I am installing xp pro on a new hard drive. What is the best way to handle
the service packs? Can I just download the service pack 3 disk image and
use that. Or do I have to add each earlier service pack separately?
Helixal wrote:
> I am installing xp pro on a new hard drive. What is the best way
> to handle the service packs? Can I just download the service pack
> 3 disk image and use that. Or do I have to add each earlier
> service pack separately?
Best is an opinion.
I'd say get SP3 and integrate that into your installation media is best.
You could even download many of the post-SP3 updates and integrate those as
well.
If you have a Windows XP CD that has SP1a or above - you can just download
SP3 and install it and then the many post-SP3 updates.
You could get the disk image (ISO) or the executable (IT Professional
version) - doesn't really make any difference.
So you are saying to then first install the SP1a and then use the SP3 image
or the executable.
You mention integrating the SP3 into my installation media. -- I don't have
a clue as to how to do that. Or how to integrate the post SP3 updates.
Could you help?
Thanks
"Shenan Stanley" <newshelper@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:%2312NiGFWKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Helixal wrote:
> > I am installing xp pro on a new hard drive. What is the best way
> > to handle the service packs? Can I just download the service pack
> > 3 disk image and use that. Or do I have to add each earlier
> > service pack separately?
>
> Best is an opinion.
>
> I'd say get SP3 and integrate that into your installation media is best.
>
> You could even download many of the post-SP3 updates and integrate those
as
> well.
>
> If you have a Windows XP CD that has SP1a or above - you can just download
> SP3 and install it and then the many post-SP3 updates.
>
> You could get the disk image (ISO) or the executable (IT Professional
> version) - doesn't really make any difference.
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
Helixal wrote:
> I am installing xp pro on a new hard drive. What is the best way
> to handle the service packs? Can I just download the service pack
> 3 disk image and use that. Or do I have to add each earlier
> service pack separately?
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> Best is an opinion.
>
> I'd say get SP3 and integrate that into your installation media is
> best.
>
> You could even download many of the post-SP3 updates and integrate
> those as well.
>
> If you have a Windows XP CD that has SP1a or above - you can just
> download SP3 and install it and then the many post-SP3 updates.
>
> You could get the disk image (ISO) or the executable (IT
> Professional version) - doesn't really make any difference.
Helixal wrote:
> I don't believe that I have the SP1a on my xp cd.
>
> So you are saying to then first install the SP1a and then use the
> SP3 image or the executable.
>
> You mention integrating the SP3 into my installation media. -- I
> don't have a clue as to how to do that. Or how to integrate the
> post SP3 updates. Could you help?
Yes - you could (if your CD doesn't have SP1 (SP1a) or above (SP2 or SP3))
install from scratch and then upgrade the service packs. You should install
from CD and check the version (Start button --> RUN --> winver --> OK) and
see what service pack level you are at. If at SP1 or beyond - download SP3
and install it. If no service pack is listed - then you would need to
download either Service Pack 1a or Service Pack 2 and install it before
downloading and installing Service Pack 3 and all post-SP3 patches.
You should also go ahead and download the latest version of all your
hardware drivers. Motherboard chipset, video device, audio device, network
device(s), printers, scanners, etc. Also be sure you have the installation
media (CD, DVD, executables, etc and the product keys, serial numbers, etc)
for all other software. I have found running Belarc Advisor (free) and
printing the results to be a great help in these matters.
As for the integration/slipstream...
Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:
A quick search would find you some great ways of doing it. I am the type
that likes the manual approach (copying the CD to a directory, downloading
the full SP3 patch, running it with the /integrate command line and pointing
it to the directory I put the Windows XP files in, running Barts Boot Image
Extractor on the original CD,, using my CD/DVD burning application to make a
new bootable CD/DVD with said extracted image and the newly SP3-integrated
set of files I copied and integrated to) - but there are things like nLite
and AutoStreamer that do almost all of that for you.
So I suggest looking into AutoStreamer first and then nLite... Then maybe
consider, if interested, manually doing it as well. Otherwise - get it done
with one of the tools and move on. ;-)
Some have trouble finding the downloads for SP1a, SP2 and SP3 they might
need to do any of this...
This has been a world of help. Thanks much. I assume that the integrated
approach is preferable because it leaves less detritus on your hard drive.
