System up-to-date. Should I still get Windows XP Service Pack 3?

To the best of my knowledge I have installed all of the updates and hot fixes that were available. At least the ones I felt necessary for my system. Should I still upgrade to Service Pack 3? I understand that it should be available early 2008. I am not very knowledgeable regarding computers; I know just enough to get myself into trouble. I have one friend who tells me that I should and another telling me that it is not necessary. Any replies will be very much appreciated and I thank you in advance. John

 

Hello jpcummins and welcome to the Board

It's a little early for deciding whether it should be installed or not. It's not clear what SP3 will contain. SP2 not only contained all the fixes/updates up to that time, but also some new additions, mainly in the security area - XP's Security Center for example.

When the time comes, and based on knowlegable advice, you do decide to install, don't be among the first to install it - leave that to more experienced users.

I personally will install it, I have the means to recover if it creates an unmanagable problem.

 

Hi Arie and Charles, I read this post and it rang bells. I use Belarc Advisor to check if MS updates have been installed correctly and under Office updates there appears SP3 and KB 873339 / KB 885835 / KB 885836 / KB 886185 as a group of 4 updates installed 26/06/06 and the adjacent column shows a further 100 updates all SP3. To add further confusion SP10 also shows MSCOMPPACKVI installed 21/02/07. SP0 / SP1 / SP2 are all shown. Maybe this is where the original Query came from or am I up the wrong tree? Incidentally, KB914440 is the update that frequently gets shown by Belarc as requiring re-installation.
I run XP Home and leave it on auto update and apart from the odd hiccup now and then, things have been running pretty trouble free. I run SFC /scannow once a week - Norton IS scan once a month and Defrag monthly. WD runs all the time along with WIN Patrol and Spybot. Can you explain the above SP's and whether SP3 is still a separate entity yet to arrive? Thanks Neil.

 

Hello Neil,

I can answer the SP3 labeling if you're asking about Windows.

Post SP2 patches are labeled SP3 and will be part of the roll up in the SP3 download. I assume that SP3 will also remove all those Add/Remove entries for the individual patches/updates the way SP2 did and combine them in one \Windows\$NtUninstall + Service Pack Add/Remove entry.

This was also the case with post SP1 patches, they were labeled SP2.

 

Hi Charles and Pete, I'm still learning as my login implies. Many thanks for your replies. I'll just keep taking the pills and keep watching the posts. Neil.