SP3 Confusion

I have been reading posts in various locations that there is some confusion regarding the IEBlog post, IE and Windows XP Service Pack 3. Let's take a closer look.

Although IE7 is the current Internet Explorer "standard" and has been out for some time, for various reasons, there are many companies that have not been able to upgrade to IE7. As an example, perhaps there are custom or proprietary applications that are not compatible with IE7. With SP3, those companies who still are not in a position to tool-up for installing IE7 can take advantage of the additional security features and improvements afforded by SP3. The same can be said for home installations.

With that explanation, it makes sense that SP3 is "tailored" for IE6. So what happens to Internet Explorer if you use IE7 and install SP3? Actually, nothing except that you will not be able to revert to IE6 unless you uninstall both SP3 and IE7 and then reinstall SP3.

I would strongly advise anyone using IE8 Beta to uninstall IE8 Beta prior to installing SP3.

Important Additional Notes:

I learned from ravencajun at the Garden Web* that there appears to be issues with non-Intel OEM machines, particularly HP and COMPAQ, resulting in a reboot loop where only Safe Mode is possible. See Microsoft MVP, Bill Castner's instructions at BBR.

There have also been reports of people having problems with SP3 because they did not follow the instructions at Recommendations before you install Windows XP Service Pack 3. When installing any software, but most particularly a major update such as a service pack, always disconnect from the internet and close anti-virus, anti-malware and any "real-time protection" software.

If you use Avast anti-virus software, also disable the Avast Self-Defense Module (Right-click the Avast icon > Program Settings > Troubleshooting > place a check mark in the box: "Disable avast! self-defense module"). It can be re-enabled after the installation has been completed.


Microsoft is providing free, unlimited installation and compatibility support for Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) through April 14, 2009. Additional information is available at http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&prid=11273&gprid=522131


Note: For information on AMD-based machines, see the Windows XP SP3 and the Reboot Loop.

*Most appropriate, Security Garden learning from Garden Web!

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Windows XP SP3 Released

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) is now available on Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft has also resumed automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1.

With regard to the incompatibility between Dynamics Retail Management System and WIndows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP1, Microsoft added a filter to block WU from offering Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1 to systems with RMS . A fix will be available soon. (See KB 951937).

Unless you are in a hurry to install SP3, I recommend waiting for Automatic Updates, which will begin some time over the next few months.

Very Important Information!

Because I am fearful that some readers may not appreciate the significance of the information presented by Jane Maliouta in the IEBlog, I have quoted it here. Please note the information relating to the version of Internet Explorer installed on your computer.

Update: After reading the information below, see the follow up at SP3 Confusion as well as Recommendations before you install Windows XP Service Pack 3.

"Windows XP SP3 contains some new updates, and a number of bug fixes and security improvements. You can learn more about XPSP3 features by reading the white paper located here. We expect XPSP3 will be publicly available shortly and want you to have this information prior to its final release to the web.

Internet Explorer 6 Users

XPSP3 will continue to ship with IE6 and contains a roll-up of the latest security updates for IE6. If you are still running Internet Explorer 6, then XPSP3 will be offered to you via Windows Update as a high priority update. You can safely install XPSP3 and will have an updated version of IE6 with all your personal preferences, such as home pages and favorites, still intact.

If you are currently running IE7 or IE8 on Windows XP SP2 (XPSP2) and you are thinking of upgrading to XPSP3, read on.

Internet Explorer 7 Users

If you are currently running IE7 on XPSP2, Windows Update will offer you XPSP3 as a high priority update. If you choose to install XPSP3, Internet Explorer 7 will remain on your system after the install is complete. Your preferences will be retained. However, you will no longer be able to uninstall IE7. If you go to Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs, the Remove option will be grayed out.

This behavior is by design and here is why. When we install IE7 on Windows XP SP2, we backup the existing IE6 files in an uninstall directory. Those IE6 files are the ones that shipped on XPSP2 plus all the security updates you’ve installed while using IE6. Windows XP SP3 contains a newer version of the Internet Explorer 6 files. If you have XPSP3 on your system and uninstall IE7, your system would revert to the backed up (older) version of the IE6 files rather than the newer XPSP3 version. You would end up in a mixed file state in Windows where most files would be the upgraded XPSP3, except for the IE6 files restored when uninstalling IE7. This state is not supported and is very bug prone. To ensure a reliable user experience, we prevent this broken state by disabling the ability to uninstall Internet Explorer 7.

If you must uninstall IE7 after you have upgraded to XPSP3, then you have to first uninstall XPSP3, and then uninstall IE7. After this series of uninstalls, you will be reverted back to a XPSP2, and a stable version of IE6, so feel free to upgrade to XPSP3 again.

If you install IE7 after you install XPSP3, then you will be able to uninstall IE7 at any point and be reverted to the newer IE6 version that ships in XPSP3. The restriction on uninstalling only applies to when you install a Windows Service Pack release on top of a standalone IE release.

Keeping this in mind, you might want to uninstall IE7, upgrade to XPSP3 and then install IE7 again so you can uninstall IE7 in the future if need be.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 Users

Installing IE8 Beta1 on Windows XP SP3 is fully supported, so go ahead and upgrade your computers to XPSP3 and then install IE8 Beta 1 to try out our new features. You will be able to uninstall IE8 Beta 1 at any point to revert back to either IE7 or IE6 depending on what you were using before.

However, if you already have IE8 Beta 1 installed on XPSP2, Windows XP SP3 will not be offered to you via Windows Update. This is because after you update your system to XPSP3, you will no longer be able to uninstall IE8 Beta 1 and the Remove option will be grayed out under the Add/Remove programs in Control Panel. The reason is the same as in IE7 case described above. Since people are more likely to uninstall beta software, we strongly recommend uninstalling IE8 Beta 1 prior to upgrading to Windows XP SP3 to eliminate any deployment issues and install IE8 Beta 1 after XPSP3 is on your machine."

References:

• IE and Windows XP Service Pack 3
• Microsoft Knowledge Base Article KB 951937
• Windows XP Service Pack 3 Now Available on Windows Update
• Windows XP SP3 Released to Web (RTW), now available on Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Protect Yourself or a Friend from Phishing & Fraud

I have published quite a few posts on phishing since starting this blog. If you are a regular reader, you may have seen some of the previous posts and think to yourself, ok, nothing new here. Wait, please. Before you move on to another website, please

Think about your favorite aunt or the nice gentleman who lives next door. Has anyone explained to them about phishing? Perhaps not.

or consider

Are you the "family computer fixer"? You know who you are -- the person in the family that all the cousins, nieces and nephews call when they are having a problem with their computer. Do they understand phishing? Perhaps not.

Don't take a chance that your family or friends might fall for a phish and suffer possible financial loss and/or identity theft. Explain to them how serious the problem has become as well as how clever the phishers are these days.

Microsoft published a series of articles, individually linked below, on how to protect yourself from phishing and fraud. Use the information there to educate your family and friends and to refresh your own knowledge. If you volunteer at a community center or youth group consider making a presentation on phishing. You could show the FTC videos on phishing on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/ftcvideos

How to help avoid phishing scams

• Recognize phishing scams and fraudulent e-mails
• Social engineering
• Phishing FAQ

How to recognize a phishing scam

• The "Microsoft Lottery"
• Typo-squatting
• Spear phishing
• Advance fee fraud (also known as the Nigerian or 419 scam)
• Fraudulent e-mail to that appears to come from Microsoft

Use technology to protect yourself from phishing and fraud

• Phishing Filter: Help protect yourself from online scams
• What to do if you've responded to a phishing scam
• How to handle suspicious e-mail

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...