repair install of XP SP2 after upgrade to SP3?

[travistee]

I installed SP3 on my XP Home with SP2

Can I still do a repair install with the original XP SP2 disk?

[CeeBee]

You can, but you'll screw many of the updates. Better slipstream SP3 into your CD and then repair.

[travistee]

Will it do the updates again to repair itself?

[CCT]

The Repair Install will overwrite everything in the Windows OS (not the other stuff you put there) so that you will need SP3 AND all the updates.

I downloaded SP3 to a CD (actually, since I have a SP1 original install CD, I put SP2 and SP3 downloads there).

I have slipstreamed SP2 to another CD and it works a charm - just been too lazy for the SP3 slipstream.

YOU have to seek the updates though, of course, Windows Update.

[CeeBee]

Will it do the updates again to repair itself?

My experience shows that it will do SOME of them, but not necessarily all. That's why I prefer the SP3 slipstreamed CD.

[NooNoo]

If you have IE7 after an sp2 repair you can get some odd things going on if you then add sp3. Always load sp3 with ie6 or slipstream sp3

[travistee]

Microsoft has a version that they say is for network intstallations.

Where can I get SP3 that I can use for a slipstream?

[Niclo Iste]

The network installation one is the one for the slipstreaming.

[NooNoo]

Yep, the standalone version of a service pack is assumed to be used by IT Pros, Network admins and so on so that it the way it is displayed, but anyone can use it.

The windows update version only downloads the files you need, whereas the network/it pro version has all the files and is therefore much bigger.

I keep them on a usb stick, it's a lot quicker than windows update!