Service Pack 3 Problems: Do I need it?

Absolutely. It tells me hundreds if not thousands are running computers with
a lot of trash on them that interferes with
the OS.
"Bill in Co." <not_really_here@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:exXtHuT4IHA.2060@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Do you have any concept of the number of people who quite contently
> haven't installed it?
>
> And who have NO related problems (or potential "pitfalls" to avoid before
> installing it)? (you know, that page of links to some caveats and
> warnings)? Does that tell you anything? :-)
>
> Unknown wrote:
>> Have you any concept of how many people have installed SP3 without a
>> problem?
>> Does that tell you anything?
>> "Herb" <herbh30@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
>> news:Ofm07WS4IHA.4332@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> My best advice is to keep as far away from SP3 as you can. I installed
>>> it
>>> on my desktop (a XP Pro) and the next day it started recycling and other
>>> weird things. When I tried to fix it, it went from bad to worse and then
>>> I
>>> could no longer do anything with it. I took it to a computer repair and
>>> he
>>> gave up so it cost me a computer, I had to buy a new machine. I built
>>> that
>>> computer and in 4 years had never had a problem. I did not have Norton.
>>> I
>>> use AVG. I run a Google search and found many people have had this
>>> problem. Microsoft blames OEM's and OEM's blame Microsoft, you know the
>>> drill.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Katie" <Katie@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>> news:AAB735E3-E772-4472-8222-EA9821777940@microsoft.com...
>>>> DI installed SP3 last week on my home computer. I began having
>>>> problems:
>>>> slow
>>>> reaction times, programs not loading when I click, even little notepad
>>>> documents not loading. Then when I tried to run NAV 2008 full system
>>>> scan,
>>>> the computer started turning off & rebooting. Happened 4 - 5 times over
>>>> the
>>>> course of the day. I uninstalled & reinstalled NAV, tried a Restore,
>>>> but
>>>> the
>>>> computer still crashed again (not when running a scan.) SO... I
>>>> uninstalled
>>>> the Service Pack 3. I had read about other people having problems with
>>>> it.
>>>>
>>>> MY QUESTION: Do I need SP3? Will other Microsoft security updates do
>>>> the
>>>> job
>>>> for me? I've turned off Automatic Updates until I can figure this out,
>>>> because I don't want SP3 until I know it won't cause so many problems.
>
>

I entirely agree......Herb. I've been reading all these problems that
some if not most have been experiencing w/ SP3; also, w/ SP2 when it made
its debut.
Is there much to be gained from having SP3, w/o entertaining a
myriad of MS problems. I'm still w/ SP1 & have reliable anti-virus &
firewall programs.
I can stand back wait till SP3...MS resolve these gliches.
Rudy


"Herb" <herbh30@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:Ofm07WS4IHA.4332@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
My best advice is to keep as far away from SP3 as you can. I installed it on
my desktop (a XP Pro) and the next day it started recycling and other weird
things. When I tried to fix it, it went from bad to worse and then I could
no longer do anything with it. I took it to a computer repair and he gave up
so it cost me a computer, I had to buy a new machine. I built that computer
and in 4 years had never had a problem. I did not have Norton. I use AVG. I
run a Google search and found many people have had this problem. Microsoft
blames OEM's and OEM's blame Microsoft, you know the drill.




"Katie" <Katie@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:AAB735E3-E772-4472-8222-EA9821777940@microsoft.com...
> DI installed SP3 last week on my home computer. I began having problems:
> slow
> reaction times, programs not loading when I click, even little notepad
> documents not loading. Then when I tried to run NAV 2008 full system scan,
> the computer started turning off & rebooting. Happened 4 - 5 times over
> the
> course of the day. I uninstalled & reinstalled NAV, tried a Restore, but
> the
> computer still crashed again (not when running a scan.) SO... I
> uninstalled
> the Service Pack 3. I had read about other people having problems with it.
>
> MY QUESTION: Do I need SP3? Will other Microsoft security updates do the
> job
> for me? I've turned off Automatic Updates until I can figure this out,
> because I don't want SP3 until I know it won't cause so many problems.

On Tue, 8 Jul 2008 18:18:31 -0400, "Rudy" <rucan70@comcast.net> wrote:

> I entirely agree......Herb. I've been reading all these problems that
> some if not most have been experiencing w/ SP3; also, w/ SP2 when it made
> its debut.


