Why install SP3?

Usually, the main reason for installing a Service Pack is to get all the latest updates to the operating system. WinXP SP3 doesn’t disappoint, including fixes for a swathe of issues. Most of these fixes had already been available as individual hotfixes through Windows Update. Windows Service Packs are also cumulative, so SP3 includes all the fixes included in previous Service Packs.

And that’s about it. There aren’t really any new features to spruik. The real reason to install SP3 is to get all the updates (more than 100) in one convenient package. This is very handy for IT Support bods who need to update or install many PCs across a network.

Testing SP3

When SP3 first came out, I installed it on a test machine. That way, if it borked, I could just re-image or reinstall the machine without really upsetting anything. The installation went without a hitch. The machine has been humming along quite happily on SP3 for more than a month now.

The real test

So eventually I decided to try SP3 out on my laptop.

Big. Mistake.

The installation of SP3 actually went very well. The process took about half an hour from go to whoa, after which I was asked to reboot, as you would expect. The system rebooted without any problems. A couple of programs complained about files having changed (notably Desktop Sidebar and Spyware Terminator). Other than that, everything seemed to be working OK. Firewall up, all looking good.

What happened next

That is, everything worked OK until I went home.

Events the conspired something like this…

1. First thing, as expected, I turned it on. Halfway through the boot procedure, I was confronted with the murderous stare of a Blue Screen of Death. No worries, a reboot will fix that up.
2. Another BSoD. Chills down my spine.
3. OK, Safe Mode will save me. Yet another BSoD. Cold sweat.
4. More screens of death. Nearly at hair-pulling stage now. Oh great. I’m going to have to re-image my machine.
5. Right. Let’s take it back to the bare essentials. Remove all USB devices. Just one — my mouse.
6. Success!

Wha? Didn’t expect that. Apparently SP3 doesn’t like my Microsoft USB Optical Mouse. Yikes. After removing my mouse from the laptop, Windows XP (now SP3) continued to boot as usual.

When I had logged in and all the startup processes settled down, I fired up my trusty browser, only to realise that my wireless wasn’t working. No matter what I tried, the wireless would not work. Apparently SP3 doesn’t like my wireless either.

Uninstall!

So I then found out something really good about SP3. The uninstall procedure works like a charm. Everything went back to the way it was before installation. There were no BSoD’s, my mouse worked, my wireless worked and a great wave of relief came over me.

WinXP SP3 was out of my system and everything was good in the world. Whew!

YMMV

As you can see, Service Pack 3 may or may not work for you. One machine still trundles along quite happily whereas another computer had a near-death experience. Gladly, I can say that I’ve had a good experience with the uninstall procedure.

Your Mileage May Vary.

Blessings,
Steve

[Listening to Meshuggah, Destroy Erase Improve — Future Breed Machine]

I’ve been using Prism for a while now to separate off frequently-accessed or troublesome web apps from my main browser.

What is Prism?

Prism is sort of like a simplified browser that’s focussed in on doing just one thing, or rather, one website. Prism creates an icon to access a specific website and cut down on distractions while using that website.

For example, I have a GMail icon that opens a Prism instance. It doesn’t really do anything except use GMail. If I click on a link in an email, it opens that link in my default browser. Simple.

So what?

You may be asking, “So what? I just browse this in my normal browser!” Fair enough, that’s where I started.

So why do I use it? Stability. Each Prism instance runs in its own memory space. Each instance keeps its own settings, cache, cookies, etc. It’s separate to my normal browser, so it can’t interfere with anything else I’m doing. There is no possibilities of nefarious cross-site skullduggery. It also will not crash my primary browser if the web app misbehaves.

Suggestions

For me, Prism shines when it’s used to access web apps. Here’s some sites I access with Prism:

• GMail
• Google Calendar
• Google Reader
• Google Docs (hmmm… seems to be a theme here…)
• Weewar

What’s changed in 0.9?

A short list of significant changes in the new version:

• each Prism instance now runs in its own memory space, which cauterises apps from each other
• ability to use extensions (although I haven’t been too successful at installing them yet)
• Prism now uses Gecko 1.9 Beta 4, so it’s fairly closely mirroring Firefox developments
• app icons!

I’m loving having GMail et al separated off from my main browser and am looking forward to Prism’s future.

Blessings,
Steve

[Listening to Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts — Ghosts I]