Good (and Not-so-Good) Solutions to the HP Laptop Upgrade Mess

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:

• • Download and run HP's Microsoft Windows XP SP3 Upgrade Utility, also known as SP37394
  • Download and run Jasper Johansson's VB script tool (featured in our last posting)

Microsoft's current "answer" falls into the Not-so-Good category:

• • According to InfoWorld, Microsoft has temporarily halted automatic distribution via Windows Update of Windows XP SP3 to HP laptops running AMD processors. Update 5-28-08: WU will offer SP3 to HP/Compaq laptops with AMD processors after the erroneous Intel power-management reference in the Registry is removed (a hat tip to reader Cassandra).

HP and Microsoft's approaches bring us to the following questions: Does HP talk to Microsoft? Does Microsoft talk to HP?

Why It Happened

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.

Preventing "The Fire Next Time"

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:

4

TAGS: 

operating system, Software, news, OS, XP, Windows XP SP3, BartPE, SP3, disk image, Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image, winxp

Comments Print Email