Windows Service pack 3 - do I want to let this install?

[JerseygirlCT]

All the warnings on it about backing everything up first have me scared. I'm not in the mood for another computer melt-down.

What's the story? I just cancelled the install before it really started (I've got the auto updates on) - hope I did the right thing, but I wanted informed opinions before just letting it go.

TIA!

[Redneck Socialist]

1. I didn't have any problems with it. n/t

[Sentath]

2. Well

On one computer it reached the end, said 'permission denied', backed itself out, and hasn't tried again.

On a second computer it . . . took . . . its . . . own . . . sweet . . . time. But, finished up with no hitches whatsoever.

(edited to defeat whitespace filter)

[JerseygirlCT]

3. Did you have problems with the first computer after it did that?

It's the whole "make sure you back up your machine first" thing that's got me spooked. If it wasn't potentially going to cause big problems, why that warning?

[Gore1FL]

4. Anytime you put a major patch up

there is a chance of a fiasco occurring. they are in CYA mode. It is prudent to back up your data from time to time, however, so this would be a good opportunity to do so.

[JerseygirlCT]

5. Well, we got most of it about a month ago, when I had to

have the computer re-formatted thanks to a particularly nasty virus attack. So I copied the new pictures since then, and I think that would do me. But geez, that's a scary message! And I don't want to deal with the whole computer being messed up thing, you know?

[Gore1FL]

6. I get it!

I am responsible for 1300 of them... but I have some advantages--I can rebuild any one of them from an image stored on a server in about an hour.

One thing you should be aware of is that if you have High def audio you might need to reload the driver after an upgrade to SP3. If you decide to go that way and need help getting anything to work, let me know.

[JerseygirlCT]

8. Thank you!

I appreciate that.

Yes, here at home it's just the one little old PC. Hopefully the last fun round, I got everything important onto an external drive. And hopefully, my son hasn't deleted any of that, since he's taking the drive with him to school, I believe. (Lots of his recording on there). So backing up is a bit more involved here than say at work.

[Sentath]

11. Nope

Not a lick of trouble, just haven't taken the time to sit down and back it up and clean it up and try again.

[hobbit709]

7. That's the main reason I keep all my data on a different partition.

I keep NO data on C: drive. That way if I have to redo, I don't lose any of my pics, etc.

[JerseygirlCT]

9. That's smart

I'm not sure I'm clever enough to get things all set up like that, though!

[hobbit709]

10. If you're doing a fresh install, you can create partitions

Or on a system I use Acronis Disk Director. Lets you partition on the fly. You can create, delete, or resize partitions without wiping the drive and starting over.

[madfloridian]

12. This is the second time they have pushed this SP3 on me.

I went ahead and hid it before, and I have been able to download further updates by the option view other updates.

Now it is back...and when I go to update it is all I see. It is like I must download it or else.

What is going on here? I have SP1 and SP2....and all updates installed since last week or so.

But it seems different this time. Like they are forcing it.