Windows XP SP3 & AMD Processors

If you applied Windows XP SP3 to your system with an AMD processor and are having problems, check out this article.

Windows XP SP3 Causes 'Blue Screen Of Death' On AMD-Based PCs

I'm personally not having any issues with my 2 AMD equipped systems with XP SP3 installed, one is an Athlon 1.4 GHz and the other is an Athlon XP 2.1 GHz.

 

Yeah I had this problem on my AMD Compaq. I bypassed the BSOD but not have a windows installer problem

 

I posted a little note about this ... "issue" over on the Is XP safe to download thread last night.

Basically, what's giving the AMD-based _HP's terminal indigestion is a little Intel chipset driver that _HP left in the OS image because they were too lazy/negligent to prepare two separate images for their Intel-based and their AMD-based systems. The driver itself is intelppm.sys and, according to the reports that have surfaced, it gets loaded after SP3 is installed and, predictably, goes looking for a chipset that it will never, ever find. According to _HP's current kludge-fix, if you find the little bugger on your system, and rename it, you should be spared the disaster.

 

Works fine for me.

 

Clevo must've had the common sense to make two Windows images, and keep the chipset drivers separated.

 

It's linked to HP's, I haven't had any problems.

 

I'm having a lot of problems with the new SP. I really wish I never installed that crap. I hope they release the patch as soon as possible.

 

Well, yes and no. It's showing up (at least the problem with the intel chipset driver) in _HPs because, apparently, _HP was the most flagrant offender in terms of installing the Windows OS image containing the intel chipset driver on AMD-based systems; however, the tenor of the MS response indicated that the root cause was OEM laziness, meaning that other OEMs could have ended up with a similar result. It's also somewhat hit-or-miss because it all depends on whether or not you got one of the bum images when Windows was originally installed on your system - I'd wager good money that it isn't affecting every single AMD-based _HP since I'm sure that _HP has varied the image it uses over the years.

 

No problems neither.

Hypersonic, Aviator FX7, 17", AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-60 Dual-Core Processor, 2GB DDR400 RAM, 100GB HDD (7200rpm, 8MB), 8X DVD ± R/W, Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX PCI-Express 256MB GDDR3, Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Controller, Internal 802.11-Super A/G 108Mbps Wireless Network,
17" WUXGA 1920x1200 VividView™ Display w/ Super Clear Glossy Surface.

 

how are they releasing the patch?

 

Nice job HP, that's what happens with a little bit of laziness.
D:

 

I am also very interested in finding out the answer to this question.

 

i did some reading. "hp updates." i dont have that program on my compaq...also im having a windows installer problem. cant install or uninstall anything that deals with the windows installer service. i dont think hp update uses that but still...

 

ZERO issues on personal experiences:
. HP n5470
. HP dv2000
. emachines m6805
. Targa 811
. sager np4750

cheers ...

 

actually i m still interested in knowing more about these BSOD in conjunction of AMD (HP) based machines and SP3. The report mentioned also others non-AMD comps that had the same issue. Would it be nice if the configuration of theses problematic machines were being made available, so users can have a bit more informative inputs.

cheers ...

 

The BSODs with AMD systems are caused by using Intel based XP SP3 discs.

I slipstreamed SP3 into my XP SP2 Pro, and it worked perfect... no issues.

 

I didn't know that there were two SP3 versions, I upgraded to SP3 without having to select Intel or AMD computer based, and it worked right away.

 

There isn't...

 

they said its for HP computers with AMD processors soo head up everyone

 

yes this issue is mainly for HP owners.

According to this report, HP is working with Microsoft to fix problems people are having with Windows XP SP3. It seems that AMD based PCs are stuck endless rebooting because, after the update is applied, these PCs look for an Intel drive at boot up (which isn’t there) causing the endless boot cycle.

The main problem, as Johansson and others see it, happened because HP, and possibly other OEMs, used the same images for AMD-based PCs that were used with Intel-based hardware. The result for customers with those AMD machines when the SP3 service pack was applied turned out to be a number of problems, including endless rebooting.

