Xp3

[glcbn]

For those interested,Windows XP SP3 is now available for download through Windows Update:)

[Hawk]

While SP3's advantages are minimal (if not non-existant) for the average user, it does come with it's share of problems for HP system owners with AMD chipsets and one Asus MB, along with some USB mouse devices.

XP Service Pack 3 crashes HP's AMD-based PCs

By Susan Bradley

Microsoft's latest — and last — service pack for Windows XP causes some systems that use AMD chipsets to reboot over and over again.

The solution involves booting into Safe Mode or using the Recovery Console to disable a problematic driver.


Prevent XP from rebooting after a failure

It isn't unusual for your system to reboot after you apply a service pack, but some HP PCs reboot constantly following the installation of Windows XP Service Pack 3.

The culprit turns out to be a bad image prepared by HP to install the OS on computers that use AMD chips. One of HP's Media Center Edition images includes information for both AMD processors and Intel chips.

The duplicate information triggers a rebooting cycle after the installation of XP SP3, as reported (http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2008/05/08/does-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-sp3.aspx) by Microsoft security expert and MVP Dr. Jesper Johansson. Specifically, the intelppm.sys driver that's present on the AMD systems causes a reboot cycle or a stop error after XP SP3 is installed.

As Dr. Johansson states, you may need to disable the setting that automatically restarts your PC following a failure. To do this, press F8 during the restart and choose the option Disable automatic restart on system failure.

(You can also prevent automatic restarts on system failures by changing a setting in Windows. To do this, right-click My Computer; choose Properties, Advanced; select the Settings button under Startup and Recovery; uncheck Automatically restart under System failure; and click OK twice.)

To disable the problematic driver via XP's Recovery Console or Safe Mode, follow these steps:

Using Recovery Console. From the command prompt, type disable intelppm and press Enter.

Using Safe Mode. Type sc config intelppm start= disabled and press Enter. (The space after the equals sign is required.)

Using a recovery disk. If you use a Windows recovery disk such as WinPE, follow the instructions (http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2008/05/08/does-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-sp3.aspx) provided by Dr. Johansson to edit the Registry.

Note that you should not disable intelppm.sys on Intel-based PCs, because doing so prevents the system from booting.

Another problem encountered by some people following installation of XP SP3 involves USB mice. One solution is to use a PS2 converter to attach the USB mouse to a PS2 port rather than a USB port.

Microsoft's support line for XP SP3 headaches

If you encounter problems installing XP SP3, Microsoft provides free toll-free support at 1-866-234-6020. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, you may have to pay for the service call; review Microsoft's international support numbers (http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&prid=11273&gprid=522131) for more information.

There have been unconfirmed reports of XP SP3 problems related to Cisco VPN clients, faulty video drivers, and various stop errors, typically with code 0x00000024. There also appears to be an SP3-related issue with certain AMD computers using ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboards, as reported (http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2008/05/08/does-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-sp3.aspx) in Dr. Johansson's blog.

Fortunately, for anyone experiencing difficulties with the service pack, it's easy to uninstall, as described in KB article 950249 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950249/en-us).

More prudent to wait before installing XP SP3

You may wonder whether you even need XP SP3. Most of the service pack's networking features are used only by business systems, not by the average consumer PC.

Someday, Microsoft will support only XP SP3 and will drop support for XP SP2. However, that day is likely many months from now. I don't blame you if you choose to hold back a bit before installing SP3.

I haven't had any problems with XP SP3 in my own testing, but my office's PCs are built with standard components, and they run few consumer software titles.


Figure 1: Microsoft exhorts users to download XP Service Pack 3.

Bottom line: even though Microsoft wants XP users to install SP3 right away (as stated in the pop-up shown in Figure 1), you need only click "show additional patches" to bypass installing SP3 for now.

XP Service Pack 3 locks in Internet Explorer 7

When you install XP SP3 on a system that has IE 7, you will not be able to remove that version of the browser without first uninstalling the service pack.

This prohibition is by design, as documented in Microsoft's IE blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/05/05/ie-and-xpsp3.aspx). If you want to upgrade an XP system that has SP2 and IE 6, install XP SP3 first, and then upgrade to IE 7. This will allow you to remove IE 7, if necessary.

[pmcn]

Now you tell me:). I just installed it on my Hp laptop that has an AMD chipset. Oh well, I guess I'll see how it works.

Paul

[Hawk]

Actually, from what I read in the above article the problem doesn't affect laptops, only desktops. ;)

[pmcn]

Actually, from what I read in the above article the problem doesn't affect laptops, only desktops. ;)

Ran all weekend with only one lockup. This was while runing MSTS, but the computer was feeding music to other set ups for a temparary radio station so it was working hard. Just as many people were facinated by MSTS as the actual broadcast booth.

Paul