05.09.08

What are doing this weekend? How about watching your PC continually reboot? That's what some aggravated Windows XP users have been doing Friday after installing the XP service pack 3 (SP3).

The problem appears to primarily affect AMD-based computers, though there are also some cases in which Intel-based machines will also run into trouble, Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft who now runs a Windows-related blog, wrote in a recent post.

Microsoft was scheduled to release the XP SP3 download on April 29, but a "compatibility issue" delayed it until May 7. Mention of the reboot problem first popped up on the Microsoft forums on April 23, prompting some to speculate that the poster's problem was due to an outdated version of SP3, but users who installed the final version soon reported the same issue.

"At this point, I want to clarify that the endless rebooting is not at all related to SP3 per se," Johansson wrote. "The problem is that with some configurations, SP3 causes the computer to crash during boot, and Windows XP, by default, is set up to automatically reboot when it crashes. That is why you end up in the endless rebooting scenario."

Johansson offers a detailed work around on his blog.

Microsoft did not have any immediate comment, but a spokeswoman said she would look into the problem.

Service Pack 3 adds several networking and security improvements, and compatibility with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 security credential providers. It also incorporates features previously available individually as separate updates, such as Microsoft Windows Imaging Component (WIC), Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0, and Wi-Fi Protected Access 2.

Meanwhile, Microsoft reported this week that users who install XP SP3 will not be able to downgrade from Internet Explorer 7 to IE6.

Thanks for the heads up woofy I will hold off till it is needed to be installed

woofy thanks for the post and i useually wait until the glitches are worked out before installing a service pack update.remember when service pack 2 first came out and all the problems it caused:yes:

Yea I was going to Install on my Intel laptop first this weekend, may not get around to it..My desktop is AMD..So I think I will poke around a little more before I install.

Yea I was going to Install on my Intel laptop first this weekend, may not get around to it..My desktop is AMD..So I think I will poke around a little more before I install.

well woofy when and if you install it at least you know how to reformat and bring it back to life:yes: ,imagine all the people who do not have the knowledge to fix there pc on there own will feel:o .the geek squad will be happy as hell :lol:

Got more info in a PM that it also wants you to re register which will cause problems for copies, Thanks elagyrrep for stopping me from doing this, yes I have genuine

Got more info in a PM that it also wants you to re register which will cause problems for copies, Thanks elagyrrep for stopping me from doing this, yes I have genuine

mlew we all run geniune copys:lol: .

mlew we all run geniune copys:lol: .

Yes I know you do

Yeah, I think it's time for me to post flyers around my community. How much should I charge for the fix? :D

mlew we all run geniune copys:lol: .


:lol: :lol: :lol:

Yeah, I think it's time for me to post flyers around my community. How much should I charge for the fix? :D

lmao:lol: ,the problem i have is that all the pc's i fix are for family and friends so i never make a dime:lol:

Q:Why am I not surprised?
A: Because it's Microsoft.

Thats why I use acronis or ghost before any major change on both windows and linux.

Wouldn't doing a system restore on an sp3 windows box fix the problem (when going to a restore point prior to installing sp3)?

lmao:lol: ,the problem i have is that all the pc's i fix are for family and friends so i never make a dime:lol:

Pffff, I tried the FREE thing with friends. The problem is, they all tell everyone else to contact me when they have issues, and so on, and so on, and I get fed up with it. I still don't charge my true friends or family, but if I get one more random person coming up to me saying, "so and so told me you could fix this, so I brought my laptop for you and left it at your desk", I'm going to consider it a gift. :lol:

Pffff, I tried the FREE thing with friends. The problem is, they all tell everyone else to contact me when they have issues, and so on, and so on, and I get fed up with it. I still don't charge my true friends or family, but if I get one more random person coming up to me saying, "so and so told me you could fix this, so I brought my laptop for you and left it at your desk", I'm going to consider it a gift. :lol:

i hear you there.after awahile i started to have friends that i never knew existed:lol:

i hear you there.after awahile i started to have friends that i never knew existed:lol:

Always happens and always will unfortunately NICE GUYS GET STEPPED ON

Great info Woofy.
Thanks for the post.
Anyone look to see what the "work around" is for this problem yet ?
Thanks again Woofy,
Sp0iler:beer:

Yeah, one day when I came to work, there was a tower sitting under my desk. I had no idea who's it was or why it was there. Hours later, someone I don't even know came up to me and said that a colleague said I would fix their computer problem. Sure, I love getting volunteered for jobs.

mlew we all run geniune copys:lol: .