Whenever a new version of *anything* comes out, you always read about
"all these problems that some if not most have." But realize two
things:

1. If you're reading about problems *here*, this where people come
with their problems, not with their successes. You get a very
distorted view of what's going on in the real world here; as someone
once said, "hang around a transmission shop and you will think that
all cars have transmission problems."

2. Most problems, by far, that people report here--whether or not they
are SP3-related--have nothing to do with defects in the software. They
result from people's ignorance, from bad or inadequate hardware, from
old drivers, from viruses, from spyware, and so on. And except for
very rare situations, they always get a fix for their problems, and in
most cases, that fix is a very simple one to implement.



> Is there much to be gained from having SP3,


Better security and problems fixed. You can read the details here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en




> w/o entertaining a
> myriad of MS problems. I'm still w/ SP1 & have reliable anti-virus &
> firewall programs.
> I can stand back wait till SP3...MS resolve these gliches.
> Rudy
>
>
> "Herb" <herbh30@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
> news:Ofm07WS4IHA.4332@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> My best advice is to keep as far away from SP3 as you can. I installed it on
> my desktop (a XP Pro) and the next day it started recycling and other weird
> things. When I tried to fix it, it went from bad to worse and then I could
> no longer do anything with it. I took it to a computer repair and he gave up
> so it cost me a computer, I had to buy a new machine. I built that computer
> and in 4 years had never had a problem. I did not have Norton. I use AVG. I
> run a Google search and found many people have had this problem. Microsoft
> blames OEM's and OEM's blame Microsoft, you know the drill.
>
>
>
>
> "Katie" <Katie@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:AAB735E3-E772-4472-8222-EA9821777940@microsoft.com...
> > DI installed SP3 last week on my home computer. I began having problems:
> > slow
> > reaction times, programs not loading when I click, even little notepad
> > documents not loading. Then when I tried to run NAV 2008 full system scan,
> > the computer started turning off & rebooting. Happened 4 - 5 times over
> > the
> > course of the day. I uninstalled & reinstalled NAV, tried a Restore, but
> > the
> > computer still crashed again (not when running a scan.) SO... I
> > uninstalled
> > the Service Pack 3. I had read about other people having problems with it.
> >
> > MY QUESTION: Do I need SP3? Will other Microsoft security updates do the
> > job
> > for me? I've turned off Automatic Updates until I can figure this out,
> > because I don't want SP3 until I know it won't cause so many problems.
>
>

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Ken,
You buy 'em books and buy 'em books but all they do is eat the
covers! :-) And I might add, just because they're paranoid, that
doesn't mean somebody's not out to get them. :-;
At this point I've installed SP3 on 25 machines, 4 home PCs (no 2
alike) and 21 classroom machines. All are running just fine. I did
have a problem getting SP3 installed on one (out of 25), but downloading
the SP3 install file and installing it in Safe Mode got me around that
one problem. And I must say I haven't seen the first problem on ANY of
these machines. Further it appears that none of these people have
followed the sage advice to image their HDs before installing SP3; at
least if they did, they sure didn't mention trying a restore. You'd
better believe I backed up every one of the PCs I installed SP3 on
BEFORE installing it. I didn't have to use any of the backups, but I
sure wouldn't think of not making them, even after 25 successes.
You can buy external hard drives for as little as $50, and good
backup programs for $50 or less. That's pretty cheap for insurance.
Hmmm, I wonder if these whiners drive without auto insurance and spare
tires! :-)

Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
> On Tue, 8 Jul 2008 18:18:31 -0400, "Rudy" <rucan70@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> I entirely agree......Herb. I've been reading all these problems that
>> some if not most have been experiencing w/ SP3; also, w/ SP2 when it made
>> its debut.
>
>
> Whenever a new version of *anything* comes out, you always read about
> "all these problems that some if not most have." But realize two
> things:
>
> 1. If you're reading about problems *here*, this where people come
> with their problems, not with their successes. You get a very
> distorted view of what's going on in the real world here; as someone
> once said, "hang around a transmission shop and you will think that
> all cars have transmission problems."
>
> 2. Most problems, by far, that people report here--whether or not they
> are SP3-related--have nothing to do with defects in the software. They
> result from people's ignorance, from bad or inadequate hardware, from
> old drivers, from viruses, from spyware, and so on. And except for
> very rare situations, they always get a fix for their problems, and in
> most cases, that fix is a very simple one to implement.
>
>
>
>> Is there much to be gained from having SP3,
>
>
> Better security and problems fixed. You can read the details here:
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
>
>
>
>
>> w/o entertaining a
>> myriad of MS problems. I'm still w/ SP1 & have reliable anti-virus &
>> firewall programs.
>> I can stand back wait till SP3...MS resolve these gliches.
>> Rudy
>>
>>
>> "Herb" <herbh30@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
>> news:Ofm07WS4IHA.4332@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> My best advice is to keep as far away from SP3 as you can. I installed it on
>> my desktop (a XP Pro) and the next day it started recycling and other weird
>> things. When I tried to fix it, it went from bad to worse and then I could
>> no longer do anything with it. I took it to a computer repair and he gave up
>> so it cost me a computer, I had to buy a new machine. I built that computer
>> and in 4 years had never had a problem. I did not have Norton. I use AVG. I
>> run a Google search and found many people have had this problem. Microsoft
>> blames OEM's and OEM's blame Microsoft, you know the drill.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Katie" <Katie@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:AAB735E3-E772-4472-8222-EA9821777940@microsoft.com...
>>> DI installed SP3 last week on my home computer. I began having problems:
>>> slow
>>> reaction times, programs not loading when I click, even little notepad
>>> documents not loading. Then when I tried to run NAV 2008 full system scan,
>>> the computer started turning off & rebooting. Happened 4 - 5 times over
>>> the
>>> course of the day. I uninstalled & reinstalled NAV, tried a Restore, but
>>> the
>>> computer still crashed again (not when running a scan.) SO... I
>>> uninstalled
>>> the Service Pack 3. I had read about other people having problems with it.
>>>
>>> MY QUESTION: Do I need SP3? Will other Microsoft security updates do the
>>> job
>>> for me? I've turned off Automatic Updates until I can figure this out,
>>> because I don't want SP3 until I know it won't cause so many problems.
>>
>

Well, here's my update on the SP3 Debacle: I uninstalled it, but it still
completely trashed NAV 2008, crashing anytime I tried to run a scan. It also
crashed the computer when I tried to run AdAware. And by the way, I tried
many restores, but it didn't help at all. So I used the Norton removal tool
to get rid of NAV and put in AVG. So far, so good. I believe there are still
a couple lingering issues from SP3, even though it's supposedly "gone".

From now on, I will not use AutoUpdate, and only get security updates as I
need them. I realize now that there are pages of warnings and
non-compatibility issues with SP3, but in my opinion, MS is using us as beta
testers on a high-priority automatic update. This has cost me days and days
of trying to fix something that was not broken in the first place. Microsoft
should be ashamed of itself, and issue an apology. I realize that's never
going to happen, but to anybody considering installing SP3, DO NOT DO IT!





"Hula Baloo" wrote:

