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If you've been a victim of the AMD-based HP and Compaq BSOD-reboot loop after installing Windows XP SP3 or you've been waiting for a solution, take your choice. Real solutions include:
Microsoft's current "answer" falls into the Not-so-Good category:
HP and Microsoft's approaches bring us to the following questions: Does HP talk to Microsoft? Does Microsoft talk to HP?
Microsoft frequently is slammed by computer users for a multitude of sins, but this time, it's clearly not Microsoft's fault.
Way back when Windows XP SP2 was being rolled out, OEM vendors had used the same corner-cutting method of using a common image for earlier generations of AMD and Intel-based systems, and the same BSOD-reboot loop happened. Microsoft's KB888372 discussed why this happened with SP2, and unfortunately required only minor editing to bring it up to date for the SP3 problem.
So, history repeated itself with the rollout of Windows XP SP3. How can we keep this problem from happening again?
Part of the solution already exists: Windows Vista, unlike Windows XP, handles differences in hardware better, so you can prepare a common image that can be deployed to different systems. However, Windows XP still has a long way to go before it joins Windows 98 in the grooveyard of forgotten operating system favorites. What should vendors - and users - do now?
Comments are closed on this article
Cassandra Morrison
May 28, 2008 at 9:19am
What the article says is not precisely accurate. If you happen to have Windows Live OneCare installed (as I did) then it kept trying to shove the upgrade on me even after I had had to reformat back to SP2 because of the "problem" (this was pre-patch). But I kept seeing it right up until the patch was issued and I was finally able to let SP3 install again. Then OneCare was happy, I was Happy, HP and Microsoft were happy and all the little birdies were singing.
Cassandra Morrison
Marcus_Soperus
June 01, 2008 at 5:52pm
It sounds as if WLOneCare hasn't 'gotten the memo' yet. We appreciate hearing about how it works - and does't work.
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It's amazing how illogical a business built on binary logic can be.
Cassandra Morrison
May 28, 2008 at 1:00am
Yes, they do. I downloaded and installed the SP37394 patch just two days ago..went to the Microsoft Update site and downloaded and installed Service Pack 3 without problems. Don't know where you got the idea they weren't letting people with AMD processors download SP3 because they ARE. (Wouldn't do it without the fix, though).
Cassandra Morrison
Marcus_Soperus
May 28, 2008 at 8:19am
Glad to hear that MS is providing SP3 via WU if your system is patched. However, if you hadn't installed the patch or run the VB script, you wouldn't have seen SP3 offered (see http://blogs.technet.com/mu/archive/2008/05/15/more-on-windows-xp-service-pack-3.aspx for details).
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It's amazing how illogical a business built on binary logic can be.
