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Friday 9th May 2008

Tested: Windows XP Service Pack 3

Posted at: Friday 9th May 2008 by Clive Webster

Service Pack 3 has just popped up in Windows Update, shouting, ‘Install me now, install me now!’ like a 12-year old after a twelve pack of Red Bull. We’ve tested the new Service Pack to see what’s new and whether it’ll make your system faster, slower or not make any difference at all.

Windows XP SP3

Finally, Windows product activation lets you install Windows XP without having to enter a product activation key, just as you do with Vista. Naturally, you’ll have to have to slipstream SP3 onto your XP installation disc for this to happen – we use nLite.

HOW TO INSTALL SP3

Wait, it’s not as easy it sounds! There are a few things to sort out before installing SP3. First off, if you have the Microsoft Dynamic RMS Retail management package, SP3 will be unavailable to you. An incompatibility between an element of SP3 and this package caused the delay of SP3, and a patch to fix the incompatibility issue is forthcoming.

Also note that Windows XP 64-bit Professional is updated via the Windows Server 2003 programme, so will only get its Service Pack 3 when (or if) Windows Server 2003 does.

To install SP3, you must first have installed SP1 on your PC, and preferably SP2 as well.

It’s best to treat the installation of SP3 with care – close all your applications and follow the prompt to re-start your PC as soon as the installation in complete. CPC staffer Phil Hartup didn’t, and he had to completely re-install Windows from scratch as a result.

PERFORMANCE

New Service Packs, with their, extra security additions and hotfixes, have a reputation for slowing your system down a little. This isn’t the case with Windows XP SP3.

CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE BENCHMARK RESULTS (opens in a new window)


As you can see from the graphs, the difference in pure performance between a clean install of Windows XP SP2 and with SP3 added is nothing.

CONCLUSION

In all, SP3 is about as exciting as taking your car for its MOT, but given that it doesn’t slow down your PC or introduce any new and unwelcome behaviour, you may as well install it. By slipstreaming SP3 onto an installation disc, at least you won’t have to download the latest version of the Microsoft Installer and the other useful extras that came post-SP2 when rebuilding your PC. Just make sure you heed our advice about installation to minimise risk.



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Comments
Not Liking it

I installed SP3 on my Up to Date XP Service pack 2 installation. No change in system speed, But my wireless stopped working, The address bar that you can add on the start bar no longer exists, and it totally bombed out on 3 of my users machines. Which are identical to mine. Service pack 3 is not a good pack. I would rather have SP2 and keep updating it. Microsoft need a wake up call in their testing enviroment

Comment by Vegetto at 5:44am 19th May 2008

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Not Liking it

I installed SP3 on my Up to Date XP Service pack 2 installation. No change in system speed, But my wireless stopped working, The address bar that you can add on the start bar no longer exists, and it totally bombed out on 3 of my users machines. Which are identical to mine. Service pack 3 is not a good pack. I would rather have SP2 and keep updating it. Microsoft need a wake up call in their testing enviroment

Comment by Vegetto at 5:44am 19th May 2008

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Just go Vista

- I did, and I like it, and I've had absolutely no problems. All my games run equally well, too.

Comment by jaguar515 at 6:55pm 17th May 2008

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Audio Hitch

I tried this umpteen times on a 680i mobo and HD2900XT combo and it continually lost my soundcard and drivers. It kept reporting an HD audio fault. As a last resort I stuck it onto my other NF4 based PC and everything was fine and dandy except for the fact it wont install communative security patch for IE7. This is its 4th or 5th failed attempt. Too much hit or miss with this SP. Vista worked fine but not SP3 Rob

Comment by robingordon at 11:06pm 16th May 2008

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REDDAWN

those very small changes in what you think were good...... Try running them after playing crysis, and on a fresh reboot... they are always fluctuating.... *sigh* 2FPS in crysis just isnt news... 20FPS would be

Comment by Lightning_Pete at 12:02am 14th May 2008

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Pfft.

It royally messed up my Bricopack. Uninstall!!

Comment by jaguar515 at 7:31pm 12th May 2008

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Silly people...

Ok SP3 has been out now for a while? I have the final version installed for around 3 weeks. You people really need your head sorting out, SP3 is brilliant. Its made all my games a lot more stable. It improved Crysis minimum fps by 2fps. Its made online gaming more stable as there are a lot less loss of packets then in SP2. Plus the desktop feels slightly faster, smoother and loading times have had a slight improvment as well over SP2. My score in CPC benchmarks went up from 1553 to 1580. Thats a good improvment, also 3DMark06 went up from 14017 points to 14150 a good improvment also.

Comment by CPC_RedDawn at 5:02pm 10th May 2008

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No change to games speed?

It passed the important test, will install it this weekend! Vista can wait a bit longer...

Comment by KHenry_07 at 3:29pm 10th May 2008

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OMG

It still shaved off a couple points in the benchmarks, imagine if u needed those precious 5 points to beat the CPC office PC? rofl! Anyway yes its unexciting, its pants, and i wouldnt even call it a Service Pack!

Comment by Lightning_Pete at 10:25am 10th May 2008

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