Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB905474)
Download size: 1.5 MB , less than 1 minute
The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification tool notifies you if your copy of Windows is not genuine. If your system is found to be non-genuine, the tool will help you obtain a licensed copy of Windows. Details...


Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 Family Update (KB951847) x86
Download size: 248.4 MB , 38 minutes
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 is a full cumulative update that contains many new features building incrementally upon .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and includes cumulative servicing updates to the .NET Framework 2.0 and .NET Framework 3.0 subcomponents. The .NET Framework 3.5 Family Update provides important application compatibility updates. Details...

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These two things keep popping up to install any problems with these.. ?

I installed it in both desktops and both laptops.
No problems,
bebop

No problems with either with me. However if your Windows is a non-legal copy it then tells you that, every time you fire up - very annoying.
In my case, on another computer, I ended up making it legal by paying, I think, $149. The original was from a company copy that allowed unlimited installations. Later I left that company, and later this system caught up with me!
Keith

That update has crashed a lot of PC's..., and nearly crashed mine. My wife attempted to update XP on my PC with this service pack.., and we had nothing but problems. The computer wasn't starting correctly..., just a big mess. Ended up having to revert the system to previous and said screw the whole thing. My wife checked some forum and found a whole slew of people who posted complete system crashes trying to install this service pack.

Squeak

Installed updates on my 6 computers without any problems. Thanks everyone.

I don;t update BIOs in anything, firmware, or OS unless I NEED to or there are new features I want or a problem I need to solve.

That said I have been working with SP2 for years and see no need to upgrade to SP3. Its a big upgrade and I don't see the benefits. (unlike SP2)

Kingfrog.., all these major service packs they release have a lot to do with updates they had to make because every 5 minutes some hacker has found a way to exploit Windows. There are so many security flaws in the system software that hackers find all these clever ways to exploit it. A few weeks ago my wife's laptop's virus software blocked a virus that exploited some flaw in the Microsoft Word program and tried to hide a virus there. Windows gets such a bad rap because of all the security flaws. Problem is that some people can't update with the service packs because MS service packs crash some PC's during the update.

Now that I think about it.., just yesterday the wife was telling me her anti-virus nailed a Trojan. All she was doing was reading the NEWS on Yahoo. A hacker most likely had a malicious file hidden in one of the ads and the Trojan was design to exploit a flaw in Adobe and attempted to plant a Trojan in that program.

It's a risk just loggin on to the internet today! I once had my anti-virus block a Trojan just by opening my browser! Again.., most likely some malicious file hidden in one of the ads on my Verizon home page.



[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 04-13-2009).]

Yeah I know. Most of the updates are security related. I trust Avast will catch most viruses. I have not had a virus or issue in years..HOWEVER...I format and reload all OS on all the PCs once a year, Windows gets sluggish even without a virus as the regs build up. Sometimes I think Norton and some of the virus companies plant viruses to stay relavant...LOL

They don't plant a virus in your system, BUT some of these virus program are FREAKING HUGE.., and do a number on your CPU at times!

My wife's laptop (an HP Pav) has Norton.., but with all the other BS HP has running (that you can't shut off) the CPU gets bogged down a lot. Espcially when Norton is trying to run tasks then suddenly the HP Desktop Manager has to run something. You can almost smell the smoke coming off the RAM! When we bought this laptop 2 gigs was the standard in RAM.., but in the computer world that changes every 30 days! Now units with 4 gigs are popping up everywhere!

Oh Hell no,,,,No Norton or main stream Virus pgms for me. Norton is the worst sending it's nasty tentacles every where....Avast using only 3 shields is overhead lite and does the job....

For XP SP3 installation, rule "if it's ain't broken - don fix it" is valid.

Generally, service pack is just a collection of numerous OS fix-es (essentially different system files) that can be (and usually is) downloaded from 'Windows update site'. Installing SP on a computer that works normally, and already have these fixes can't do much good, and sometimes can produce problems (as we can see from some posts here).

But, if your PC behaves strange (usually because of altered/erased system files and folders, that are result of virus/rootkit/malware or user mistakes) installation of SP (2 or 3 depending of previous OS version) can fix all the issues in many cases, and it's faster and easier way then doing clean Windows installation and installing all the programs.

Also, if You are doing fresh Windows installation, then SP 3 installation is highly recommended, because You get all the latest fixes, and it shortens the time spent on first Windows update. And it's problem-free because there are no 3rd party programs, registry changes or configuration files (that usually cause problems when installing SP on already working system).

Advanced users (virtually everyone who is comfortable to work in command line and knows how to burn bootable CD) can slipstream SP3 with XP installation (slipstreaming is kind of 'installation on to the installation CD', ie replacing old files with new ones) and that way they can save the time needed for updating the OS to SP3 level.

update after installing Ser pack 3 on all my computers (6) all is well and working better then ever.