that particular link?

By the way, thanks to your comments in this forum, I’m not going to install it anyway since I’ve kept up with all updates manually. It’s just a pain to click through the SP3 update notice to get to the “other” updates.

I recently installed SP3 but Windows crashed 5 times in 5 boots so i just deleted the partition where Windows was so i’m staying with Ubuntu as the only OS

I was having an issue with my computer, it would not get past the start up menu. I have the 2005 XP Media edition and I re-loaded software losing everything. Now it is asking for service pack 2 when microsoft is now on sp3 and I had originally downloaded both updates when my computer was working properly. Now I cannot get past the load service pack CD screen, because I do not have the CD?

What do you suggest?

With Kind Regard.

almost every new release from microsoft is in alpha state (though it always says final) so is better to wait some weeks or months before installing new software from Microsoft unless u really need it (though i sugest, unless u use the comp only for games, to try a Linux distro, is a lot beter in terms of performance, security and graphics and most important is free, i sugest Ubuntu (looks more like Win xp but with much better graphics -take a look at this ~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYgV2GlsufI~) or openSUSE (looks more like Win Vista)