> Ken,
> You buy 'em books and buy 'em books but all they do is eat the
> covers! :-) And I might add, just because they're paranoid, that
> doesn't mean somebody's not out to get them. :-;
> At this point I've installed SP3 on 25 machines, 4 home PCs (no 2
> alike) and 21 classroom machines. All are running just fine. I did
> have a problem getting SP3 installed on one (out of 25), but downloading
> the SP3 install file and installing it in Safe Mode got me around that
> one problem. And I must say I haven't seen the first problem on ANY of
> these machines. Further it appears that none of these people have
> followed the sage advice to image their HDs before installing SP3; at
> least if they did, they sure didn't mention trying a restore. You'd
> better believe I backed up every one of the PCs I installed SP3 on
> BEFORE installing it. I didn't have to use any of the backups, but I
> sure wouldn't think of not making them, even after 25 successes.
> You can buy external hard drives for as little as $50, and good
> backup programs for $50 or less. That's pretty cheap for insurance.
> Hmmm, I wonder if these whiners drive without auto insurance and spare
> tires! :-)
>
> Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
> > On Tue, 8 Jul 2008 18:18:31 -0400, "Rudy" <rucan70@comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> >> I entirely agree......Herb. I've been reading all these problems that
> >> some if not most have been experiencing w/ SP3; also, w/ SP2 when it made
> >> its debut.
> >
> >
> > Whenever a new version of *anything* comes out, you always read about
> > "all these problems that some if not most have." But realize two
> > things:
> >
> > 1. If you're reading about problems *here*, this where people come
> > with their problems, not with their successes. You get a very
> > distorted view of what's going on in the real world here; as someone
> > once said, "hang around a transmission shop and you will think that
> > all cars have transmission problems."
> >
> > 2. Most problems, by far, that people report here--whether or not they
> > are SP3-related--have nothing to do with defects in the software. They
> > result from people's ignorance, from bad or inadequate hardware, from
> > old drivers, from viruses, from spyware, and so on. And except for
> > very rare situations, they always get a fix for their problems, and in
> > most cases, that fix is a very simple one to implement.
> >
> >
> >
> >> Is there much to be gained from having SP3,
> >
> >
> > Better security and problems fixed. You can read the details here:
> > http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >> w/o entertaining a
> >> myriad of MS problems. I'm still w/ SP1 & have reliable anti-virus &
> >> firewall programs.
> >> I can stand back wait till SP3...MS resolve these gliches.
> >> Rudy
> >>
> >>
> >> "Herb" <herbh30@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
> >> news:Ofm07WS4IHA.4332@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> >> My best advice is to keep as far away from SP3 as you can. I installed it on
> >> my desktop (a XP Pro) and the next day it started recycling and other weird
> >> things. When I tried to fix it, it went from bad to worse and then I could
> >> no longer do anything with it. I took it to a computer repair and he gave up
> >> so it cost me a computer, I had to buy a new machine. I built that computer
> >> and in 4 years had never had a problem. I did not have Norton. I use AVG. I
> >> run a Google search and found many people have had this problem. Microsoft
> >> blames OEM's and OEM's blame Microsoft, you know the drill.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> "Katie" <Katie@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:AAB735E3-E772-4472-8222-EA9821777940@microsoft.com...
> >>> DI installed SP3 last week on my home computer. I began having problems:
> >>> slow
> >>> reaction times, programs not loading when I click, even little notepad
> >>> documents not loading. Then when I tried to run NAV 2008 full system scan,
> >>> the computer started turning off & rebooting. Happened 4 - 5 times over
> >>> the
> >>> course of the day. I uninstalled & reinstalled NAV, tried a Restore, but
> >>> the
> >>> computer still crashed again (not when running a scan.) SO... I
> >>> uninstalled
> >>> the Service Pack 3. I had read about other people having problems with it.
> >>>
> >>> MY QUESTION: Do I need SP3? Will other Microsoft security updates do the
> >>> job
> >>> for me? I've turned off Automatic Updates until I can figure this out,
> >>> because I don't want SP3 until I know it won't cause so many problems.
> >>
> >
>

On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:57:01 -0700,when reading
"microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support", I'm certain I caught a
glimpse of "Katie <Katie@discussions.microsoft.com>"
who top posted:

>Well, here's my update on the SP3 Debacle: I uninstalled it, but it still
>completely trashed NAV 2008, crashing anytime I tried to run a scan. It also
>crashed the computer when I tried to run AdAware. And by the way, I tried
>many restores, but it didn't help at all. So I used the Norton removal tool
>to get rid of NAV and put in AVG. So far, so good. I believe there are still
>a couple lingering issues from SP3, even though it's supposedly "gone".
>
>From now on, I will not use AutoUpdate, and only get security updates as I
>need them. I realize now that there are pages of warnings and
>non-compatibility issues with SP3, but in my opinion, MS is using us as beta
>testers on a high-priority automatic update. This has cost me days and days
>of trying to fix something that was not broken in the first place. Microsoft
>should be ashamed of itself, and issue an apology. I realize that's never
>going to happen, but to anybody considering installing SP3, DO NOT DO IT!

<snipped all the rest>

I've installed SP3 a number of times on my computers without problems.

You were using NAV 2008 which has a reputation for being dodgy?
Using the free AVG? Many people are reporting problems with AVG.
Also AdAaware?

I'm not a Microsoft lover but I don't reckon you can blame Microsoft for
your above debacle.
--

Erik.