By the way has anyone done this already and put a copy of the integrated
xp/SP3 software somewhere on the internet?
In the manual approach you outlined below, I am wondering about the order of
things. Don't you run Barts extractor on the xp cd first? Then the sp3
patch ( preceded by sp1a if necessary). To add the post sp3 updates I
assume you need one of the slipstream programs (auto streamer). Then burn
the resulting conglomeration to a cd. After doing all this I assume that
all the file formats are ok and you end up with a bootable cd that you can
use to install xp/sp3++ onto a virgin hard drive that contains nothing more
than a low level format.
"Shenan Stanley" <newshelper@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:uzwOVCKWKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Helixal wrote:
> > I am installing xp pro on a new hard drive. What is the best way
> > to handle the service packs? Can I just download the service pack
> > 3 disk image and use that. Or do I have to add each earlier
> > service pack separately?
>
> Shenan Stanley wrote:
> > Best is an opinion.
> >
> > I'd say get SP3 and integrate that into your installation media is
> > best.
> >
> > You could even download many of the post-SP3 updates and integrate
> > those as well.
> >
> > If you have a Windows XP CD that has SP1a or above - you can just
> > download SP3 and install it and then the many post-SP3 updates.
> >
> > You could get the disk image (ISO) or the executable (IT
> > Professional version) - doesn't really make any difference.
>
> Helixal wrote:
> > I don't believe that I have the SP1a on my xp cd.
> >
> > So you are saying to then first install the SP1a and then use the
> > SP3 image or the executable.
> >
> > You mention integrating the SP3 into my installation media. -- I
> > don't have a clue as to how to do that. Or how to integrate the
> > post SP3 updates. Could you help?
>
> Yes - you could (if your CD doesn't have SP1 (SP1a) or above (SP2 or SP3))
> install from scratch and then upgrade the service packs. You should
install
> from CD and check the version (Start button --> RUN --> winver --> OK) and
> see what service pack level you are at. If at SP1 or beyond - download
SP3
> and install it. If no service pack is listed - then you would need to
> download either Service Pack 1a or Service Pack 2 and install it before
> downloading and installing Service Pack 3 and all post-SP3 patches.
>
> You should also go ahead and download the latest version of all your
> hardware drivers. Motherboard chipset, video device, audio device,
network
> device(s), printers, scanners, etc. Also be sure you have the
installation
> media (CD, DVD, executables, etc and the product keys, serial numbers,
etc)
> for all other software. I have found running Belarc Advisor (free) and
> printing the results to be a great help in these matters.
>
> As for the integration/slipstream...
>
> Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
> information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:
>
> Search using Google!
> http://www.google.com/
> (How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )
>
> (By no means is it limited to technical issues...)
>
> For example - with nothing but the keywords I gave you...
> http://www.google.com/search?q=integ...ack+windows+xp
>
> But giving you a few more...
>
> keywords: slipstream, "Windows XP", "service pack", nlite, autostreamer,
> bbie, integrate
>
> http://www.google.com/search?q=slips...e%2C+integrate
>
> A quick search would find you some great ways of doing it. I am the type
> that likes the manual approach (copying the CD to a directory, downloading
> the full SP3 patch, running it with the /integrate command line and
pointing
> it to the directory I put the Windows XP files in, running Barts Boot
Image
> Extractor on the original CD,, using my CD/DVD burning application to make
a
> new bootable CD/DVD with said extracted image and the newly SP3-integrated
> set of files I copied and integrated to) - but there are things like nLite
> and AutoStreamer that do almost all of that for you.
>
> So I suggest looking into AutoStreamer first and then nLite... Then maybe
> consider, if interested, manually doing it as well. Otherwise - get it
done
> with one of the tools and move on. ;-)
>
> Some have trouble finding the downloads for SP1a, SP2 and SP3 they might
> need to do any of this...
>
> Windows XP SP1a for IT Professionals (it works for anyone really)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...5-023443E29D78
>
> Windows XP SP2 for IT Professionals (it works for anyone really)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...5-9E368D3CDB5A
>
> Windows XP Service Pack 3 - ISO-9660 CD Image File
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...0-fe22559d164e
>
> Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for
> IT Professionals and Developers (it works for anyone really)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...8-1E1555D4F3D4
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
service pack strategy 
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