Is it safe allow this update?

RPGPundit

Is that a Windows XP service pack?

I assume he's talking about XP SP3, yeah.

(By the way, Pundy, you are getting some great free personalized computer support from us geeks who inhabit the forums. Not that I think anyone begrudges it, after all, the forums are a great service you help provide, and the answers are probably useful to a lot of other people too.)

Anway, I just allowed the SP3 update on our laptop a couple days ago. At first it didn't go so well; the update hung at the point where it was restarting services. Also, the "cancel" button didn't do anything, so I had to actually kill the update via Task Manager. But after restarting, the computer automatically rolled itself back to the previous configuration, restarted, and all was well.

At this point I removed a whole bunch of stuff (photos, etc.) to an external hard drive, and ran the update again. Went smoothly, without a hitch.

So the only caveat from my perspective is, try to have about 10GB of free space on your hard drive before doing the update. And certainly don't do it if you're pushing below the recommended free space.

SP3 is mostly just a big ball of all the updates since SP2, so it shouldn't cause any problems.

Essentially:

   Previously Released Functionality
  The functionality that Table 1 describes is already available for Windows XP in stand-alone updates. System administrators must choose to install each of these updates, however. Windows XP SP3 includes them by default.
  Table 1. Previously Released Functionality
               
            Functionality
            Description
                          MMC 3.0
         MMC 3.0 is a framework that   unifies and simplifies day-to-day system management tasks in Windows by   providing common navigation, menus, toolbars, and workflow across diverse   tools. Microsoft Knowledge Base article 907265 describes this functionality in detail.
                      MSXML6
         MSXML6 provides better   reliability, security, and conformance with the XML 1.0 and XML Schema 1.0   W3C Recommendations. It also provides compatibility with System.XML 2.0.
                      Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1   v2 (3.1.4000.2435)
         Windows Installer 3.1 is a minor   update to Windows Installer 3.0, which Microsoft released in September 2004.   Windows Installer 3.1 contains new and enhanced functionality. Additionally,   Windows Installer 3.1 addresses some issues that Microsoft found in Windows   Installer 3.0. Microsoft Knowledge Base article 893803 describes this functionality.
                      Background Intelligent Transfer   Service (BITS) 2.5
         BITS 2.5 is required by   Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and Windows Live[FONT="]™[/FONT] OneCare[FONT="]™[/FONT]. BITS 2.5 helps improve   security. If you use BITS to transfer data, the new features also improve   flexibility. Microsoft Knowledge Base article 923845 describes BITS 2.5.
             IPSec Simple Policy Update for   Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP
         This update helps simplify the   creation and maintenance of IPSec filters, reducing the number of filters   that are required for a server and domain isolation deployment. The Simple   Policy Update removes the requirement for explicit network infrastructure   permit filters and introduces enhanced fallback to clear behavior. Microsoft   Knowledge Base article 914841 describes this previously released update in more   detail.
             Digital Identity Management   Service (DIMS)
         DIMS make it possible for users   who log on to any domain-joined computer to silently access all of their   certificates and private keys for applications and services.
             Peer Name Resolution Protocol   (PNRP) 2.1
         This update enables Windows XP   SP3–based programs that use PNRP to communicate with Windows   Vista programs that use PNRP. Microsoft Knowledge Base article 920342 describes this previously released update.
             Remote Desktop Protocol 6.1
         Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)   used for communication between the Terminal Server and the Terminal Server   Client. RDP is encapsulated and encrypted within TCP. This update better   facilitates communication between machines running Windows XP and Windows   Vista. Knowledge Base article 186607 describes RDP. Knowledge base article 951616 describes RDP 6.1.
             Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)
         This update to Windows XP   provides support for WPA2, the latest standards-based wireless security   solution derived from the IEEE 802.11i standard. Microsoft Knowledge Base   article 893357 describes this update.
       
   New and Enhanced Functionality

  Table 2 describes some of the more significant changes in Windows XP SP3. With few exceptions, Microsoft is not adding new features or functionality from newer versions of Windows to Windows XP through SP3. As noted earlier, one exception is the addition of NAP to Windows XP to help organizations running Windows XP to take advantage of new features in Windows Server 2008.
  For a list of Knowledge Base articles that Windows XP SP3 addresses, see Knowledge Base article 936929.
  Table 2. New and Enhanced Functionality
               
            Functionality
            Description
                          "Black Hole" Router   Detection
         Windows XP SP3 includes   improvements to black hole router detection (detecting routers that are   silently discarding packets), turning it on by default.
             Network Access Protection (NAP)
         NAP is a policy enforcement   platform built into Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows XP SP3   with which you can better protect network assets by enforcing compliance with   system health requirements. Using NAP, you can create customized health policies   to validate computer health before allowing access or communication;   automatically update compliant computers to ensure ongoing compliance; and   optionally confine noncompliant computers to a restricted network until they   become compliant. For more information about NAP, see Network   Access Protection: Frequently Asked Questions.
                      CredSSP Security Service   Provider
         CredSSP is a new Security Service   Provider (SSP) that is available in Windows XP SP3 via Security Service   Provider Interface (SSPI). CredSSP enables an application to delegate the   user's credentials from the Client (via Client side SSP) to the target Server   (via Server side SSP). Windows XP SP3 involves only the Client side SSP   implementation and is currently being used by RDP 6.1 (TS), though it can be   used by any third party application willing to use the Client side SSP to   interact with applications running Server side implementations of the same on   Vista / LH Server.
   There is a technical   specification of this SSP available at the Microsoft Download Center.
   Note that CredSSP is turned OFF   by default in Windows XP SP3. To enable CredSSP, administrators can modify   the following registry keys:
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]

   In the value "Security Packages" of type REG_MULTI_SZ, add "tspkg" in addition to SSP-specific data already present.

   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders]

   In the value "SecurityProviders" of type   REG_SZ, add "credssp.dll" in addition to SSP-specific data already   present.

   
       
And that is about it.

Why would you want to?

Quote from: walkerp;225552Why would you want to?

Yeah, there isn't anything particularly critical about this one, but the nag screens go away.

So wait, if I've got all the updates I wanted since sp2, there's really no reason to get SP3?

Also, does SP3 have the incredibly annoying "windows authentic copy" checker or whatever, that was basically just created to fuck with the 3rd world?

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;225573So wait, if I've got all the updates I wanted since sp2, there's really no reason to get SP3?

Also, does SP3 have the incredibly annoying "windows authentic copy" checker or whatever, that was basically just created to fuck with the 3rd world?

RPGPundit

Basically, if you've been keeping up on Windows Update, SP3 isn't really gonna have anything new you'll actually care about, it's really more a way to make updating quicker on fresh installs.  

Also, there is a completely un-copy-protected, and legal, redistributable version of SP3 on the MS website somewhere that does none of the usual WGA checks.

I turn off Automatic Updates.  On all programs as well.  If we are going to upgrade, we'll do it when we want to.  Never had a problem that was solved by an update.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 stand alone download. It's a potentially bigger initial download but it's a single file (easier to backup) and better if you run into installation problems.