darkwish
Free Knight
Premium
join:2003-09-12
Virginia Beach, VA
| reply to tahoejeff
Re: XP SP3 (3111) standalone now available for download
said by tahoejeff  :i'm building a pc for a customer next week, and i want to slipstream this with her xp install cd. her install cd doesn't even have sp2, so this would save me the time/trouble of all the updates. do you all think this is stable enough to put on a technophobe's pc? it sounds to me like this is nearly the final release. No, I wouldn't install a beta OS to customer's machine, especially one that isn't technically inclined. The SP3 beta also timebomb in 6 months. So unless you planned to reinstall windows for her in 6 months then SP2 would be better. |
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tahoejeff
join:2001-07-01
Wisconsin Dells, WI
clubs:
1 edit | thanks darkwish. i didn't know it was a time limited release.
guess i'll just slipstream sp2 for her
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The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth |
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ltsnow
join:2006-04-08
Valdosta, GA
 ·Mediacom
| reply to darkwish
said by darkwish :said by tahoejeff :i'm building a pc for a customer next week, and i want to slipstream this with her xp install cd. her install cd doesn't even have sp2, so this would save me the time/trouble of all the updates. do you all think this is stable enough to put on a technophobe's pc? it sounds to me like this is nearly the final release. No, I wouldn't install a beta OS to customer's machine, especially one that isn't technically inclined. The SP3 beta also timebomb in 6 months. So unless you planned to reinstall windows for her in 6 months then SP2 would be better. I doubt that this is true. I never saw anything about this and for fun I moved my computer clock one year ahead and rebooted. No problems.
Anyway, the final will be out soon so this is a moot point. |
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ltsnow
join:2006-04-08
Valdosta, GA
·Mediacom
1 edit | reply to La Luna
said by La Luna :When the final of SP3 is released, is there any pressing reason why everyone absolutely "needs" this? I haven't seen anything posted in the threads about it that indicate that. What is it bringing to the table that is new and/or different? It basically seems to be a conglomeration of fixes and security updates since SP 2 was released, unless I've missed something. It does add network security features and also adds a lot of hotfixes that were not readily available. In all there is just over 1000 changes. But for me the most important aspect is the ability to have a completely updated system on one disk. I do a lot Nlite builds and this is the only way to go. |
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La Luna
Surviving Ashraful
Premium
join:2001-07-12
Warwick, NY
clubs: |  reply to ltsnow
Thanks for the replies to my question everyone!  |
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darkwish
Free Knight
Premium
join:2003-09-12
Virginia Beach, VA
| reply to ltsnow
said by ltsnow :said by darkwish :said by tahoejeff :i'm building a pc for a customer next week, and i want to slipstream this with her xp install cd. her install cd doesn't even have sp2, so this would save me the time/trouble of all the updates. do you all think this is stable enough to put on a technophobe's pc? it sounds to me like this is nearly the final release. No, I wouldn't install a beta OS to customer's machine, especially one that isn't technically inclined. The SP3 beta also timebomb in 6 months. So unless you planned to reinstall windows for her in 6 months then SP2 would be better. I doubt that this is true. I never saw anything about this and for fun I moved my computer clock one year ahead and rebooted. No problems. Anyway, the final will be out soon so this is a moot point. I stand corrected, it was only the beta's, not the RC's. Still, when the final comes out, you won't be able install it till you uninstall the previous SP3. And if it was slipstreamed... you can't. You'd probably have to do a repair install with SP3 Final slipstreamed cd. |
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bcastner
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD
clubs: | reply to ltsnow
There is no facility to slipstream this. That will have to wait for the final.
Also, it cannot be applied to an XP "Gold" release. It will only install if you are at least at Service Pack 1.
Finally, yes it is time bombed. |
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darkwish
Free Knight
Premium
join:2003-09-12
Virginia Beach, VA | The service pack is slipstreamable, as I'm using windows xp + sp3 installed by a slipstreamed cd. Yes it won't install on XP Gold, but it will slipstream onto it. |
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ltsnow
join:2006-04-08
Valdosta, GA
·Mediacom
| reply to bcastner
said by bcastner :There is no facility to slipstream this. That will have to wait for the final. Also, it cannot be applied to an XP "Gold" release. It will only install if you are at least at Service Pack 1. Finally, yes it is time bombed. You certainly can slipstream it. My system right now was slipstreamed yesterday. Also, I moved my clock ahead a year. No evidence of a timebomb. |
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bcastner
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD
clubs:
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| You "can" do a lot of things. That does not mean that they are a smart thing to do. Slipstreaming Beta and Release Candidates denies you the ability to revert the change.
There are web sites that are more than happy to give you the details on how to slipstream SP3; e.g. »www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreame···3_cd.htm
But as the Microsoft Website for SP3 Beta and RC users has pointed out, there is no formal provision for doing so, and a slipstream is not a supported installation: »forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/Sea···mID=2010
Moving your clock ahead is not a valid test of the time bomb. It is in fact time bombed. Something you will discover at a later date.