I just installed SP3 on my old laptop that was running XP sp2 and had NIS2008
installed and working on it. I have had no problems so far. I am still
going to wait before installing it on my desktop XP sp2.
--
Terry


"Katie" wrote:

> DI installed SP3 last week on my home computer. I began having problems: slow
> reaction times, programs not loading when I click, even little notepad
> documents not loading. Then when I tried to run NAV 2008 full system scan,
> the computer started turning off & rebooting. Happened 4 - 5 times over the
> course of the day. I uninstalled & reinstalled NAV, tried a Restore, but the
> computer still crashed again (not when running a scan.) SO... I uninstalled
> the Service Pack 3. I had read about other people having problems with it.
>
> MY QUESTION: Do I need SP3? Will other Microsoft security updates do the job
> for me? I've turned off Automatic Updates until I can figure this out,
> because I don't want SP3 until I know it won't cause so many problems.

Well, I feel like I need to add an update here to my problem. I discovered
that if you have an HP Computer with an AMD chip & also run NAV 2008, that
the SP3 update will cause all sorts of problems, from slow applications to
constant crashes. I had already uninstalled SP3, but still couldn't run a
virus scan with AVG (I completely removed Norton.)

I decided to download Microsoft Update KB953356 in order to try and repair
the damage from SP3. I am now able to run a full virus scan without the
computer crashing. Whoo - hoo!

I do sincerely appreciate everyone's help on this issue. However, I don't
feel like the average single-computer user should have to read multiple tech
articles or books just to install an update that MS deems "critical." I'm not
going to reinstall SP3 unless they issue a clean version that won't wonk up
my computer. The fact that MS is now offering *FREE* unlimited telephone,
chat & email support for SP3 issues shows that they know the massive mess
they made.
(http://support.microsoft.com/oas/def...3&gprid=522131).

Thank you everybody!

Katie wrote:
> Well, I feel like I need to add an update here to my problem. I
> discovered that if you have an HP Computer with an AMD chip & also
> run NAV 2008, that the SP3 update will cause all sorts of problems,
> from slow applications to constant crashes. I had already
> uninstalled SP3, but still couldn't run a virus scan with AVG (I
> completely removed Norton.)
>
> I decided to download Microsoft Update KB953356 in order to try and
> repair the damage from SP3. I am now able to run a full virus scan
> without the computer crashing. Whoo - hoo!
>
> I do sincerely appreciate everyone's help on this issue. However, I
> don't feel like the average single-computer user should have to
> read multiple tech articles or books just to install an update that
> MS deems "critical." I'm not going to reinstall SP3 unless they
> issue a clean version that won't wonk up my computer. The fact that
> MS is now offering *FREE* unlimited telephone, chat & email support
> for SP3 issues shows that they know the massive mess they made.
> (http://support.microsoft.com/oas/def...3&gprid=522131).
>
> Thank you everybody!

Sorry - your problem is with HP and how they imaged their machine - not SP3.
*shrug*

SP3 will not be changing.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

My desktop pc operating system is Win XP Professional
and the chip is AMD Anthlon.
The first time Service Pack 3(not in safe mode) was installed it failed.
Unfortunately I just step away from my pc when it
happened so I did not see the error message. Luckily
my pc was restored with no problem. I read somewhere
and also mentioned by Katie that pc running chips
made by Advanced Micro Devices has problem installing
SP3, Is there any hotfix or software that I can run before installing
SP3 if I decided to do it again. Thanks for any suggestion.
--
Linda Tseng


"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> Katie wrote:
> > Well, I feel like I need to add an update here to my problem. I
> > discovered that if you have an HP Computer with an AMD chip & also
> > run NAV 2008, that the SP3 update will cause all sorts of problems,
> > from slow applications to constant crashes. I had already
> > uninstalled SP3, but still couldn't run a virus scan with AVG (I
> > completely removed Norton.)
> >
> > I decided to download Microsoft Update KB953356 in order to try and
> > repair the damage from SP3. I am now able to run a full virus scan
> > without the computer crashing. Whoo - hoo!
> >
> > I do sincerely appreciate everyone's help on this issue. However, I
> > don't feel like the average single-computer user should have to
> > read multiple tech articles or books just to install an update that
> > MS deems "critical." I'm not going to reinstall SP3 unless they
> > issue a clean version that won't wonk up my computer. The fact that
> > MS is now offering *FREE* unlimited telephone, chat & email support
> > for SP3 issues shows that they know the massive mess they made.
> > (http://support.microsoft.com/oas/def...3&gprid=522131).
> >
> > Thank you everybody!
>
> Sorry - your problem is with HP and how they imaged their machine - not SP3.
> *shrug*
>
> SP3 will not be changing.
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
>