Window XP Service Pack 3

[Ahura]

Well, I heard around that it has already came and delivered. I also heard some good things about it, something like 13 or 30% faster than SP2. So just want any feedback or experience from anyone on this.

[EzyStvy]

Its not out just yet. Read all about it->

Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview

Brief Description
Windows® XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system. This white paper summarizes what is new in Windows XP SP3.

[phigdon]

it IS out, I updated to it about a month ago. I have noticed with the SP install, a disk cleanup and a defrag at least 20 to 30% gain in OS speed. i have no problems or issues of any kind since upgrading.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en

[Ahura]

20-30% gain is really tempting, but like everything else the first to try are always the guinea pigs

[freakitchen]

Originally Posted by phigdon it IS out, I updated to it about a month ago. I have noticed with the SP install, a disk cleanup and a defrag at least 20 to 30% gain in OS speed. i have no problems or issues of any kind since upgrading. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en

That's technically a release candidate, not the final release. The final version is expected before the end of this month - I believe MS suggested 'early in Q2'. I've got an upcoming Windows install to do on my test machine; I downloaded RC2 earlier and have slipstreamed it onto an XP CD. The amount of updates necessary for an SP2 system is now getting quite crazy.

[EzyStvy]

Windows XP SP3 goes RTM next Monday, says report

[systempat]

I would not expect to see performance increases. M$ has no incentive to improve it. It mostly just bundles up all the patches since SP2 into one package. And adds a few new tools and tweaks.

I just wish they would provide a decent registry cleaner as the stuff thats hanging around after you try things in XP really starts to drag it down after a couple of years.

Pat in Phoenix

[Negeva]

Originally Posted by systempat I would not expect to see performance increases. M$ has no incentive to improve it. It mostly just bundles up all the patches since SP2 into one package. And adds a few new tools and tweaks. I just wish they would provide a decent registry cleaner as the stuff thats hanging around after you try things in XP really starts to drag it down after a couple of years. Pat in Phoenix

Actually, there were performance gains from earlier releases of SP3; many gave it an increase over Vista. My own personal testing with SP3 on a test rig gave it roughly a 10-15% increase in performance over SP2 under certain circumstances. A good example was during a video encoding test; SP3 was 10 minutes quicker to encode a full 4.3gig DVD.

[systempat]

That's cool. If there's any performance increase over a currently up-to-date version of XP/SP2 I'll take it. Quite possibly there's some improved routines for some of the encoding or converters.

As far as being faster thatn Vista, I'm sure it already is. Vista would need a lot of tweaking, and careful removal of widgets and all the services it starts up by default, just to run as fast as a plain-jane XP.
---------->>> Pat

[Negeva]

Originally Posted by systempat That's cool. If there's any performance increase over a currently up-to-date version of XP/SP2 I'll take it. Quite possibly there's some improved routines for some of the encoding or converters. ---------->>> Pat

That was just an example; I could have said that Word opened quicker or that Windows took about three seconds less to load and close. Even across different machines it was quicker for some tasks.

What I will say it is far easier to install SP3 than it was to install Vista SP1. On a E4300/2GB RAM desktop machine it took over an hour and a half to install SP1; including the 4 or so silly re-boots and update configurations. For a clean XP SP2 machine to install SP3 it was twenty minutes, one reboot and happy days.

Microsoft have really messed up with Vista. Can't recommend it to anyone.

[shadowpr]

Originally Posted by Negeva That was just an example; I could have said that Word opened quicker or that Windows took about three seconds less to load and close. Even across different machines it was quicker for some tasks. What I will say it is far easier to install SP3 than it was to install Vista SP1. On a E4300/2GB RAM desktop machine it took over an hour and a half to install SP1; including the 4 or so silly re-boots and update configurations. For a clean XP SP2 machine to install SP3 it was twenty minutes, one reboot and happy days. Microsoft have really messed up with Vista. Can't recommend it to anyone.

I have to say that it didn't take that long when I updated to sp1. And I only had to do one reboot.

[TwoRails]

I'm waiting for SP3. I also had no problem installing SP1, or SP: both went smoothly for me.

[The Village Idiot]

My SP1 to SP2 was shocking, my computer crashed halfway through and I spent some time fixing the problem.

[TwoRails]

I went from SP1 to SP2 via MS's disk they put out. If you did yours online, then maybe that's the difference...

