XP sp3

[#1]

@hulls
I too had no problems with any of the three PCs I've installed SP3 on (one lap top and two desk tops).  The PCs in question are used by people who would be only too quick to phone me if there were issues - to date all is well!

[#2]

I downloaded SP3 a few weeks back without problem.  I read somewhere that problems can occur depending on the processor you have.  It appears Intel takes SP3 without a problem but AMDs don't.  Anybody know why?

[#3]

Quote from: artmo

It appears Intel takes SP3 without a problem but AMDs don't.  Anybody know why?

Hmm The wireless connection I had problems with after SP3 was an AMD machine 

[#4]

Quote from: John_Essex

Quote from: artmo It appears Intel takes SP3 without a problem but AMDs don't.  Anybody know why? Hmm The wireless connection I had problems with after SP3 was an AMD machine

That's interesting.  Sorry can't remember where I read about the problem.  There was also a comment not to download using a download manager as this could cause problems.  Maybe MS should have checked these problems out before releasing SP3. A Google search may throw some light on this.

[#5]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/12/windows_xp_sp3_reboots_amd/
...throws some light on it. I have an AMD processor and it was this article that led me to use the update process outlined above.
Cliff

[#6]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but.....
I've just downloaded the SP3 ISO and burnt a CD which I have used to update ny AMD driven machine.
Guess what? the wireless connection to the router is still cycling on and off continuously.
Before going back to SP2 I'll have another attempt at starting from scratch with the wireless settings but I dont hold out much hope. 

[#7]

Just removed completely the wireless software - reinstalled and set up network again all to no avail. 
Not only does it keep connecting and disconecting but its also telling  porkies in that it says the network it's connected to is insecure    I know damn well its not and in the view wireless panel networks it does actually show it as secure (WPA2).
Looks like it back to SP2 again.

[#8]

If you find out what the problem is, and also how to solve it, I would be very interested, as I have done the same as you, but not yet installed it..... Running a Dell Inspiron 2200 laptop  but it does say it`s got "intel inside"
However, as there seem to be wireless issues, I am going to hang on for a while longer yet and see if the "auto update" does it`s thing, and keep the CD as a backup in case I have to do a re-install some time in the future.... (hoping I have found out the bugs and how to fix them first ! )

[#9]

I'm not sure exactly how relevant this is, but I've had a few oddities with wireless connections happening as a consequence of an SP3 upgrade on Intel processors (my AMD machine has Vista).
The behaviour I saw was failure to connect properly - the usual "limited connection". This was on a WEP connection that had been working fine with SP2 and using Windows Zero not the manufacturers tools.
In the end I DIDN'T reinstall any drivers to fix it. I totally removed the connection (in the Advanced area) and then just let it find networks, choose mine again and reentered the key.
Prior to this I had played with all plausible parameters, re-entered the key etc many times to no avail. I still don't understand what was "not quite right" but removing the SSID completely then reestablishing the link worked for me. 

[#10]

The good news is that even though system restore refused to put the machine back to a date before SP3. I managed to locate SP3 in the "Add and remove programs" and it does neatly uninstall itself and put things back as they were.
So if it does make a mess of anything it should be easy to go back to how things were  

[#11]

Thanks for the info..... will still wait a while I think..... just had a couple of bad weeks with speed issues, so want to get used to the way it works before wrecking it ! ! .

[#12]

The problems with SP3
Windows XP Service Pack 3 finally arrived to our computers this week… And is now killing AMD machines, according to Jesper Johansson, former program manager for security policy at Microsoft.
The problem relates to machines with SP3 installed rebooting and then not allowing users to get so much as Safe Mode. The problem is mainly affecting AMD users who bought their machines from HP. Johansson attributes the problem to the way that HP puts images of Windows onto its machines, using the same copy for both Intel and AMD boxes.
"Because the image for both Intel and AMD is the same all have the intelppm.sys driver installed and running. That driver provides power management on Intel-based computers. On an AMD-based computer, amdk8.sys provides the same functionality," says Johansson.
Some other OEM’s beside HP have the same practice, and presumably their users will be seeing the same issue.
There is another problem with SP3 that has not yet been tracked down to anything so specific that is causing random hangs and system crashes, though at least one can get into Windows itself (unlike the lucky AMD users.)
Windows service packs causing mayhem and havoc is not a new phenomenon – indeed, AMD machines got hit with a similar bug back in 2000 when any machine running over 350 MHz crashed and burned after a new service pack was released – and we may wait a few weeks for all of the kinks to get sorted out. 
And Norton is having problems to

Symantec has told customers of its consumer security products that they should disable a feature in the software before upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), or risk crippling their computers. In a post to a Symantec support forum, Reese Anschultz, a senior manager with the company, said users of Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiVirus and Norton 360 - the firm's best-selling consumer security software titles - should switch off the "SymProtect" feature before trying to install XP SP3.
"After a lot of testing, we've reproduced a number of different cases where applying the XP SP3 upgrade adds additional registry keys within already-existing Symantec registry keys," said Anschultz. "We have determined that the SymProtect feature is involved, though this issue is not exclusive to Symantec customers. To help prevent this issue from occurring, you should disable SymProtect prior to installing the Windows XP SP3 upgrade." Anschultz also provided instructions for disabling SymProtect in various Norton-labelled titles.

[#13]

Quote

the wireless connection to the router is still cycling on and off continuously.

Could this be wireless adaptor software related? My own experience (with Ralink RT61 chipset PCI Adaptor) with SP2 was that with the software supplied the wireless connection would occasionally be lost but that it was almost always lost when I brought the PC out of standby. I update to the latest version of the Ralink software from their website and got the problem you are now experiencing, cycling on and off. I reverted to the original software and the original, but manageable, problem which persisted into SP3. This may not be applicable to your particular situation but I offer it as possibility.
By the way, you were lucky, when I tried the restore process from SP3 it failed leaving me with an unworkable system. Fortunately I had an up-to-date Acronis disk image to restore from.
Cliff

[#14]

I believe that the problem identified by Symantec relates to the registry monitor/protect function.
This is why I always recommend temporarily disabling protection software before such a major upgrade.
I hate to think what Lavasoft in automatic mode would do in this case

[#15]

I have Norton 2008 for which I disabled popups and I downloaded and installed SP3 with no problems at all. I had only one firewall permission to give during installation.
I had better be more precise. I disabled ADWARE in options permitting popups so I could use iPlayer.