Dell M6400: comes with XP SP3 pre-installed, but I want to install XP SP2 instead: anyone have any tips?

So here goes. I bought a M6400 recently, and asked that XP be installed and Vista be available. So I have XP Pro OEM SP3 preinstalled on the machine, and Vista Ultimate Sp1 available on a separate DVD. I'm not ready to go to Vista yet, so I want to run XP for now. However, I am certain that Sp3 is at the root of practically all the problems I am suffering, and I need to get rid of it. Anyone have any idea how to do this? The Dell XP disc has Sp3 on it, so I can't simply hit "uninstall" and get rid of SP3. I have OEM SP2 XP discs available and have a moderate knowledge of slipstreaming, so I just need some pointers.


My other laptop, a Lenovo T60P, has only Sp2 installed and is suffering none of the issues the Dell has, so I'm pretty sure that Sp3 needs to go.

 

Service Pack 3 doesn't change the OS like Service Pack 2 did. It's not a significant update. It's simply an update rollup. You'll have the exact same effect on the system as running XP SP2 with all current updates from Windows Update.

Have you even tried a reinstall with the SP3 disk? What sort of issues are you seeing? I only have one XP box left, and it's running with SP3 flawlessly (it's my HTPC).

 

Can't install any games...they all have bogus DLL errors during setup. My T60P installs (and runs) them all flawlessly. I am certain a majority of the nonsense is caused by the senseless garbage added by SP3...SQL Server personal ed(wth, who needs this?), several different visual C++ redistributable's, silverlight, the new Search (which is utter garbage, btw), all that Live trash, God knows what else.

I haven't done a reinstall yet. I just got it and I already know, from past experience, what a pain doing an OS on a Dell is compared to, say, a Lenovo.

 

I have never experienced or heard about serious difficulties installing games with SP3 installed. I really don't think it's causing your problems.

Additionally, many of the things you mentioned - Silverlight, Windows Live Essentials and the new Desktop Search feature - are not part of SP3 at all. If they happen to be included on your system it's because Dell has added them separately. You can remove them individually using add/remove programs.

Finally, if you only have a CD that includes SP3 then there is no way of getting an SP2 installation out of this - you would need to find a new XP CD that doesn't contain SP3. I strongly suggest you find another way to solve your specific difficulties though - going back to SP2 is unlikely to magically fix any big problems you're having. Also remember that before long Microsoft will stop offering security updates for people who haven't installed SP3 and it will then become very unwise to have an insecure SP2 system.

 

As Pinkpig said, all those things do NOT come with SP3 - as I mentioned, I have SP3 on my HTPC and none of those are installed (except Search 4.0. I like it, so sue me!).

Go into the control panel, Add/Remove programs applet, and nuke whatever you don't use. Reboot, and try again. If that doesn't work, reinstall from your XP SP3 CD.

BTW MS SQL Personal is definitely NOT installed by SP3!

 

...consider yourself presented with papers for a court date



To the op:

What error are you getting exactly, is it always the same one?

 

I hear what you fellows are saying, but I am stubbornly convinced that removing SP3 would help. I get C++ errors, missing DLL errors, and on some stuff like Photoshop 6.0, it never even got passed the install splash screen. All these programs and games installed flawlessly on a SP2 running Thinkpad T60p, mind you. One that had the same install of XP for almost a year.

 

Now you're starting to sound like a Joe Sixpack! =P

Seriously, I am 99% sure that SP3 isn't your issue at all. If you could provide more information such as what the errors say exactly, or what DLLs it says is missing, and whether or not those DLLs show up when you search for them, etc etc.

I also still say you should simply start uninstalling everything that shows up in Add/Remove programs that you KNOW you don't need.

 

It strikes me as odd that they'd include a version of SQL server as standard; even on a Precision laptop.

I seem to recal I had all sorts of problems with some installations etc, and I found that re-installing .net framework 3.5 fixed it (i think, memory is a bit hazy). I'd highly recommend following the advice given by Raduque though; uninstall everything you don't need and get screen dumps of those errors.

We could be wrong about the service pack causing the issues, but dang, I'll go and buy a hat just to eat it if we are.

Let us know what these errors are specifically and hopefully we should be able to provide a little more help.

 

I'll go ahead and do that, despite my reluctance to do so. I had missing DLL errors that seemed to be related to the multiple .net or C++ redistributable's installed. These packs were supposed to provide these DLL's, but I don't know what went wrong. Other software just plain wouldn't even go into setup, would stall at the splash screens. Sometimes I think these service packs and fixes cause more problems than they solve!!!

-Oliver