Windows XP service pack 3

anyone tried this or have any reason to believe it might cause game incompatability if installed?

I didn't notice any problems. I didn't try any older games, though.

Probably you don't need to worry about incompatibility;

Installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 sends some PCs into an endless series of reboots, according to posts to a Microsoft support forum.

Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft and a prominent Windows blogger, has worked with users to tentatively identify the problem as involving only machines using processors from Advanced Micro Devices.

Linky

AMD machines not liking it it seems.

Works fine on my AMD machine. Then again, mine wasn't built by HP and I don't use intel-customised install images…

That´s the point, as explained in the link by Remus. HP used the same Intel-based image for both Intel and AMD machines. So the problem is not AMD, it´s HP.

The same problem happened with SP2 on HP machines. Obviously, HP didn't feel compelled to change anything after those prior problems.

And yes, my gaming rig is an AMD machine and doesn't have any problems with SP3.

I somehow missed Remus' post - sorry I think I was busy working left the post and returned later. I have installed at home now seems fine.

can anyone tell me what good things sp3 brings to my pc?

Nothing really major;

These new features include:

Network Access Protection compatibility. Announced years ago, this feature allows Windows XP machines to interact with the NAP feature in Windows Server 2008. This functionality is built into the RTM version of Windows Vista as well.

Product Key-less install option. As with Windows Vista, new XP with SP3 installs can proceed without entering a product key during Setup.

Kernel Mode Cryptographics Module. A new kernel module that "encapsulates several different cryptographic algorithms," according to Microsoft.

"Black hole" router detection algorithm. XP gains the ability to ignore network routers that incorrectly drop certain kinds of network packets. This, too, is a feature of Windows Vista.

And that's about it. Nothing dramatic, as promised.

Q: That's it? Is there anything else?

Nothing major. Some features have actually been removed, like the taskbar-based Address Bar option.

see here.

So many people might believe that this is not worth the download at all ?

Me, I'm not convinced on using it.

It sent my old rig I gave to the grandkids into the endless reboot. Trying to delete it was a waste of time, I ended up having to reformat the HD. So I can promise I won't be installing it on any machine for a very long time. I wonder if MS thinks that will make us all want to grab vista instead? Would they do something so nasty?

Originally Posted by Cm
It sent my old rig I gave to the grandkids into the endless reboot. Trying to delete it was a waste of time, I ended up having to reformat the HD. So I can promise I won't be installing it on any machine for a very long time. I wonder if MS thinks that will make us all want to grab vista instead? Would they do something so nasty?

Why not? …

Rumors say that Vista might have a similar fate like ME … With a new OS only a few years away …

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
Rumors say that Vista might have a similar fate like ME … With a new OS only a few years away …

Can be, Alrik, but then why would they have waited 5 years before bringing a new OS? ME was released only 2 years after Win98se. I think Vista will have a slightly longer lifetime then the rumours would let us like to believe. I don't see another OS before 2010.

Originally Posted by Bartacus
Can be, Alrik, but then why would they have waited 5 years before bringing a new OS? ME was released only 2 years after Win98se. I think Vista will have a slightly longer lifetime then the rumours would let us like to believe. I don't see another OS before 2010.

yea what he said!

How many years were between ME and XP ? Not to cound W2K ?

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
How many years were between ME and XP ? Not to cound W2K ?

Those times are not really comparable. They were frantic:

June 1998 - Windows 98
May 1999 - Windows 98 SE
February 2000 - Windows 2000
September 2000 - Windows Me
October 2001 - Windows XP