It took me longer than that on cable. No CD from Microsoft yet. You can make your own.There are several discussions on this board regarding info pertaining to SP3. Start here:
http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_winxp&thread.id=253012

I installed it on a spare desktop that I use just mostly for storage purposes. That pc has a new Windows XP reinstall / reformat that was performed last week so it's like a virgin system right now... a good test for me to try SP-3. My download time of it was 11 minutes on Comcast broadband, however that was at 5:30 a.m. so maybe there wasn't too much bandwidth congestion at that time; I have no idea.....

 

SP-3 trashed all my saved "my favorites" and altered my custom folder icons and other personal settings too. All my favorite links would throw a pop-up "invalid path" (or very similar worded.) And it slowed up my broadband speed by a little bit; really hard to tell though because it was small.... but it was very noticeable though.

Plus it re-arranged the way I had all my folders displayed; after I had spent an hour customizing folders two days prior, lol.

 

But all in all, I didn't really notice any big problems with it though. I went into "add & remove programs" and ended up deleting  it. The ole' Dimension 4700 is used for storage stuff anyways and doesn't even get connected to the Internet very often. I thought because the pc was so fresh with a clean Windows XP Home reinstall and reformat, that it would be a test to experiment a bit.

 

I'm not installing SP-3 on my primary Dimension E-510 yet; I'm gonna wait a bit. Hmmm... like a "fine wine"; things get better with a bit of waiting and aging (I think).....:smileyvery-happy:

I've installed it on 20+ desktops and 2 laptops so far with no issues whatsoever noted. Takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on computer speed.

Downloading the cd burning version and burning to cd to install and save for future use is the best way to go. There have been problems installing on HP computers. It's always wise to wait for a while before installing service packs to see if problems are reported and corrected. I had no trouble installing on 3 Dell computers.

Hi

 

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@Sherr wrote:

Has anyone installed Windows SP3. Any problems and is it really necessary if you have SP2. It takes 22 minutes according to Microsoft. And I run DSL. I installed SP2 from a CD that Microsoft sent free. Is a CD available for SP3.

Sherr

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I have no problem install Windows XP Service pack 3 on my Dell Dimension 1100.:smileyvery-happy:

 

From Chris

My computer
Dell Dimension 1100
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3
512 MB of Ram
Nvidia Geforce FX 5200 256MB
Intel Celeron CPU 2.53GHz
Dell E196FP
HDD WDC WD800BB-75JCO 80GB C:
HDD Samsung SV2042H 20GB F:
TSSTcorp CDRWDVD TS-H492C D:
LITE-ON DVDRW LDW-851S E:
Linksys Wireless-G WUSB54GS With SpeedBooster
Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 90
Logitech Cordless Click Plus Rechargeable Optical Mouse
Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14
Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1

My Security Software
Avanquest SystemSuite 8 Professional
Windows Defender

Worked very well on my brand new Inspiron 530.

Wow Chris; I wish my tower was as clean looking as yours is there, lol..  Time for my annual Spring cleaning, I think....:smileyhappy:

Make sure you disable your antiviral software before attempting the SP3 install. There have been posts on this forum that, in particular, Trend Micro's software may cause an irreversible failure, meaning you have to reformat and reinstall everything.

 

To be safe, make sure all your personal files, including email address book, favorites, and in/out boxes are backed up on external media before you start. Good idea to disconnect all unnecessary peripherals before you start, too.

 

I had a couple of heart-failure moments, when my screen went blank and stayed that way for several minutes before the install continued. And then it sat at "Loading personal settings" for several nerve-wracking minutes before it finally loaded my desktop (whew!!).  No problems since, though I think it's somewhat slower at booting my 8400.

 

Ron 

This info from a post  by Bill Castner MS MVP

 

The Windows Xp SP3 CDs are currently on back order, but there should be more available around May 22, 2008.
The SP3 CDs cost $3.99, plus $5.99 shipping.
Telephone MSFT at 1-800-360-7561, and choose the prompt for help/info about service packs.

The info will be updated. Here is the link in case you want to keep an eye on the topic:
http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=33321&sid=53406293319660484ac73168d0ed302e