I am trying to do a repair install on a PC which has XP Pro (SP3) installed. I am using a genuine XP Pro (SP2) disc which I have used successfully to repair install my other XP Pro system which had SP2.

My problem is that when using the SP2 disc to repair the SP3 system the install hangs during the installation of the drivers process. The computer locks solid.

Is it possible to do a repair install of a SP3 system with a SP2 disc or should I always revert to SP2 before trying the repair install?

Many thanks - Simpson

If possible, uninstall SP3.

I won't go to SP3 for this, and other reasons.

Many thanks for prompt reply. Would trying to do the Repair Install of the SP3 system with the SP2 disc result in the install freezing?

Yes, it can.

Using nLite you can slipstream and even customize an XP SP3 disk. Please note that officially this isn't support by M$. You will need your xp sp 2 disk and the SP 3 installer (a 316 mb download). Do this from a stable windows system. Unless you know what you are doing I don't recommend the customizations; just go with the defaults. But yes you can't repair a SP3 install with an SP 2 disk. Doing so could lead to instability. Please note that if you do like Dan Penny and not reinstall SP 3 you will not be able to get any future bug fixes and patches because only SP 3 is supported. I'm sure that Dan would agree that going without updates and the most recent service pack is risky and not for everyone but only the most experienced and careful computer users. I would go as far as to recommend upgrading to windows 7 if you have a powerful enough computer but you certainly need to reinstall SP 3. Good luck.

Many thanks to you both. I have used nLite to slipstram SP3 to produce a new disc and also used the process detailed in How to Slipstream Windows XP Service Pack 3 to Create an Integrated XP Setup Disk with SP 3 (howtohaven.com). Using either of these methods to produce a new SP3 disc I have had 'locking up' problems when trying a repair install of SP3 systems. I guess the most reliable way is to uninstall SP3 first then use an SP2 disc. I have been successful in doing the in the past with a slipstreamed SP1 to SP2 disc. I agree that I should then install SP3 in order to obtain latest bug fixes/patches. I'm not too familiar with W7 as yet so currently sticking to what I know - well some of it anyway! Thanks again.

"Using either of these methods to produce a new SP3 disc I have had 'locking up' problems when trying a repair install of SP3 systems."


Are you burning the CD at the medias speed? (ie; 2x, 4x, etc) Many times a CD burn program will give a "Successful Burn" report/result. However, the media will produce errors or cause a freeze when trying to access the burned data on certain sectors.

"I guess the most reliable way is to uninstall SP3 first then use an SP2 disc."

This is what I do (when required).

The most reliable way is to create an image backup while the computer is working, then restore it when it isn't. Keep the image up to date and these kinds of problems are gone.

When you used nLite, did you mess with any of the other options, remove anything? That can often lead to the kinds of problems you see using that CD.

I prefer Autostreamer to create a slipstreamed SP3 CD. It does only the Service Pack and nothing else. I also use ImgBurn at 4X if possible to create the CD from the generated iso.

Here is my tutorial on using Autostreamer:

The simplest way to create a Bootable Windows XP Pro or Home Installation CD Slipstreamed with SP3 is to use Autostreamer. You point to your XP Pro/Home CD, the SP3 Service Pack .exe file, give it a path to write the .iso file to and off it goes. In 5 or 10 minutes you have a .iso file that you can burn to CD with almost any CD burner program you want to use. I use a freeware burner called ImgBurn to do this.

Here is the link to Autostreamer: Download Autostreamer 1.0.33 Free - Basically, all it really needs is a source (that being an original Windows CD or a local share) and a Service Pack file - Softpedia

You can download the SP3 .exe here: Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers

I agree with only going with the defaults unless you absolutely know what you are doing. Again, creating a slip streamed disk isn't supported by Microsoft and isn't guaranteed to be reliable. I believe that the terms of use will say something in legal jargon to that effect. If your SP 3 disk isn't working either something is terribly wrong, beyond what a repair can fix, or the disk isn't good. Perhaps something critical was left out or it didn't burn correctly. We can't rule out the possibility of hardware failure unless you have done what you can to eliminate that. Perhaps you are having memory or hard drive issues. Just what is the problem? Why do you need to do a repair?

Wow! It must be me although I do not alter the defaults and use ImgBurn at 4X and use different makes of CD. It has happened with discs I have created on two different PC's, therefore different CD burners. I will try using Autostreamer next time. It is odd that on the two PC's I have tried a repair install (using different slipstreamed discs) that the repair install hangs at the same place each time - about 80% through installing the drivers. I only try a repair install when a PC has been neglected and abused for a long time and the use of the various tools to repair and clean the registry has little effect. I agree about creating an image backup which is what I do with my own machines.