 

Never had problems with my AMD based computers and that includes both laptop and desktops after installing SP3

 

Do you know when the patch will be released or when the problem will otherwise be fixed? It's very hard for me to get any real work done and it's annoying.

 

Did you try a clean install?

 

I'm still being stubborn and trying to find every way to avoid having to do that. I don't think I'm going to have much of a choice, though. I just can't seem to get any solution to work. I've even tried reverting to SP2, but the website won't even let me download it. I'm giving myself to this weekend to try to figure something out. If nothing works by this Saturday, then I'm just going to bite it and do the clean install.

 

A little advise before you install SP3. Turn off your antivirus first.

 

Why is that?

 

Don't know if there's a particular "issue" between SP3 and A/V, but as a general matter it's a good idea to turn off A/V, in part because the A/V might have a crucial file locked for scanning at the same time the installer tries to replace the file with an updated version, and that conflict could funk up the installation.

 

Never heard of that...but ff that's the case, shouldn't this be for all "service pack" upgrades? Aka Vista to Vista sp1

 

I would turn off the spyware utility as they could stop some applications changing the registers.

 

Yippee! A solution for SP3 problems with AMD Athalon Chips! (if your computer has an Intel Chip you should be ok without this additional information. Also, this is a solution for those with HP computers, not sure it would work with other brands – check with your computer manufacturer first!)

My HP computer had this problem.
HP couldn’t solve it – Microsoft couldn’t solve it –
This solved it!

Be aware SP3 is huge & takes forever to do the upgrade – so be careful & aware!
I strongly recommend that you create a restore point before installing the SP3 upgrade!!!!

What's up with Vista SP1 and XP SP3?
I've been hearing horror stories about Microsoft's latest service packs. I have computers running both XP and Vista. Should I get Vista SP1? Do I need XP SP3? I don't even know what these updates are for! Can you help me out?