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MS-MVP 2004 - -2008, ASAP Member
Users Helping Users
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ltsnow
join:2006-04-08
Valdosta, GA
·Mediacom
1 edit | What makes these builds different from a final release, which of course is supported for slipstreaming? I did see in the forums that it does have a timebomb.
BTW, I am only testing these things out. I have tons of Acronis images that I can immediately revert to if there is any problem. But I must say that every SP3 build that I have Nlited has worked perfectly. |
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Mele20
Premium
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI
| reply to Mercurybird
I didn't know it started up all services during the install? I have a bunch of services disabled and it didn't complain and if it started the ones not disabled but not already started...I didn't see it do that. It installed very rapidly. I did notice that even with not much in the way of programs, my documents, mail, etc. on this computer that it had to be defragged immediately and the fragmentation was 33% which had to have been just from the install. The install increased the size of the virtual disk also. I want to install it on my XP Pro SP1 virtual machine but that virtual disk has a fixed size and I don't think I have enough space especially for a defrag afterwards.
As for the Raid error boot, I think that is your nVidia board. I have an nVidia board and I have two Sata 300 drives and I get that error at every boot since I got the machine two years ago. I don't do Raid either but in order to enable NCQ on the drives, this board required that I install the nVidia Raid drivers. Dell told me it was normal on an nVidia board to see that error at boot because a Raid setup is expected. But since you said you have only gotten the Raid error recently maybe your problem is something different.
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"The same ferocity that our founders devoted to protect the freedom and independence of the press is now appropriate for our defense of the freedom of the internet. The stakes are the same: the survival of our Republic". Al Gore, The Assault on Reason |
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Mele20
Premium
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI | reply to tahoejeff
It won't bomb. You will be offered the Gold Master from WU which will upgrade this RC. I also assume Microsoft will allow upgrading via the Download center. |
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bcastner
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | And your Microsoft cite for this Mele20 ?
My concern is that you can easily revert in the non-slipstream case, but you cannot in a slipstream. This limits the options to zero for what can be done when SP3 goes RTM. If the decision is made that it can only be installed with a previous RC removed, something that a non-slipstream allows, then the slipstream folks are in trouble.
Finally, if the OS will not continue to run unless upgraded, or nags you constantly, how is this not a time bomb? |
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Grail Knight
Who Dares Wins
Premium
join:2003-05-31
2 edits | reply to bcastner
Post withdrawn by me.
Edit* |
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bcastner
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | I wrote a FAQ on the SP3 release, including links to all Microsoft support sites for the Beta and Release Candidates. »aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=30732
But Microsoft states the time bomb is in place clearly on its main support site for the release: »forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/Sho···iteID=17 |
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Grail Knight
Who Dares Wins
Premium
join:2003-05-31 | Thanks. |
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bcastner
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | The last I heard anything definite about when the timer expires, is in that Forum by Jeff Wall from Microsoft, SP3 Team, that all Beta and RC releases would time bomb at 180 days.
As the SP3 Team stated at the start of the Beta:
quote:
This pre-release software is provided for testing purposes only. Microsoft does not recommend installing this software on primary or mission critical systems. Microsoft recommends that you have a backup of your data prior to installing any pre-release software. It is pre-release software, and is time-limited, and is intended for IT professionals, developers, and other technically-inclined individuals that are comfortable using pre-release software.
Search the link above for "time limit" to see the tons of posts regarding the issue; but from the release of the first Beta the intention to time bomb all releases was made unambiguous.
Since RTM is to be "before first half 2008", the time limit should not be an issue unless you still have installed the first Beta. That might be pushing the deadline, depending on when it was installed.
But the imporant issue is that it makes no sense to slipstream these releases. First, there has been no assurance you can install an update over the top. It seems to me that there would not be an issue, unless you slipstreamed. The slipstream denies the installer the ability to revert. Second, even though the current RC is permitted for an over-the-top (for non-slipstream)installation, a read of the support forum suggests this has proved problematic. In my own testing, 4/10 would not install the current release candidate until I manually did an Add/Remove of the previous version. As each of the ones that had issues had different issues, I cannot generalize. But it does seem to me that for something as important as a Service Pack (of 300+mb) that doing it clean of any Beta or Release Candidate of that service pack makes the sanest sense, or at least you do want that option.
Save the slipstreams until RTM.
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MS-MVP 2004 - -2008, ASAP Member
Users Helping Users
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Grail Knight
Who Dares Wins
Premium
join:2003-05-31 | I tend to agree that a clean install of a SP is the best way to go. |
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takeahike
join:2005-01-07
Woodland Hills, CA | reply to ltsnow
Being the 'patient' one I am I wish they'd just release the final already so I could install it. Then we can accuse them of rushing it out the door! |
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