Is Service Pack 3 for Windows XP really worth installing?

[rai01]

I was wondering if SP3 was really worth installing. I have read that you need to uninstall IE7 or IE8 beta 1 first before installing SP3. I believe it also said that it would add some security updates and enhance performance. I don't have a high end laptop so I might not notice any significant enhancement in performance.

I still would want an enhancement in performance, but I'm still kind of hesitant to install the service pack. Have you guys installed SP3? Did you guys notice any enhancement in performance?

 

[MHCG]

I install SP3 just so I don't have to install SP2 and 500 hotfixes. Regarding SP3 providing performance enhancements.... I haven't heard anything about that. SP3 makes it difficult/impossible to uninstall IE7 so I think if you may want to uninstall it later, you should install IE7 after SP3.

 

[rai01]

I was just recently looking at PC World and saw that SP3 was causing continuous reboots in AMD systems. I guess I'll just wait and see what happens with SP3 in terms of compatibility and stability.

 

[gunslinger]

I have been running SP3 for a little while now and have to say I have had no problems with it. I don't plan on uninstalling IE7 so thats a non-issue for me.

 

[just_a_nobody]

I had installed the sp3 beta version a couple months back, and had no problems with it, then I uninstalled it to install the final version that was just released, but now I get an error right at the end of the new install. Oh well!

 

[dstewart]

Have installed XP XP3 on several systems over the past week and a half, and also AVG 8.0 and some of them, and now seem to have a lot of systems that are having troubles shutting down properly. These are mostly all AMD systems so far. On one of them, AVG 8 prevented Outlook Express from opening up. Same system would not shut down as well. Uninstalled SP3 on another system that wouldn't shut down. Then it wouldn't download the updates after SP2. Ended up system restore to the previous day to just before installing SP3 and it seems fine now.

 

[JimmyW]

I have had SP3 for awhile now and have had no problems. Works for me

 

[darren1270]

I have had SP3 for awhile now and have had no problems. Works for me

Same here btw I'm using AMD....

 

[iladelf]

I've read the main issue with SP3 is with AMD procs and HP computers. Guessing some kind of motherboard incompatibility?

 

[Blues]

I've read the main issue with SP3 is with AMD procs and HP computers. Guessing some kind of motherboard incompatibility?

Actually from my reads it sounds like HP did a half ass job with the image they used as it has an intel driver or something that causes this error. Not real surprise an AMD machine going screwy when an intel driver is active and present. It seems the driver or what ever it is gets activated or turned on by SP3 and the error begins.