Windows updates are often shrouded in mystery. You check Windows Update. It tells you updates are available. You click Install and forget about it.
Often, we take the recommended updates without a lot of questions. But service packs are a different animal. These aren't small security patches. They're huge, and they often promise big changes to your system.
Vista SP1 delivers well over 500 updates. XP SP3 includes a whopping 1,174 updates. Those numbers look scary, but you've already got most of the updates. Service packs include every previous update for the operating system. They do not include many new updates.
This ensures you get caught up on all the important updates. But even with all those updates, you won't see a big change. These service packs do a lot of work under the hood. But they won't really affect how you interface with the computer.
Let me go over each service pack in a little more detail. I think it's important to understand what you're getting and why. I'll also go over horror stories you might have heard.
Vista SP1
As I said, SP1 has over 500 updates. I couldn't possibly cover all of them here. Nor would I want to. You would get bored very quickly. But if you're curious, a list of updates is available.
The updates fall into three categories – hardware support, usability and security. There are updates that don't fit neatly into those categories. But think of them as smoothing out Vista's rough edges.
Some users that upgraded to Vista found that some devices didn't work. SP1 helps with device compatibility. It also lays the groundwork for devices you may not own yet. Vista will better identify and support Blu-ray Disc drives. SP1 also adds support for new Windows Media Center Extenders.
SP1 fixes some issues with Vista's usability. The annoying User Account Control prompts have been reduced. The Windows Genuine Advantage kill switch is removed. Microsoft won't cripple non-genuine copies of Vista. Some users found long delays when logging on and resuming from hibernation. These wait times have been reduced.
The service pack also fixes a number of security holes. It includes every security update since the launch of Vista. It also improves some existing security features. For example, the BitLocker hard drive encryption has been strengthened.
Getting SP1
The release of Vista SP1 hasn't been blemish free. It accounts for most of the horror stories. But when you look at them, the stories aren't that horrific. There are ways to fix the most common problems.
Many people simply aren't offered SP1. This can be pretty confusing. The service pack doesn't show up in Windows Update. And there isn't much explanation.
Several things can cause this. But one accounts for a majority of people's problems. Vista SP1 conflicts with some hardware drivers. If Windows Update detects these drivers, you aren't offered SP1.
The easy fix is to update those drivers. But which drivers are we talking about? Windows Update doesn't tell you. That information is buried in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. To find it, scroll down to Resolution. Then find "Method for Cause 5."
Check for driver updates in Windows Update. These may be marked as Optional. If that doesn't resolve the problem, see the computer manufacturer's Web site. It may provide downloads for SP1 compatible drivers.
Another problem has been performance issues after installing SP1. These too can be attributed to outdated hardware drivers. But they can also be caused by software—often security software. Be sure you have the latest versions of your firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware programs.
Don't be scared away from SP1. The above problems are manageable. And for many people, the update goes off without a hitch. You may have no problems at all. We're all running SP1 here in the office. And no one had problems with the update.
XP SP3
Again, I can't cover the more than 1,000 updates in SP3. Here's a link to the very long list of updates. I can't think of a more mind-numbing read. But it's there if you'd like.
Even with so many updates, there's not much to discuss. SP3 mostly serves to bring your Windows XP up to date. It will give you any updates you've missed in the past. It creates a new baseline for all XP users.
SP3 patches new security holes. And it fixes some Windows programs and processes. But there aren't many new additions. The ones provided are important, but not very interesting. Several have to do with network security or system encryption software. None of these will affect how you use your computer.
One thing to watch for is Internet Explorer. SP3 updates IE 6 and 7.
If you have IE 7, you cannot uninstall it after applying SP3. You cannot go back to IE 6. Also, SP3 will not work with IE 8 beta. If you have IE 8 beta, uninstall it before installing SP3.
Getting SP3
There have been other problems. Some people have been unable to boot their PCs. Or they get stuck in an endless reboot cycle.
In this case, it wasn't Microsoft's fault. This is a Hewlett-Packard issue.
HP sells computers with either Intel or AMD processors. It installs the operating system using a disk image. The disk image was created on an Intel machine. It came with Intel specific drivers and registry settings.
This Intel-based disk image was installed on AMD-powered systems. There apparently were no problems until SP3 came along. After SP3 was installed, the computers tried to load the Intel drivers. Only there is no Intel processor for them to act on. The result: The computer crashes. Or, it reboots continuously.
***** HP has recently issued a fix for the problem. Download HP's Upgrade Utility before installing SP3. It should prevent booting issues.
For everyone else, it appears the SP3 update goes smoothly. You can install it through Windows Update.
Do some preparation
Neither of these updates is small. Many people install them without an issue. But they have the potential to cause problems. Be sure to protect your important files.
Before installing either service pack, back up your computer. If you don't know which files to back up, read this tip. You may also want to set up a restore point. Should the installation fail, use System Restore to rescue your computer.
More updates:
• Keep all of your programs up to date
• Updating to Vista? Learn how to transfer programs
• Updates don't fix everything. Troubleshoot older PCs

 

. cool that HP has something to help out with SP3 bsod issue on some of their machines.
. Not so cool, was that instead of "women, children first on the lifeboat" attitude, they could just make a list as what machines types were being affected; since many many and many hp owners had no issue.
. and of course they should (and probably did) know what/how machine types were being prepared and shipped out with what!

cheers ...

 

Jesper Johansson, former Microsoft Corp. security manager, has written a 16K VBScript file that checks whether your PC is running a processor from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), and if so, examines the Windows registry to see if a device driver meant for Intel-based machines is set to load. If it is, it will offer you an option to disable it.

FILE: https://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/attachment/7647.ashx
ARTICLE: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9085978

This can be run on any AMD-based PC, including HPs.

 

Thanks. That solved my problem.

 

Glad I could help out.

 

This is a great application, I wonder if there is something alike for vista using SP1, I have seen some fellows with AMD computers based having problems as well.

 

and...if your HP audio doesn't work after SP3 just re-install the driver from HP's site.