53% of affected users have not been able to fix the problems.24.6% of those surveyed have experienced noticeable problems.75.4% of those surveyed experienced no noticeable problems.They should also postpone the installation until the third week in June, 2008 to enable Microsoft to fix problems with SP3 and develop workarounds for specific hardware and software incompatibilities.Īs of May 27, 2008, a survey of Windows XP SP3 users by PC Pitstop revealed:

If workarounds are unavailable, there are ways to block SP3's installation.ĭespite Microsoft's extensive pre-release testing and confidence in their service pack, users should back up their data before installing Service Pack 3. Prior to installing SP3 on computers with known compatibility problems, users should explore available patches and recommended workarounds. Known issues include problems with HP's AMD-based systems, Symantec's antivirus products, ASUS motherboards, various video cards and customized login screens. Given the almost unlimited number of combinations of underlying computer hardware, device drivers, BIOS firmware, third-party security utilities, as well as operating system infections and corruption, users should be concerned about possible SP3 installation failures. These guidelines reflect the best practices for assuring a successful installation of SP3 and include a few recommended information protection and computer upkeep routines. The following Windows XP editions cannot be upgraded with Service Pack 3: SP3 can be installed on the following Windows XP versions with Service Pack 1 or 2: A free download, SP3 also contains a number of new features, mainly security enhancements developed for Windows Vista. SP3 contains a 'roll-up' of 1.174 hotfixes and security updates, all of the improvements issued since the Octointroduction of Windows XP.

Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) on May 6, 2008. How to Block or Remove Service Pack Installations Institute for Advanced Professional Studies Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Installation Guidelines

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