It’s been a week now since Windows XP Service Pack 3 has been deployed and the results are good, bad and little ugly.
The Good
I’ve been one of the 99% of those who downloaded and installed Service Pack 3 with no trouble at all. I already wrote last month about what changed in SP3 but now we have the results of performance benchmarks. While some folks have reported increased performance, the benchmarks don’t show any major improvements. In my own tests, I have found a slight increase in internet speed but it depended on my configuration. The results will vary depending on your firewall and the use of network monitor device protocol.
The Bad
Some folks (not all) using HP computers and AMD processors quickly reported problems rebooting after installing SP3. If you haven’t upgrade yet or have problems you’ll want to review the information available in Jesper’s Blog. Jesper experienced the problem personally and with some helped worked through the issues and provides a detailed solution for others who might have problems.
The Ugly
Depending on who you ask you’ll get a different answer about how SP3 affects different versions of Internet Explorer. If you’re using the beta version of IE8 most recommend you downgrade from IE8 before installing SP3. I didn’t experience any problems but I also skipped IE7 when I installed the IE8 beta. My friend Corrine has some good details on the relationship between IE and SP3.
This upgrade is good example of why I recommend waiting 7–10 days before installing any new updates. It’s nearly impossible for Microsoft or anyone to test such critical software when it’s used by millions with millions of different configurations. Thanks to Jesper and others, information is now available to resolve potential problems from Service Pack 3.
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