Anyone installed SP3 for Windows XP?

I recently downloaded and installed SP3, the latest service pack for Windows XP, doing it from the Windows Update website. Whilst many XP users have consequently encountered a whole host of problems (as can be seen on the various Microsoft newsgroups and tech forums), in my case everything appeared to go smoothly and my machine has functioned okay since.

However, I've noticed that my XP partition size - the used size, that is - has now increased by some 800MB - 1GB. Has anyone else with a successful SP3 installation noticed this? In other words, go to WinXP's Disk Management and look at the Properties of that partition or drive.

In my case, it was supposed to be an Express installation but it still took about 30 mins to do - incredibly slow. And yes, I had acted on Microsoft's advisory notes prior to doing the update!

At worst, the download itself would be no more than about 350MB (that's the Full version, and the Express is supposed to be only about 70MB), so where has all this extra data/software come from? I've tried asking Microsoft UK but they're completely clueless.

One theory I've had is that it's due to the update making a copy of my WinXP with SP2, so that you can, if you wish, revert to that but, quantity-wise, that doesn't seem to fit. This extra software seems to sit in the area of the hard drive where the partition table resides and consequently isn't viewable as one or more folders.

If my theory described above is correct and that the extra data/software is Microsoft's attempt at including an image of WinXP SP2 in the same partition as the working partition (maybe in cab files?), then why oh why didn't they warn us? Personally, I don't need to waste good hard drive real estate like that, as I've a separate application with which to perform partition imaging.

So, who else has noticed this huge increase in used space on the partition? Anyone?

Probably a combination of system restore and SP3 creating a backup and also copying a copy of SP3 into your windows directory.

This is why those who care about Windows installation size slipstream the SP's into their discs and install from them otherwise when you install the SP it will take up extra space on your system.

In this day and age you shouldn't really care that much about 1gb of used space unless you intentionally put Windows on an extremely starved for space partition (unless you have no choice like an EE PC but in that situation you should really use an slipstream disc with Nlite)

I think you'll find that, with SP3, it'll be much more difficult to slipstream it, as it's a specific requirement that SP3 be installed on top of SP2.

As it happens, my primary reason for complaining and wanting to swap experience with others is that I HAVE indeed almost run out of partition space, so much so that I've now had to order a new and bigger hard drive.

What I so dislike is that, although Microsoft said in their pre-SP3 articles that users would be able to later uninstall it if necssary and get back to WinXP SP2, they gave no indication of what this would involve and, indeed, no choice in it.

I doubt very much that, if the Full version SP3 is used and you prepare a slipstream CD, the result will be any different (except perhaps for possibly failing, due to non-adherence to Microsoft's intention that you install over SP2).

What is your experience with SP3, Dosfreak? Have you tried installing it yet?

BTW, users of Symantec apps should check with the Symantec website about a serious malfunction that can occur if you install SP3. Symantec have devised a fix that needs installing before SP3.

I've done alot of slipstream installs with it but I haven't done any upgrades of existing systems except for one yesterday that worked fine.

It was on an IBM Netvista machine which seems to have had a hacked copy of Dell XP SP2 installed on it. I installed SP3 on it to see if it would complain about that but it never did and after it was done the install was still activated!

I'm still wiping the machine and putting 2000 on it to be compliant.

I tried to stay away from SP upgrades on client machines if I can help it. Most of the time they are so spyware infested it's just easier to do a clean install.

At my work we are uprgrading machines as they come in for repair (not me though I tend to wait about 3 months before doing SP upgrades).

I am pushing out laptops with the slipstreamed install of SP3 and that seems to be going fine. No issues.

I'm in touch with an IT specialist in Canada who installs his and other XPs with service pack via the 'streamlined' method. He tells me that he's now done this with SP3 without any problems, so I guess that either Microsoft's published advice is/was ambiguous, or it was plain wrong. However, bear in mind that, apart from early editions, XP itself usually comes with SP2 integrated. Thus, if you then add SP3 in the streamlined method, you're effectively adhering to Microsoft's recommendation.

I still cannot account for the extra 800MB - 1GB of partition now used. SP3 itself would be considerably less than that. XP + SP2 would be a fair bit more (unless perhaps in cab files). It'd be nice if Microsoft would tell us all but, as ever, getting them to come clean is like trying to get blood out of a stone.

I've also noticed someting similar with it. It's not a huge deal for the machines which have it installed, but it did slightly catch my attention. Storage space is wicked cheap these days. I'm pretty sure that both of you are right about the extra space taken up. SP upgrades require backups, restore points, and the likes, but 1 GB is a bit high.

We've decided to hold off on installing SP3 for multiple reasons. The issue with Symantec software is one reason, and (more importantly) the issue with Dymanics (Great Plains): data loss or corruption is prone due to a bug/compatibility issue with SP3.

As a general rule of thumb, we never install a new SP until at least 2.5 months after its release. There's always something wrong with them. Although, I do run tests on an external system to see how the new ones look.

I've had mine up to SP3 for a good while with no noticeable problems, but I don't run any Symantec or Great Plains software.

.bh.