XP SP1 Updating - Page 1 [Introduction]
Introduction
By now many of you would have discovered that Microsoft's
first Service Pack for Windows XP is among us, whether Microsoft like it or
not. Recently a press
release was issued by the software
giant saying the Service Pack would be released on the 9th of September to
end-users but as it happens, it was leaked before this d 17517d324r ate by beta testers and
folks in the know - what a surprise.
As far as I have seen there is no official word available
to us on what the Service Pack actually improves. Although judging from the
past we can safely assume it will improve performance and stability, as well as
included the latest security updates and new features such as Windows Media
Player 9 which is included in Service Pack 1. On the other hand it will most
likely also bring with it a whole bread of new problems.
During our testing we didn't notice too many drastic
physical changes to the OS after installing the Service Pack, but I'm sure
there would be many changes "under the hood", so to speak - For one we noticed
in Office applications that things were quicker, well more responsive at least.
For those wanting to update to Service Pack 1, there has been a lot of talk on
several other websites regarding Microsoft attempting to stop users of pirated
copies of Windows XP from updating, which is partly the reason for the
publication of this guide.
Nobody likes piracy and we certainly don't usually
condone it but these days it's unavoidable, wherever you turn or look. For the
enthusiast crowd anyway, it's almost mainstream - the term "crack" is becoming
a well-known term even amongst the not so tech-savvy users in the computing
world. Friends of mine who have been using computers for no more than 6 months
already have half their programs on their computers cracked and are fully aware
of the consequences.
Since Windows XP Service Pack 1 leaked its way onto the
Internet people have been asking me regularly how to update when they are
promoted during installation that they are running an illegal copy of Windows.
This guide will explain how to get around this obstacle - Let's face it,
these users are already running an illegal copy of Windows - can further harm
really be done?
Depending on how you look at it, there is two answers to
this question - Let's continue on anyway, even with the possibility of
Microsoft pulling a knife to my throat.
The process of updating to Windows XP Service Pack 1 is
not as difficult as you might imagine. In fact, it is fairly simple actually.
Step 1 - First of all you will need to download the 133mb
Service Pack 1 file from the Internet ready for installation, if you can find a
working mirror anywhere. I would have recommended you getting it from Microsoft
servers but from the time it took to write this guide Microsoft pulled it from
their Premier Download section. So, here are a list of mirrors I have found
that work at time of writing this guide - Keep trying, one of them will work
eventually.
https://211.99.223.82/%20%20/9Down/XP-SP1_1106.Final.__@_9Down.rar%20
https://ns3.vhis.net/xp/xpsp1_1106_Final.exe
As we find more mirrors we will add them here, if you
know any others please do us a favor and email us with the details!
If you have no luck finding the file, alternatively you
can wait a few days till Microsoft officially release the Service Pack to the
public.
Step 2 - Once you have downloaded the file you will need
to also go ahead and download the sneaky Windows XP serial key changer - This
is the program which makes the installation of Windows XP Service Pack 1
possible for you naughty folks out there that use an illegal copy of Windows.
If you don't change your serial key you'll get booted out of the install
process half way through with the following error message.
Of course, if you are one of those good folks who have a
legit version of Windows, you can skip this section and jump straight to the
installation of the Service Pack. The program we will use to change your serial
key is readily available all over the Internet - For simplicity purposes we
mirrored the file on our servers for download - The author of this program and
TweakTown have no connection.
After the serial keys have been generated you will be
prompted with the following screen which let's you activate Windows.
From here you need to select, "Yes, I want to telephone a
customer service representative to activate Windows" - Don't worry, we don't
actually do it. After choosing this option you will then be taken to the following
screen.
It doesn't actually matter what country you choose from
the Step 1 field, as we won't be calling anyone. Ignore the rest and skip down
to the bottom and click the Change Product Key button which will bring you to
the following screen.
Now refer back to the Serial Key Changer program and
simply choose one and type it into the New key field area as shown in the
picture above. Once you've done that click the Update button. It will then
proceed to update your serial key and bring you back to the Activate Windows by
Phone screen. From here you can close this screen; your Windows serial key has
been changed.
To confirm that your serial key has changed correctly to
the one you choose from the Serial Key Changer Program you need to go ahead and
open the Serial Key Viewer program by opening the file "WindowsXP Product Key
Viewer.exe" which looks a little something like this.
Step 4 - Now that we have changed your serial key we are
ready to go ahead and begin the install process of Windows XP Service Pack 1.
Locate the update file and open it, you will be promoted with the "Welcome to
the Windows XP Service Pack 1 Setup Wizard", click Next to continue. Next up
you will need to agree to the license agreement which is followed by the option
to either Archive Files or Do Not Archive Files. It is recommended that you do
choose the Archive Files option in case you happen to run into problems after
installation.
Now you should have the installation process happening,
depending on the speed of your system the update should install in rough 10 -
20 minutes (maybe longer), especially if you choose the Archive Files option
which makes the process quite a bit longer.
After the installation process is finally finished you
will be promoted to reboot your PC - go ahead and restart your system. Once you
are back into Windows you will have Service Pack 1 installed. To confirm that
it did actually install okay, go to your desktop, highlight My Computer and
press ALT + Enter together and you should see a screen similar to the one below
like on my system.
Conclusion
OK folks, so we didn't exactly do it the legit way but as
we said in the introduction, if you were already running an illegal copy of
Windows what further harm could really be done. By now you should be basking in
the glory of the latest Service Pack for Windows XP, at least all the latest
bug fixes and security updates.
If anyone has any comments or questions regarding this
guide please direct them to the Windows XP
section of our forums. I will not be
answering question through email unless you are Bill Gates or someone of
similar importance firing me with abuse.
Until next time, take care!
|
