Microsoft not pulling XP SP3 again (so far)

Microsoft isn't halting Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 distribution -- so far, at least -- in spite of endless-reboot problems reported by AMD-based PC customers, a company spokeswoman said on May 9.

Reports of the reboot problem are cropping up on Microsoft forums and other sites across the Web. Microsoft resumed Windows Update delivery of XP SP3 this week, after temporarily halting its distribution due to an incompatibility involving SP3 and Microsoft's Retail Management System (RMS).

Microsoft Security Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Jesper Johansson blogged about the SP3 reboot problem on May 8. He has been posting to his blog workarounds for both AMD systems and Intel ones that are affected by the SP 3 problem. My ZDNet blogging colleague Adrian Kinglsey-Hughes also has suggestions of steps cusotmers can take before installing XP Sp3 to potentially avoid installation problems.

This isn't the first time that a Microsoft service pack caused reboot problems. A Vista SP1 pre-requisite caused endless-reboot problems for some customers, resulting in Microsoft's temporary suspension of the downloads of that update.

Microsoft is telling XP SP3 customers who encounter installation problems to contact customer support.

"Microsoft is aware of these (SP3) issues and is investigating them further," the spokeswoman told me on Friday May 9. "We will keep customers informed of the progress."

Update: On May 12, Microsoft officials shared another update on the cause of the SP3-reboot problem. This is what they told News.com:

"While the root cause of this issue is complex, it results from OEMs improperly placing a Windows XP image created for an for Intel-based computer onto machines with non-Intel chipsets," Microsoft said in a statement. "Microsoft issued guidance to OEMs advising them to only load Windows XP images onto like hardware in 2004."