Need help with SP3, please

I was recently a victim of the AMalum false positive virus scare via CA antivirus, which quarantined some of the .exe files that were in C:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386. While trying to fix the mess, I was prompted by a windows box telling me that some files were missing, and that I should insert my SP3 CD in order to restore the files.

I don’t have an SP3 CD, so I went to the Microsoft download center. I could only find the download that they say is for IT pro’s, to be used when installing SP3 on multiple computers. I downloaded and installed it anyway. I then noticed that instead of .exe files, I now have .ex_ files. Will these work? Or must I remove this i386 folder and somehow replace it with the single computer version?

I subsequently somehow found another download apparently for single computer use. It’s xpsp3_5512.080413-2113_usa_x86fre_spcd.iso

If I copy this downloaded file to a CD, will that be the same as an SP3 CD?

Forgive my ignorance, but I have no idea what an ISO file is or how to use it. I just want to get my computer back to the way it was before CA messed me up. Any help will be truly appreciated. Thank you.

 

An iso file is an image of a CD, so yes, it will be an SP3 CD

Make sure that you are downloading this .iso from Microsofts website.

 

Yes, I got it from the microsoft site.

So, if a box asks me to insert my SP3 CD, I just insert this one and Windows will be able to find the files it's looking for?

 

Yes, it's from Microsoft.
So if I'm asked for the SP3 CD, I put this one in and windows will find the files it's looking for?

 

Yes, it's from Microsoft.
So if I'm asked for the SP3 CD, I put this one in and windows will find the files it's looking for?

 

To all who replied:

There's obviously a difference of opinion here with regard to whether the cd I burned is the same as a store-bought sp3 cd. Also, if the .ex_ files I currently have in the i386 folder are compressed files, maybe they won't do what the .exe files will.

So -- is there a way, without me first deleting any files, for me to get Windows Update to fix whatever may be wrong. Will Update notice that certain SP3 files are missing, or the wrong version, and do the swap for me?

I see on the MS site that they're going to issue a security update July 14. Any chance that'll take care of this? (I have Automatic Updates turned on)

 

Pete C is being a little more thorough than me. An .iso is an exact image of a CD. The .iso can be burned to a CD as Pete C stated. But you will need to use the Burn Image option of whatever burning software your using.

 

Again, forgive my ignorance; this is all new to me.
So, after backing up all important data, I uninstall SP3 from Add/Remove programs. Then what? Do I reboot? Or do I insert the CD I made with the downloaded .iso file? If the latter, will it autorun, or do I have to tell it something?

If that doesn't work, can I get SP3 from Windows Update?

Without SP3 what's the likelihood the computer won't boot up, or Windows won't start?

And what if I don't do anything? The computer seems to be working fine; what kind of problems would I be likely to experience just leaving it as-is, with the multiple-computer version of SP3 that's in there now, with the .ex_ files?

I don't have a retail XP CD, just the Dell restoration CD that came with the computer.

 

Thank you very much. I like option 2, particularly since the only file on the CD is the one I downloaded: xpsp3_5512.080413-2113_usa_x86fre_spcd.iso There are no .exe files visible.

However, I like even better the idea of doing nothing unless/until something goes wrong.