1. You are viewing our forum as a guest. For full access please Register. WindowsBBS.com is completely free, paid for by advertisers and donations.

Upgrading SP2 to SP3

Discussion in 'Windows XP' started by Cephas, 2010/10/27.

  1. 2010/10/27
    Cephas

    Cephas Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2010/09/29
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hello, forum. I have a very newbie question. I have a friend who still has a comp with WinXP SP2 and he's asking me to help him upgrade it to XP3. I told him to use Win7 instead but he insists. The problem is he wants to keep his programs, but I'm not sure if you retain your programs after upgrading to SP3. So that's my question, does upgrading WinXP SP2 to SP3(using a self-extracting installer) delete the pre-existing programs installed or does it retain them?
     
    Cephas,
    #1
  2. 2010/10/27
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,585
    Likes Received:
    74
    Installing a Service Pack affects system files only. All user installed programs should be unaffected. I write "should ", everything can go wrong and therefore I recommend doing a thorough "house cleaning" (including a defragmentation) to be finished by creating a System Restore point, prior to installing SP3.
     
    Christer,
    #2


  3. to hide this advert.

  4. 2010/10/28
    Cephas

    Cephas Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2010/09/29
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    I see. Follow-up question, is creating a restore point really useful for that situation? I mean, if something does go wrong while upgrading, won't that crash the system and leave us with no other choice but to reformat?
     
    Cephas,
    #3
  5. 2010/10/28
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,585
    Likes Received:
    74
    That would be a worst case scenario but there are different temperatures in hell. The system might boot but not function "hundred" and System Restore might be able to roll back (not correct the problem) the system to "pre-SP3 ". How well System Restore would do its job is up for debate. I've tried it on a few occasions and some restores went as I hoped but others could not be restored.

    If the system doesn't boot, only an image of the system would be helpful in that case. I use Norton Ghost 2003 and it has served me so well that I have disabled System Restore.
     
    Christer,
    #4

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Accept Learn More...