Avoiding Glitches in Windows XP SP3 Update

I have a heard a few reports of installation problems with the newest Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. I would be surprised if some folks didn't have problems...it always happens with upgrades. With SP3, most updates go fine, but here and there you will have glitches. Some of them seem to occur more often with computers using AMD processors. Now, that worries me a bit as all four of our computers use AMD...and I have not yet found the time (or courage for that matter) to do my upgrades. However, thanks to Adrian Kingsly-Hughes over at ZDNet, here is a list of to-do's that might help make the installation of SP3 go smooth. Here is a portion of his blog on the subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

MINIMIZING XP SP3 WOES - UPDATED

by Adrian Kingsly-Hughes

I’m getting sporadic reports of Windows XP users having problems installing XP SP3 on some systems. Here are some tips to help make the install process a little smoother.

• Disable AV software
  It seems that some anti-virus (AV) software causes the SP3 install to hang, while the installer seems fine with others. Disable AV software before beginning the install process.
• Uninstall beta/RC versions of SP3
  It’s a good idea to get rid of these earlier versions. If you’re having problems removing them, try installing previous versions through Safe Mode.
• Uninstall IE8
  SP3 won’t play nicely on systems that have IE8 installed.
• Update drivers
  Might help, especially if your system is running really old drivers.
• Disable unnecessary startup applications
  It’s not just AV software that can cause SP3 problems. If you’re having problems getting SP3 to install then disabling as many unnecessary startup applications as you can might help.
• Possible solution to endless reboots
  Windows blogger Jesper Johansson offers some advice for those suffering endless reboots when trying to install SP3.

I’ve only come across one stubborn system personally and disabling the AV (Anti-Virus) software seemed to fix the problem.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are getting any error messages during installation, head over to this page on the Microsoft KnowledgeBase site to find out what they mean.