May be of interest to XP users

[Noreen]

Deploying Service Pack 3 directly on top of a fresh installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2 will kill all subsequent updates from Microsoft's servers. The Redmond giant warned that integrating SP3 into the operating system straight after performing a new installation of XP SP2 via Windows Update will result in the failed implementation of any additional releases from Windows Update, Microsoft Update or through Automatic Updates. In this context, installing the third and last service pack for Windows XP onto a freshly-deployed copy of XP SP2 will virtually cut off the operating system from the life-line represented by the company's updates, served either through WU, MU or AU..............

http://news.softpedia.com/news/XP-SP3-Can-Kill-All-Update-Installations-91388.shtml

[Rik]

Now that is one clever bit of programming by MS.  Thanks for the heads up, Noreen. 

[Noreen]

I'm glad that it doesn't apply to Vista, Rik, because I don't understand a word of it.

[Rik]

I understand it, I just don't see how they could have managed to let that through testing. 

[Sebby]

Don't tell Gary about this.

[Ann]

Interesting.  That's good to know, now I just have to remember it for next time I do a clean install.

[Simon]

Thanks Noreen, that's very handy to know. 

[Inactive]

Incredible...

[psp83]

This happened to me on monday. I reformatted an XP machine with a SP2 disk.. Once everything was up and running i did a windows update and they only gave SP3 as an update.. So i installed it.. rebooted.. Got alerted theres more updates and when they finished downloading, WU failed to install them..

So i search microsoft website and found this:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144

Following the steps on the site above does fix the problem.

[Rik]

Good link, Paul. 

[Dopamine]

Great post Noreen. I was planning on a reformat of an XP machine this weekend, and only have an XP SP2 disc, so may well have fallen foul of this bug.

I've read the MS site's remedy, but in plain, non tech English, am I right to assume that the problem would only affect me if I install XP, and then without a restart install SP3? ie, if I were to install XP SP2 from disc onto a formatted hard drive, then reboot, then install SP3, things would work OK, and it's only the lack of an intermediate reboot that would cause the problem?

Hope that makes sense!

[psp83]

I rebooted several times before installing SP3 and still got the problem 

[Sebby]

This is why I always slipstream service packs.