Monday 16 August 2004
Getting Windows XP Service Pack 2 onto my PC
By now, we all know that Windows XP Service Pack 2 is out.
I haven't written anything on it because right now, I am unable to upgrade for two reasons:
- The main upgrade is around 266 megabytes therefore I will have to order a CD from Microsoft since I am on dialup.
- Windows XP SP2 requires around 1455 megabytes of hard disk space while installing itself (see the linked article for the breakdown); if I turn off System Restore, I have just around 1.3 gigabytes for installing the Service Pack.
I have options for getting more disk space:
- Buy another hard drive: Impossible because PC hardware is not my forte; my PC is four years old and though I can afford another hard drive, upgrading the BIOS and installing the hard drive is the stuff my nightmares are made of (it took me a few weeks to work up the courage to add more ram to this PC back in September / October 2001).
- Resize my partitions: Currently I have I have 5 gigabytes left on my c:\ drive (formerly home to Windows Me, now home to apache, perl, php, MySQL, Open Office etc), 1.3 gigabytes left on my d:\ drive (this is where Windows XP resides) and 1.1 gigabytes left on my e:\ drive (my data resides here). Last time I resized my partitions, I destroyed my Windows XP Partition and had to reinstall (this was back in November 2001 but the experience is still fresh in my mind).
- Remove some applications from my d:\ drive: This seems the viable option; I have Office XP Professional Special Edition (the whole works including MS FrontPage and MS Publisher) but apart from MS Excel, I hardly use them anymore, besides I also have Open Office on the c:\ drive anyway.
In the meantime, while I decide how to get Windows XP SP2 onto my computer, here are a bunch of Windows XP Service Pack 2 resources which I have been gathering in time for the day I upgrade:
Overview and Installing Windows XP Service Pack 2
Downloads
Windows XP SP2 Knowledge Base Articles
Other Windows XP SP2 Resources (from Microsoft)
Other Windows XP SP2 Resources (Not from Microsoft)