..but, what else are we going to run as testers, jd??:rolleyes: :D

Thats why I use acronis or ghost before any major change on both windows and linux.

Wouldn't doing a system restore on an sp3 windows box fix the problem (when going to a restore point prior to installing sp3)?

No it will not restore. Will not go back prior to SP3.

Yes, from what I have read, they confirmed there is "no way to remove sp3" once installed.

..but, what else are we going to run as testers, jd??:rolleyes: :D

how true eldiablo:yes: :lol:

Got more info in a PM that it also wants you to re register which will cause problems for copies, Thanks elagyrrep for stopping me from doing this, yes I have genuine
published this morning.Please see text underlined and in red.: Loooonnng C/P:
"FAQ: What you should know before installing Windows XP SP3
Computerworld 5/7/08

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Bookmark and Share

After a week-long delay to take care of a last-minute compatibility bug, Microsoft Tuesday gave the green light to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3).
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The service pack, undoubtedly the last for the aged operating system, was released Tuesday to Windows Update as an optional upgrade, and standalone executables were added to Microsoft's download servers.

To paraphrase -- and, at the same time, contradict -- Winston Churchill, although this isn't the end of Windows XP, it's certainly the beginning of the end. But we come not to bury XP, but to praise it -- and to answer a few last-minute questions now that it's really, truly, yes-indeed available to anyone who wants it.

Can I really get Windows XP SP3 now? Yes. You can grab it from Windows Update (WU) or download a standalone installer from Microsoft's Web site.

Will Windows Update automatically download and install XP SP3? Not yet. Instead, you must choose "Windows Update" from the Start Menu, then click on either "Express" or "Custom." In both cases, WU will offer XP SP3. In fact, it will offer SP3 before any other update or patch.

To start the 30-minute process, click the "Install Updates" button.

Microsoft has said it will flip the switch for automatic download and install -- the setting that most users have ticked in WU -- sometime this summer. Others have speculated that the push date has already been slated for June 10.

Where's the standalone installer? As is its policy, Microsoft has also posted a much larger installation file that doesn't require WU. The XP SP3 standalone installer, which weighs in a 316MB, can be found here .

Anything I should know before starting the update? You could just jump into the fray, but Microsoft has a whole list of steps it recommends prior to installing XP SP3. The list talks about prerequisites and hard disk requirements, mentions (but doesn't recommend) disabling anti-virus protection and suggests several other moves, including making a full backup before you begin.

That document is also a good resource, or at least a good starting point, for troubleshooting a balky XP SP3 update; it includes information on a host of potential error messages.

You also need to uninstall any now-obsolete release candidate or beta of SP3 that you've stuck on the system. We covered that in an earlier FAQ under the section "Do I need to prep my PC for the final version of SP3 if I've installed one of the early versions?"

Anything else? Yes. Microsoft has warned users of Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) that they won't be able to easily revert to the older IE6 once they've upgraded to XP SP3. And in other browser news, the company's also told users who have installed IE8 Beta 1 that they won't be seeing SP3 on Windows Update.

To do otherwise, according to a long post to the IE development team blog, would invite stability problems.

Microsoft recommends that users who want to retain the ability to downgrade from IE7 to IE6 should uninstall the former before upgrading to XP SP3. Once Windows XP has been updated to SP3, users can then install IE7 and if necessary, later restore IE6. IE8 Beta 1 users should also uninstall the preview before upgrading, Microsoft says.

Why did Microsoft delay rolling out XP SP3 for a week? The company said it had only recently discovered a compatibility bug in the retail point-of-sale software it sells to businesses that cropped up in XP SP3 (and also the newest version of Windows Vista , SP1). As a result, it postponed the expected April 29 release date.

