Thread: How to Back Up Your Windows XP Service Packs

If you're operating Windows XP with SP 2 or else SP 3, what occur if you contain to execute a system recovery using your original XP CD.

As I have just experienced that accurate scenario, resulting in a terrible lot of Windows update after the installation. That's because the old CD doesn't have all the patches and updates you've downloaded over the years. It might take hours or still days to re-download and reinstall all that additional substance, through which time your computer is further exposed to viruses and external attack. (A group of those patches begin security issues).

As a result, to know if there was a few way to back up the Windows Service Packs so he wouldn't be in the same boat next time.

You can download the Service Packs as standalone installers straight from Microsoft (here's SP3, for example)--but I propose a different solution: slipstreaming.

Slipstreaming is the procedure of merging your accessible Windows XP CD and the most recent Service Pack into a new CD. When you're done, you can set up Windows XP with SP3 completely.

This is easier to achieve than you may think, present you've got your unique CD and the above mentioned standalone Service Pack. Though, I'm not going to say again the details here; check out Lincoln Spector's "Slipstreaming Service Pack 2 on an Old Windows XP CD." Just alternate SP3 for SP2.

Can you do similarly with Vista? Digital stimulation has instructions on slipstreaming Vista with SP1 (you'll need a DVD for that), but I think you might just as simply swap in the new SP2.