CS3 and Windows XP with Service Pack-1

RJ
Posted By
Richard_J_Martin
Apr 19, 2007
Views
954
Replies
25
Status
Closed
Has anyone installed and used CS3 on an XP machine that has not been upgraded to Service Pack-2?. Adobe says it’s required for CS3 but I wonder. I have more than enought RAM and HD space but I’ve avoided going through the Service Pack upgrade. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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BL
Bob Levine
Apr 19, 2007
If it’s required then I suggest doing the upgrade. I don’t thing there’s too many XP users out there that haven’t installed SP2.

Bob
RJ
Richard_J_Martin
Apr 20, 2007
Well, I agree but I was unable to do the upgrade on either of my XP machines tonight. Any suggestions? Microsoft is less than helpful.
BL
Bob Levine
Apr 20, 2007
What happens when you try?

Bob
DM
dave_milbut
Apr 20, 2007
if you can’t even patch, i wouldn’t try installing other software, especially if it’s work critical. assuming you’re running a genuine copy of xp, i’d backup, format and reinstall the os and apply all patches (including sp2) before installing anything else.
RJ
Richard_J_Martin
Apr 20, 2007
I get to what I guess is the final stage of the SP2 installation (performing "cleanup"), then it just hangs there. Some parts evidently have been installed at that point because there is an entry for Service Pack-2 in the Add/Remove window of the Control Panel. So I click on Remove and whatever has been installed is deleted and the original files that had been archived as part of the install are put back. After reboot, everything is back to the way it was before.

In retrospect, I don’t really need CS3. I have CS2 on both computers and it does everything I expect from Photoshop. Guess I’ll just wait until I buy a new computer (hopefully in the distant future), at which time I’ll revisit the Photoshop upgrade path, perhaps with CS4, or CS5, or whatever. Anyway, thanks for everyone’s help.
DM
dave_milbut
Apr 20, 2007
<chuckle><shrug>
DH
Dierk_Haasis
Apr 20, 2007
On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:07:54 -0700,
wrote:

I get to what I guess is the final stage of the SP2 installation (performing "cleanup"), then it just hangs there.

Any AV-software installed and switched on during Windows Update? Try disabling the V-scanner before letting Windows XP update itself.

Most of the time the updates work well even with AV enabled but sometimes the CABs are so big that it looks like the installation process freezes while it may just be the AV real time scan module looking through several dozens of MB CAB.

In some cases the virus scanner interferes with the update such that the system actually hangs – unfortunate but true.

BTW, installing SP2 is a good idea; it adds security, protection, speed [sic], and is rather problem-free*.

*There have been a few complaints about SP2 disrupting systems but in all honesty I think it shows that the system wasn’t properly set up before installing the Service Pack.


Dierk (sometimes known as Evo2Me)
[DH² Publishing]
www.DH2Publishing.info
Writing and Imaging
RJ
Richard_J_Martin
Apr 21, 2007
I hadn’t thought about the AV scanning. Thanks for the tip.
W
wings
Apr 22, 2007
You should always end every program or service with any major update like SP2, not just the virus scanner. When you go to services you should only see Microsoft system services running, the same with task manager.
CR
Chris_Roske
Apr 28, 2007
I too had numerous problems with SP2, I Ghosted my system back to SP1 and then simply changed a setting in the registry so it appears that I have SP2

(HKLM/system/currentcontrolset/control/windows)

change the SP1 value (CSDVersion 0x00000100)

to SP2 (CSDVersion 0x00000200) reboot. Look in Control Panel/system and guess what.

By the way CS3 loaded and works perfect.
M
mikeengles
Apr 29, 2007
Hello

This is a great tip,I always felt that there had to be a way to fool the installer.In the past there was Winver.
It meant that I could install the LightRoom demo and perhaps the CS3 demo in the future.

Mike Engles
HG
Howard Grill
Jul 2, 2007
Great tip, I just did the hack and it installed perfectly with no apparent problems with other programs I use. Just one question….now that the registry thinks that I have SP2, does that mean I shouldn’t use Windows update any more as it will give me updates for the SP2 that it thinks I have installed but don’t which might mess up my system?

Howard
C
chrisjbirchall
Jul 2, 2007
…which might mess up my system?

This is madness! What about your vunerability from all the treats which Service Pack 2 has addressed?

By listening to "Folk Lore" on the world wide chinese-whispering web, you are leaving your system wide open to attack.
HG
Howard Grill
Jul 2, 2007
That is just absurd. There have been SO MANY people that have had trouble upgrading to SP2 midstream, depending on what programs they have. Sure, I am certain it is seamless for some people but to ignore the many that have had great difficulty with it by saying it is the whispering web is just ridiculous.
JJ
John_Joslin
Jul 2, 2007
No Mr Grill, it is not absurd.

Over 55 million people are using Windows XP and maybe a few thousand have had problems with SP2, but most or all of the problems reported at the beginning have since been fixed. It is just foolhardy to think that the extra protection afforded by SP2 and subsequent patches is not necessary.
C
chrisjbirchall
Jul 2, 2007
The only people I know, first hand, who’ve have problems with SP2 are friends who openly admit they hack about with their system and run all sorts of dodgy software.

Virtually all the professionals I have come across, who run professional software such as Photoshop, on clean systems have no trouble whatsoever with SP2. Indeed they would all be horrified at the prospect of not keeping their OS up to date.

<preparing to duck inder the table as the flack starts to fly> 😉
SW
Steve_Ward
Jul 3, 2007
Also realize that Windows XP SP1/SP1a are no longer supported products. Using a registry hack to fool the OS into thinking you have SP2 won’t go over very well with MS if you did call for support.

See: <http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifean19>
BD
Brett Dalton
Jul 4, 2007
Not to mention that you could inadvertently kill your system if software installs expecting to use a part updated by Sp2 that doesn’t exist. And don’t even think about being able to use MSupdate without causing SERIOUS issues.

The only software that ever had an issue with SP2 in my experience was Premier getting a warning message about the help files being local HTML files which was easily fixed.

It’s almost as bad as my boss who insists that our main edit sys remain on OSX 10.4.4 which is actually stopping us updating AVID among other things.

BRETT
HG
Howard Grill
Jul 4, 2007
I am understanding all the potential problems but I am still not ‘upgrading to SP2’. However, what I do wonder is this…..once the software has installed what happens if you undo the registry hack and return it back to the proper SP1 indication so that it reflects the fact that you are really running SP1. Will CS3 stop working or otherwise revolt? Has anyone tried this?

Howard
BL
Bob Levine
Jul 4, 2007
Why don’t you give it a try and let us know.

Bob
C
chrisjbirchall
Jul 4, 2007
You’ve seen the advice from the professionals here.

Using a $700 application on an OS if was not designed for is like trying to cook a Cordon Bleu meal for six on a single burner camping stove!
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 4, 2007
I agree, even though i posted the link to the hack, it’s foolish to be on the internet with a system that’s not fully patched. if you’re worried about instability, backup, reformat and install the os from the start including ALL updates including sp2.
EM
ELY_M
Oct 21, 2007
I would not ever update to SP2
I really hate sp2 so much.
adobe should make it compatiable to all windows os.
JJ
John_Joslin
Oct 21, 2007
That’s just plain crazy!

I hope no-one else thinks that is good advice. 🙁
C
chrisjbirchall
Oct 21, 2007
Let me paraphrase Ely M’s crazy statement:

"I would not ever put locks on my doors
I really hate locks so much.
God should make everybody compatible with honesty."

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