[law99]

PCs often crashed when installing SP2 because there was malware in the system.

[glc]

I never use the online download for installing service packs - I always use the full download offered for network administrators.

[RevCLB]

How does this work for people like me who only have 1 machine with no network? Just being " dumb" again, not a smart-aleck.

[Negeva]

@ shadowpr, the Vista was a new clean installation with no other patches applied to it, just the latest drivers, no AV or anything. Spoken to several ppl and they all state the same thing a new clean 'virgin' installation of Vista will require a few re-boots whilst installing SP1: even Microsoft state the same thing.
Put it another way, whilst that machine was 'upgrading' to Vista SP1, I had finished installing XP SP2 on another machine, fully updated and even defragged it. I fully believe there will be many ppl complaining about Vista SP1, not just for the silly bugs it creates but over the time it takes to install on a fresh machine. Just glad I stopped being a system builder - would hate to install SP1.

Like glc, I only ever used the Admin/Network installers for service packs. Had no issues installing XP SP1, a few with SP2 - not due to malware but to older Intel machines and that micro-code bug; many a BIOS upgrade had to be done with SP2. And, testing SP3 has been a pleasure too.

@ RevCLB, there is no real difference. The file is the 'same' it can be deployed over a network or just installed on a per machine basis. You'll find many system engineers or 'hobbyists' will use the Admin install as it's easy.
I remember with SP2 for XP, the on-line installer wasted a lot more disk space than the Admin installer by a few hundred megabytes. Windows was - erm.. is - a lazy untidy beast as it never fully cleaned up after itself.
Furthermore, with the Admin install on a single machine you can safely disconnect from the 'net, and disable all internet security which means one less thing that can go wrong.

[shadowpr]

Originally Posted by Negeva @ shadowpr, the Vista was a new clean installation with no other patches applied to it, just the latest drivers, no AV or anything. Spoken to several ppl and they all state the same thing a new clean 'virgin' installation of Vista will require a few re-boots whilst installing SP1: even Microsoft state the same thing. Put it another way, whilst that machine was 'upgrading' to Vista SP1, I had finished installing XP SP2 on another machine, fully updated and even defragged it. I fully believe there will be many ppl complaining about Vista SP1, not just for the silly bugs it creates but over the time it takes to install on a fresh machine. Just glad I stopped being a system builder - would hate to install SP1.

That's the reason then. I've been installing updates periodically as they were released, so that's why it didn't take long.

If you have to do a fresh install, I would just slipstream sp1 into the disc. I did that, and it was a lot easier than trying to install it after the fact.

[Negeva]

Originally Posted by shadowpr That's the reason then. I've been installing updates periodically as they were released, so that's why it didn't take long. If you have to do a fresh install, I would just slipstream sp1 into the disc. I did that, and it was a lot easier than trying to install it after the fact.

Wasn't my machine, it was a clients. Being an OEM machine it has a recovery partition so slipstreaming isn't an option. But, I was curious to see how long it would take. Now, I know how long it can take, so will be more inclined to remove a clients machine and install at the 'office'; instead of sitting in a customer's house for an hour waiting for Windows to do it's stuff.

Agree, slipstreaming would be ideal. But, it's not always feasible - OEM machines etc.

Anyhow, you're missing my point about Vista SP1. If you're a PC engineer installing SP1 can be very time consuming; hate to be a Network Admin having to install it on hundreds of machines - the downtime would be too awful to contemplate. At my place of work we always send machines out fully updated for free. With SP1 I can see us having to charge a little bit extra.
Either that, or I get one of the underlings to install SP1 whilst I read my book.

[glc]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1349&tag=nl.e539

Even though I vowed I was getting out of the date-prediction business — at least when it came to Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 — I’m breaking my promise. I am hearing from reliable sources that Microsoft is planning to announce the release to manufacturing (RTM) of XP SP3 tomorrow, April 21. That is the date that Neowin and a couple of other sites recently said was the latest ship target for Microsoft’s latest catch-all update to XP. According to Microsoft’s alleged internal timetable published by NeoWin, Microsoft planned to deliver the final XP SP3 bits to OEMs, volume licensees, Connect testers, and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) and TechNet subscribers on April 21. Neowin said Microsoft planned to make SP3 available via Microsoft Update, Windows Update and the Download Center on April 29 and to push it out via Automatic Updates on June 10.