According to a message posted to the support forum for Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) on April 24, the company had identified problems, including data loss and corruption, when the software was run in Vista SP1. Only after it announced XP SP3's delay, however, did Microsoft confirm that the same bug affected RMS when it was installed on a PC running XP SP3.

Once Microsoft had created and deployed filters to WU so that machines running RMS would not be offered the XP SP3 update, it cranked up delivery.

What's new in XP SP3? As we've said before, not much. It does include a few new features, however, which are spelled out in this overview. The biggest change, at least in terms of the number of users it will impact, is the modification to product activation. New installations of Windows XP SP3 will give users the same 30-day grace period currently offered to Vista customers before they're required to enter a product activation key.

The change is only for new installations and doesn't come into play if you upgrade from SP2 or an even earlier edition of XP. If you're just updating, you shouldn't be asked for a product key.

What's been fixed in XP SP3? Lots, according to the official list that Microsoft published. The list, which you can view here is long. By our count, the service pack contains 1,174 individual patches and hotfixes, essentially every one that Microsoft's issued since it rolled out XP SP2 in 2004.

And the list is remarkably up-to-date. For example, the most recent security patch that applies to Windows XP -- MS08-025, a fix for a flaw in the kernel that was issued April 8 -- is included.

What if I have problems upgrading to SP3? Normally, Microsoft refers users who obtained XP as part of a new PC to the computer manufacturer or reseller when problems pop up, or charges $59 per support request to answer questions. But as is its practice with service packs, Microsoft will provide free support for any XP SP3 installation or compatibility issue. You can reach support free-of-charge by telephone, e-mail or real-time chat.

The place to start is this XP SP3-specific page on Microsoft's Help and Support site.

Will XP SP3 be available at retail? Nope. Microsoft confirmed today that XP SP3 will not be shrink-wrapped for store shelves. "Windows XP SP3 is available to OEMs as an option for some of their product lines [and] for Volume License customers to simplify maintenance of their Windows XP machines," a company spokeswoman said after noting that others won't see SP3 as a separate product.

That means you'll have to do an after-the-fact update to SP3 on any newly-purchased-and-installed copy of Windows XP.

going by what I was told not by first hand experience

going by what I was told not by first hand experience

this response AT you, that was NOT my intention.:no: I just wanted to give you the info that I received this morning and do it i:no: n a manner in which ALL members would be informed also.
Sorry my friend if I offended you.:yes: :beer: :beer:

Happy testing.

Back to lurk mode,
jr

No problem just clarifying that it wasn't first hand info from me LOL

thanks for the headsup

well my wife updated her machine with service pack 3 and it started the endless rebooting as posted. She is running a custom built pc w/ intel 865 chipset. I havent the time to fix it yet, but if when i find something out i will post it.

C&P:
A KINDLY GEEK has produced a free tool to resurrect AMD machines borked by installing Service Pack 3 for Windows XP.

The fault affects mainly HP machines with an OEM splash screen and a number of Asus mobos, to which XP refuses to talk on the grounds that they're not fully ACPI compliant.

Jesper, over at msinfluentials, has a handy tool you can get your hands on for nothing which is said to fix the problem. Not having tried it ourselves, we cannot say for sure if it works or not, but if you've got a dead AMD system, whaddya got to lose?

Jesper warns against putting his tool in an Intel system, because it'll break it.

Just makes me think I'm glad I have a Mac. That and the newest ads for Mac, the one where one of the "PCs" gets up and starts repeating I haven't rebooted in a week, and keeps repeating it. Makes you wonder if someone didn't know this would happen. Kind of reminds me of a contest they had back when Classic Mac OS (7,8,9) where someone had a Mac and a PC in a box. They had a tech team from Microsoft to get the PC up and running on a basic set up, internet hooked in, printer hook up, that kind of thing. An eleven year old kid handled the Mac and smoked the Microsoft guys. If I remember right is ended up being the Mac was set up in about 45 minutes, the PC several hours. I had come across this a couple years ao as a net news story. And for a while there Microsoft looked like they might be over this kind of thing. Just no real excuse for poor craftsmanship, and this is a case of that.