Beware Win XP SP3

[Geezer]

I have been living through a nightmare today trying to get rid of Win XP service pack 3. It has taken over four hours but I think I might be back to where I started from.

This morning I decided to download and install SP3 since I wasn't going to be real busy today. Big mistake. At the very end of the update I got a BSOD (blue screen of death) saying there was a problem with win32k.sys. Win32k.sys is a Microsoft system file for God's sake. It started going on about turning off bios settings like memory shadowing etc. WTF!!!

After searching the net I discovered there are quite a few people having problems with this file and no one can seem to agree on what is causing it. Even Microsoft is very vague. To make a long story short I would strongly suggest to wait on SP3 until it has been out longer. My understanding is that it is going to start being pushed out to auto update users very soon if it hasn't been already.

Has anyone downloaded this thing and had no problems?

[_r.u.s.s.]

wow, de ja vu? i remember gtx posting exactly the same thing. you can search somewhere in 3x blah

what are you guys doing? nobody from my friends complained, is it original windows?

[dosraider]

I had no problems whatsoever on my home PC (self-build).
Installed it a month ago.
Also installed it on several other PCs, home build ones with full XP (No OEM!) install on them, they gave no problems.

The problems began with Packard Bell PCs, mainly because of the godforsaken OEM XP version on it. Those brand PCs have some altered sysfiles, and yep, those were the culprit. But at the end all went swell, certainly after completely disabling that damned Norton security suite. What a crap.
Also some problems on ACERs, same reasons, same solution.

Talked to other peeps: most have the same experience.

Me guess that in time the SP3 will be .... upgraded(?) so that those problems will be avoided. :D

My advise is: if you have a brand PC with OEM XP: wait a bit longer.

And if you can't wait: make a HD sysbackup before you begin. Takes 10 minutes to make, and another 10 minutes to get your old system back in case of disaster.

Other questions:
What about those with starforce installed? Screwed?
What about third party window 'enhancers'? Screwed?
Etcetera .... Me guess that how more crap installed, how more problems?

[Geezer]

Dell.

I set up a restore point so I was able to use that to go backwards. The strange thing is that some of the people that have had a problem with this file in particular are having it with XP SP2 and Vista as well. I have never had any problem with it until I tried to install XP SP3. Now that I am back on SP2 everything seems ok again. I guess SP3 tried to replace the file with a newer version that the OEM did not like for some reason. Not very re-assuring.

Note: If you have auto update turned on be careful. As I said above Microsoft is getting ready to have SP3 download automatically soon.

[Scatty]

Well auto-update is anyway the first thing that is advised to be turned off after first startup of Windows XP. Updating recommended here or there, you might not want to sent Microsoft your personal data which is happening during auto-update, and if you're so desperate for those updates, you can always do it manually.
I never installed any updates for Windows XP Pro SP2, nor did I install the Service Pack 3, and I never needed any, either. But that's my personal experience since I tend to hold my systems in firm control and know where's what, it might be different for others and actually provide some benefit to them, especially with the newer hardware.


But so or so, if you remember how the system requirements doubled from SP1 to SP2 it might be woth considering if you need this SP3 at all. If the hardware already runs without problems with SP2, why would SP3 be necessary?

[_r.u.s.s.]

cause of security flaws

[dosraider]

... and to kill some of the bugs ....
... and add some compability for newer progs ....


... and sometimes to get screwed, yes .... :D

[Edit]
... And to upgrade IE7 that I never use ... :nuts:

[_r.u.s.s.]

tell me about it, with the last point there comes another pain in the ass for us web developers :(

anyways, this belongs to technical

[Japo]

I've heard about lots of people that installed it with no problems. Me, I'm waiting for no particular sound reason... I read about some problem with AMD processors (I got Intel) that should be solved already (?), then got tired of googling after half a minute and procrastinated the upgrade... But I thought it was included in automatic updates a long time ago, at least I know that if you manually go to Windows/Microsoft Update you're prompted to install SP3 as a priority update--without need to look into the optional updates.

However, there are some precautions you MUST take (besides backing up anything crucial including a system restore point or something at least equivalent) before installing SP3, or any other big update for that matter (I know some of you already know but still):

- Log off from all accounts except the admin one you'll be updating from. A second open account may cause many Windows updates (not just service packs) to fail.

- Disable the resident protection of your antivirus or any other security software that protects system files from changes. (I bet a lot of screwups now and back when SP2 were caused by not doing this...) This is safe as long as installing SP3 will be the only thing you'll be doing--this kind of protection is just reactive anyway. When you're done and hopefully everything's working, enable those programs back.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsxp/cc164204.aspx#2

By the way what about Vista SP1, anyone?

[Geezer]

But I thought it was included in automatic updates a long time ago, at least I know that if you manually go to Windows/Microsoft Update you're prompted to install SP3 as a priority update--without need to look into the optional updates.


