Windows XP forum: Windows XP Service pack 3

Thanks for the info but I looked at reviews for service pack 3 at this site and a lot of people said that it messed up their hard drive.

The problem is, when searching the internet, we only find articles about problems. Rarely do we find articles or posts from users who say nothing went wrong, or similar. It's the nature of the internet.

Having said that, we always recommend the following before updating to a new SP;

1] Solve all issues first.

2] Make sure the system is virus free and malware free.

3] Backup all of your important, 'cannot afford to lose' files. You shouldn't lose them, but it is always sensible to backup before major changes.

4] You may want to disable your anti-virus before starting the install. I didn't have to, and others I know didn't have to, that has been suggested on occasions.

Mark

Here's the download link for the full SP3 installer. It's a large file so you'll need a broadband connection, but simply download the full file to your desktop. (I choose to burn a copy of the large file to a CD so I can use it later, should I ever need it again.):

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=5b33b5a8-5e76-401f-be08-1e1555d4f3d4&displaylang=en

Download the file to your desktop, clean out an malware on the computer, temporarily disable your antivirus, then double click on the file to install the service pack.

Hope this helps.

Grif

I've installed it on a hundred or so XP computers so far and it's worked well on both Pro and Home versions. That's why I gave it to you.

Hope this helps.

Grif

That last bit can't be stressed enough, about the "tech" being full of it on the updates thing. Take your system to someone else next time, because if this guy is stupid enough to actually believe that, you don't want him anywhere NEAR your system. The other alternative I can come up with is he's trying to ensure repeat business when you invariably end up overrun with malware.

XP is an old platform, about 10 years now, and it was built before Microsoft committed itself to improving the security of its products. If you're going to keep using it, then you need all the help you can get, especially if you're going to be connected to the Internet. If it's a stand-alone system, not connected to the Internet in any way, THEN you can freely ignore updates if you wish. Otherwise they should be considered mandatory.