Steps to take before you install Windows XP Service Pack 3

Microsoft released a Knowledge Base article detailing the steps that users should take before installing the latest Service Pack for Windows XP. The article itself is divided into two parts with the first part detailing the steps to take before installing Service Pack 3 while the second part lists possible error messages and problems users can run into when installing it.

Microsoft suggests a minimum hard drive space of 1500 Megabytes on the system partition when installing the Service Pack from the Microsoft Download Center or 1100 Megabytes when installing it from a shared network drive. The page lists two updates that, when installed, will make the installation of the Service Pack fail. Those updates are the Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit and Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) 6.0 MUI pack (Update 925877 for Windows XP).

If you have installed one or both you need to uninstall them to install the Service Pack. Last but not least it is required to make sure that security software like antivirus applications do not interfere when installing the Service Pack.

The page lists the most common error messages that user receive when updating Windows XP to Service Pack 3, among them are:

• You do not have enough free disk space on %SystemDrive% to install Service Pack 3.
• You do not have enough free disk space on %SystemDrive% to archive the uninstall files
• Service Pack 3 setup error. Access is denied
• You do not have permission to update Windows XP
• Digital Signature Not Found
• Setup could not verify the integrity of the file Update.inf
• Failed to install catalog files
• The software you are installing has not passed Windows Logo testing
• Service Pack 1 Setup could not verify the integrity of the file
• Internal Error
• This Service Pack requires the machine to be on AC Power before setup starts.
• Service Pack 3 installation did not complete
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 cannot be applied to Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 cannot be applied to Windows Embedded for Point of Service
• Setup has detected that another update is in progress.

The blogs and forums are full of users who report problems after trying to upgrade Windows XP to Service Pack 3.