Service Pack updates

[comda]

Greetings Computer Hope!

I just put together a nice system to play all my old XP games that refuse to play properly in Windows 7.
Specs are as follows:

Core 2 Duo 6400 @ 1.8Ghz
2Gb DDr2 Memory (4x 512mb)
80Gb WD HDD
Nvidia FX 6800 Gt 256Mb (dual DVI)

Anyways. My issue is i have a retail copy of windows XP Professional (no service pack) and was wondering if I can upgrade to SP3 without wasting my time downloading the updates. I have a disk that has an executable that updates to SP3 but you have to already have SP2 on it to do so. And im on no service packs.

I want to stay legal, no cracks please. I found the downloadable SP3 a few years back on microsofts page but cant find an exe SP2. Any ideas?

[Geek-9pm]

Somewhere it says service packs must be done in order.
Microsoft does not indicate they will provide all the service packs.
Ssoftonic claims to have all three for download.
http://en.softonic.com/s/windows-xp-service-pack-1-2-3
You should understand Ssoftonic may 'piggy back' other programs to your download. You may decline the ones you do not want.
Ssoftonic is a major site and I do not think they do 'hacks' or malware. But they do need to get some income to justify the download service. 

BTW: You might want to use IE 6 with Windows XP.

[Allan]

Service packs are cumulative. You can go straight to sp3 without installing prior service packs.

[patio]

Nope...SP3 will not install if you don't have at least SP 1...

You will probably tear your hair out trying to find SP these days though.

[DaveLembke]

I was looking for SP1a a while back and I was able to go from SP0 to SP2 first and then SP3. I have had SP3 complain about a .Net requirement that has to be satisfied before SP3 will take, of which the .Net update is part of SP2.

These days I have a SP3 slipstream fully patched to all but the last surprise patch that Microsoft released after they stated they were no longer supporting it. So its a clean build direct to the next to last patch and then 1 patch and done.

***Isnt the Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13Ghz and not 1.8Ghz. I went on a google search because I have an older system with the Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8Ghz and was going to compare the differences since I thought they were both 1.8Ghz and then I saw that mine is 1.8ghz and yours should be 2.13ghz if its a E6400. http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/586/Intel_Core_2_Duo_E4300_vs_Intel_Core_2_Duo_E6400.html

My Core 2 Duo E4300 was an upgrade I performed from the weaker Pentium E2160 in a Dell Inspiron 530S that was given to me. The Pentium E2160 lagged in comparison to the Core 2 Duo E4300 even with XP Home SP3 clean build. Now its faster with the Core 2 Duo.

[patio]

The last 3 times i tried to start with a clean install of XP on client's PC i could not install SP2 until SP1 was installed...

After spending a full day trying to find SP1 on the web i finally gave up...

I wound up having to source an XP original CD that included all the Service Packs included and did a clean install...

[DaveLembke]

hmm... when I went from SP0 to SP2 I used the Service Pack 2 CD that Microsoft shipped years ago to our business .... maybe there was some sort of extra SP1a content on that SP2 CD that isn't part of the normal SP2 download. 

Oddly enough I just found SP1a unless the download link is broken.... I haven't tried it, but it looks like Microsoft added SP1a back to their site as for years ago it was nowhere to be found with only option being SP2. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=19751

[patio]

The Express install will not do it...

If you have an hour to waste give it a try...i went around in circles with this for a full day and evening...

[Allan]

Sorry - my mistake. SP3 does require sp1, but you CAN do a slipstream of sp3 without sp1.