Service Pack 3 for Win XP Pro
Sep 9, 2008 | 8:44 am
#1
Original Poster
Moderator, Argentina and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: MIA / EZE
Programs: Lord of Malbec & all Wines Argentine. AA EXP / Marriott Lifetime Gold / Hyatt Explorist / Hertz PC
Posts: 36,210
Service Pack 3 for Win XP Pro
The Microsoft automatic update feature wants me to install service pack 3..... I have a now rather vintage ThinkPad T30 running XP Pro..... do I need to worry about backing up my system before installing this...?
Thoughts / Experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Alex (Gaucho100K)
Thoughts / Experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Alex (Gaucho100K)
Sep 9, 2008 | 9:10 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Marriott or Hilton hot tub with a big drink <glub> Beverage: To-Go Bag DYKWIA:SSSS /rolleyes ☈ Date Night:Costco
Programs: Sea Shell Lounge Platinum, TSA Pre✓ Refusnik Diamond, PWP Gold, FT subset of the subset
Posts: 12,523
I installed SP3 on my Lenovo T60p two weeks ago without incident. I did do a complete backup first, though.
Sep 9, 2008 | 9:13 am
#3
Original Poster
Moderator, Argentina and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: MIA / EZE
Programs: Lord of Malbec & all Wines Argentine. AA EXP / Marriott Lifetime Gold / Hyatt Explorist / Hertz PC
Posts: 36,210
Thanks N965VJ.... I guess I will move forward, although I will also do a backup. What software did you use for this backup, anything special...?
Sep 9, 2008 | 9:25 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Marriott or Hilton hot tub with a big drink <glub> Beverage: To-Go Bag DYKWIA:SSSS /rolleyes ☈ Date Night:Costco
Programs: Sea Shell Lounge Platinum, TSA Pre✓ Refusnik Diamond, PWP Gold, FT subset of the subset
Posts: 12,523
I use the ThinkVantage backup utility with a Seagate FreeAgent Go external HD. Im not sure what backup utilities were on older ThinkPads since this is my first one.
Before installing SP3 I did a little Googling to see if I might be asking for trouble and came up with this article. So far, so good!
Before installing SP3 I did a little Googling to see if I might be asking for trouble and came up with this article. So far, so good!
Sep 9, 2008 | 12:28 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS Plat, AA EP, Bonvoy Plat, Hilton Dia, Hyatt Glob, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 21,545
Regular backups never hurt, and I certainly would take one before applying a major upgrade/update.
Sep 9, 2008 | 6:42 pm
#7
Original Poster
Moderator, Argentina and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: MIA / EZE
Programs: Lord of Malbec & all Wines Argentine. AA EXP / Marriott Lifetime Gold / Hyatt Explorist / Hertz PC
Posts: 36,210
Sep 9, 2008 | 6:49 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: CLT
Posts: 7,249
Sep 9, 2008 | 7:02 pm
#9
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
One of the first things I do on a Win install is turn off system restore. I don't need the minimal protection that it provides, especially at the expense of the overhead that it adds.
Sep 9, 2008 | 8:34 pm
#10
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Rockville MD USA
Programs: UA former 1K MM
Posts: 2,184
To me, a backup is a copy of all documents, spreadsheets, mailboxes and files other than programs that need to be "installed" in the Windows sense.
A restore point supposedly remembers the status of all programs that need to be installed, including the operating system.
The idea is that the backed up files simply need to be copied back, but the programs need to be reinstalled.
The two processes are complementary, and one is not a substitute for the other.
I would also make a backup of any installation programs or installers that were downloaded. Everything else needed to reinstall programs is presumably on a CD-ROM or a DVD.
A restore point supposedly remembers the status of all programs that need to be installed, including the operating system.
The idea is that the backed up files simply need to be copied back, but the programs need to be reinstalled.
The two processes are complementary, and one is not a substitute for the other.
I would also make a backup of any installation programs or installers that were downloaded. Everything else needed to reinstall programs is presumably on a CD-ROM or a DVD.
Sep 10, 2008 | 7:14 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Bryn Mawr PA & Wailea HI
Posts: 15,726
I downloaded it onto my ThinkPad T42 and it really caused many problems. Reverting back to the SP2 operation returned the computer to normal. SP3 works fine with the Dell desktop but see no real improvement.
MisterNice
MisterNice
Sep 10, 2008 | 3:11 pm
#14
Original Poster
Moderator, Argentina and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: MIA / EZE
Programs: Lord of Malbec & all Wines Argentine. AA EXP / Marriott Lifetime Gold / Hyatt Explorist / Hertz PC
Posts: 36,210