The article I read said in June/July it would be added to the auto update agenda.

[Juanca]

Well auto-update is anyway the first thing that is advised to be turned off after first startup of Windows XP. Updating recommended here or there, you might not want to sent Microsoft your personal data which is happening during auto-update, and if you're so desperate for those updates, you can always do it manually.
I never installed any updates for Windows XP Pro SP2, nor did I install the Service Pack 3, and I never needed any, either. But that's my personal experience since I tend to hold my systems in firm control and know where's what, it might be different for others and actually provide some benefit to them, especially with the newer hardware.


But so or so, if you remember how the system requirements doubled from SP1 to SP2 it might be woth considering if you need this SP3 at all. If the hardware already runs without problems with SP2, why would SP3 be necessary?

I do agree with Scatty 100%
Better wait three months more, and even more if you are doing well with sp2. No need to hurry and definitely turn off that autoupdate button, it is the biggest and most dangerous flaw your computer can have (I already had an expensive experience with that):notrust:

[dosraider]

By the way what about Vista SP1, anyone?
Didn't had problems t'll now with that one.


Hopefully it stays so....

[Icewolf]

Didn't have problems t'll now with that one.

Hopefully it stays so....They already discovered new bugs in it, but as long as you're not having trouble...

[GTX2GvO]

wow, de ja vu? i remember gtx posting exactly the same thing. you can search somewhere in 3x blah

NOOOOO!!! It wasn't the SP3 that bonkered my system. It was ME!!, MYSELF!! and I!!.

And it's NOT the same thing as from what I'M reading. :notrust:

What about third party window 'enhancers'? Screwed?
Etcetera .... Me guess that how more crap installed, how more problems?

Ah yes, Third party enhancers & crap.. :amused: They DEFINITELY helped in bonkering my system...... NOT SP3 NOR IE7...
They work Perfect. Even on OEM's, like my Acer laptop. (which got bonkered due to ME!!:nuts:)

[D4NG3R]

WTH, now i see somthing when i wanted to open my system stats (to show that SP3 is running properly here)

ITS GONE BACK TO SP2 :S wtf..
I had SP3, Buildign year 2007
Now it says SP2 year 2002

[dosraider]

With you on the keyboard anything can happen, and WILL happen.

:cheesy:

[Japo]

I finally got to install SP3, everything went smoothly and it took a short time. Be warned however that SP3 changes the Windows services settings. There are some services that most people don't need and are disabled for security's sake, but if you're one of the few who need them, things may stop working until you enable them back. On the other hand the Windows Security Center is enabled and set to automatic, and automatic updates are set to download and install without notification to the user (if you want to change this last one go to the Control Panel).

[fender178]

I have read the nightmares of SP3 and its pretty pathetic that MS didnt test this thing further before releasing. Im just hoping that MS can fix what ever is causing these problems before it goes final on windows updates. I wonder why it changes the Windows update settings?

[Japo]

I really don't know how many of those accounts have MS to blame or aren't caused by applying the update on virus infected systems, etc. As for the configuration applied by SP3, it's aimed at best security. If you know enough to tweak your Windows, you'll know how to do it, so you can customize after updating to SP3.

[dosraider]

... its pretty pathetic that MS didnt test this thing further before releasing.
Do you have any idea about the amount of hardware drivers that are around ourdays?

Do you have ANY idea about the amount of third party progs that are installed on an average home PC?
Any idea at all?
And multiply it with all those versions about the same programs.
And add spyware, malware infections.
System 'enhancers'.
Windows and window 'enhancers'.
And also add the crap products a la 'starforce', with all it's variants.

Obviously not. You really have no idea about it.
A 'PC' doesn't exist. They ain't Macs.

[fender178]

Yes I do but theres no need to be rude to me about it. Theres one bug that they should have considered testing further involving the driver that the AMD processor and certain ASUS mother boards which caused the infinite rebooting of Windows.

[dosraider]

? I have an AMD64 and ASUS mobo and no problems with rebooting ......

And euuu... being rude? Ough. Sorry. Wasn't meant that way.
Just stated some facts, friend.

[jg007]

No problems for me with 3 machines and 4 virtual machines

I would always install windows updates, especially if you share the system with anybody else no matter how carefull you are it can be easy to catch some stupid virus because you are being lazy or just too impatient to try some program and end up downloading the wrong thing or get it from a bad source

I have never even had problems installing SP2 but have heard plenty of reports of problems with it and in the main they seem to be caused by other companies softeware, inexperienced users or just buggy systems where people have installed tons of rubbish and they have not been wiped for years.

also I would take the same view as dosraider, as he says there is no such thing as a standard PC with the millions of combinations of hardware and software that they can have installed.

[Thraka]

Not to mention that hardware vendors make mistakes too, and it's possible that random types of motherboards and cpus have all sorts of bugs in them or memory starts to go bad or something. You just never know, and it's not always related to the software.