[jr2]

SP3 for Windows XP is here (32-bit versions, 64-bit will wait for when Server 2003 hits SP3 as they have the same codebase)

Grab it, it increases performance for XP by around 10%, prolly helps the stability, and I know it is supposed to increase security.   

Windows Update  - if you have more than one system to install it on, burn the file from the link below to a CD.

Stand-alone installer

Read the article here on Neowin.net Forums.

DO NOT install SP3 (or Vista SP1) if you use Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) {if you don't know what this is, then you don't, I'm sure - It's business software for retailers, see Wikipedia article here, M$ website here, and Google News results here.}

[karajorma]

Bah. If you install this, right now, on top of an existing Windows install, you're an idiot.

I'd only really recommend installing a service pack as part of a slipstreamed reinstall and only after I'd let a whole bunch of other Doofuses complain about the problems they'd had doing it so that I didn't have them.

[MP-Ryan]

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9081018&intsrc=hm_list

It's not on Windows Update.  I wouldn't be surprised if the stand-alone link goes down too.  There's no mention of anything but the overview on the actual MS website.

But as kara said, wait a couple weeks to see if problems crop up, then make a slipstream install disc and do a format/reinstall of Windows.

[BloodEagle]

Bah. If you install this, right now, on top of an existing Windows install, you're an idiot.

I'd only really recommend installing a service pack as part of a slipstreamed reinstall and only after I'd let a whole bunch of other Doofuses complain about the problems they'd had doing it so that I didn't have them.

Agreed.

Imagine where we would be without those bumbling fools. 

[Galemp]

I would reinstall Windows a lot more often, if I didn't have to repair my installations of all my other applications every time I did.

[MP-Ryan]

I would reinstall Windows a lot more often, if I didn't have to repair my installations of all my other applications every time I did.

The whole point of reinstalling Windows is to start afresh - meaning you should be doing a format of the partition before reinstalling.  In short, you reinstall EVERYTHING =)

[jr2]

o.O  *snort*  =P  Eh, I've been running SP3 RC2 (build 3311) for a looong time now.  -thx, Huggybaby    No problems.  And, as I thought, no problems with SP3 RTM (build 5512) either... umm, and if it gives you problems, why wouldn't you just uninstall it??  It even sets a restore point, so if it went totally haywire, you could just use that.  I've upgraded XP SP1 to SP2 and SP2 to SP3 without problems.  I've also slipstreamed.. however, there is a problem with slipstreaming SP3 and IE 7 and WMP 11 ATM, so I'll wait till that's resolved.

[CP5670]

I had several problems with sound card drivers when I went from SP1 to SP2 (thanks to Creative ), but you're right that there is no point in doing a full format and wasting a day reinstalling all your programs. It's easy to roll back Windows to the previous version if necessary.

I see people recommending formats for small things like this far too often. They are enormously time consuming and rarely needed. I'm still using essentially the same Windows install I had in 2004, and even that time I did it only because of a hard drive crash.

[Stealth]

yeah as with any microsoft patch, i suggest waiting a few months

[Davros]

StyleXP no longer works under sp3

[jr2]

StyleXP no longer works under sp3

Is that b/c you need a new UXTheme.dll or w/e patch?  If you had that, you prolly need to re-apply it.  See here for uxtheme.dll for different SP3 versions.

[Jeff Vader]

Installed SP3 yesterday. And what's the difference compared to the previous stage? Windork boots up slower.

[jr2]

Defrag it.  There is a list of SP3 changes on MS's site.