Link to Windows XP Service Pack 1a?
April 14, 2010 3:46 PM Subscribe
Help me find a link to the full Windows XP Service Pack 1a. I'm going mad here.
Hate wasting my weekly question on this, but my home computer is too far from the router to plug in the ethernet cable, and vanilla windows doesn't recognize my wireless card.
I can find SP1a express all over the place, but all that does is attempts to download the rest of the service pack from the internet. I can't connect to the internet (from home, at least) until I install the service pack.
Please send me a link to the full service pack--I must be missing something obvious here, it can't be this hard to get!
Hate wasting my weekly question on this, but my home computer is too far from the router to plug in the ethernet cable, and vanilla windows doesn't recognize my wireless card.
I can find SP1a express all over the place, but all that does is attempts to download the rest of the service pack from the internet. I can't connect to the internet (from home, at least) until I install the service pack.
Please send me a link to the full service pack--I must be missing something obvious here, it can't be this hard to get!
Best answer: I was in a similar situation like you except for the wireless. Until I switched to Linux (specifically a very user-friendly distribution called Ubuntu) a while ago. Now I forgot how to use Windows.
Less hardware constraints and easier to install wireless but needs improvement.
posted by sanskrtam at 4:26 PM on April 14, 2010
Less hardware constraints and easier to install wireless but needs improvement.
posted by sanskrtam at 4:26 PM on April 14, 2010
Best answer: Vanilla Windows doesn't recognize your WiFi card because I'm pretty sure that prior to SP1 there was no built-in utility for managing WiFi network connections in Windows XP. That said, there should absolutely be software from your WiFi card manufacturer that you should be able to use to get online without relying (directly) on Windows. This software often sucks, but it is there, and it does work. Do you have a CD or some-such that came with your WiFi adapter? It should have some of that lovely software in there.
Other people make good observations as well. You're never going to find SP1. Skip straight to SP3.
posted by kbanas at 4:34 PM on April 14, 2010
Other people make good observations as well. You're never going to find SP1. Skip straight to SP3.
posted by kbanas at 4:34 PM on April 14, 2010
Ok, well, it looks like maybe you can still find SP1, but still, don't install it. It's old and it's full of holes.
posted by kbanas at 4:35 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by kbanas at 4:35 PM on April 14, 2010
From everything I've found, SP1a only existed as an express install, and plain old SP1 is not longer anywhere to download (because of the Microsoft Java VM kerfuffle from years back). If you're going to have to download a full package service pack, then get thee to SP3.
posted by deezil at 4:46 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by deezil at 4:46 PM on April 14, 2010
Response by poster: HAH! You folks are absolutely the best. Somehow I had the really strong impression that one had to install them one at a time, starting with SP1 and grinding your way up to level 3, like the worst RPG ever.
Don't know why I thought that, and thanks for confirming that it simply isn't true. I'll install SP3.
And I love that even though I asked a ridiculous question that was literally answered within three minutes, folks continued to try to solve my problem as much as it possibly could be solved--e.g., Memo digging up some crazy ancient FTP link to the outdated service pack, kbanas suggesting drivers, and sansktram suggesting Ubuntu.
Ya'll are great!
posted by Squid Voltaire at 4:52 PM on April 14, 2010
Don't know why I thought that, and thanks for confirming that it simply isn't true. I'll install SP3.
And I love that even though I asked a ridiculous question that was literally answered within three minutes, folks continued to try to solve my problem as much as it possibly could be solved--e.g., Memo digging up some crazy ancient FTP link to the outdated service pack, kbanas suggesting drivers, and sansktram suggesting Ubuntu.
Ya'll are great!
posted by Squid Voltaire at 4:52 PM on April 14, 2010
Response by poster: Oh and for future reference, odinsdream's link is to the ISO, which is 540 megs. There's also an .exe that Microsoft recommends I download, at half that size, here.
posted by Squid Voltaire at 4:59 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by Squid Voltaire at 4:59 PM on April 14, 2010
You want that EXE file, definitely. Burn it to a CD and throw it in your pile of CD's when you get it finished installing. I keep a copy of it on my external hard drive too.
posted by deezil at 6:23 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by deezil at 6:23 PM on April 14, 2010
Somehow I had the really strong impression that one had to install them one at a time, starting with SP1 and grinding your way up to level 3, like the worst RPG ever.
...they do call it Windows XP I guess.
posted by juv3nal at 9:48 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
...they do call it Windows XP I guess.
posted by juv3nal at 9:48 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Woah--I was a little hasty with that "resolved" tag!
First of all, SP3 will not install over vanilla windows, you have to advance to at least level 1. Fortunately, I had a copy of SP2, and that did allow me to install over vanilla. So I installed 2, and then 3, however it still couldn't find my wireless card.
I installed the drivers--no luck.
Finally, I plugged in a very long cat-5 cable, and discovered that it couldn't find my onboard wireful NIC, either! And this reminded me of this question, that I asked back in August.
Following the sage advice that had served me so well the last time, I reinstalled my onboard NIC drivers, and was able to connect. Huzzah! After that, it finally detected the wireless card and said, "Should I search online for the drivers?". This time I was able to say "Yes, please!", and it found them and installed them.
Long story short (too late!) I'm now back in action. Thanks again, y'all!!
posted by Squid Voltaire at 6:59 PM on April 16, 2010
First of all, SP3 will not install over vanilla windows, you have to advance to at least level 1. Fortunately, I had a copy of SP2, and that did allow me to install over vanilla. So I installed 2, and then 3, however it still couldn't find my wireless card.
I installed the drivers--no luck.
Finally, I plugged in a very long cat-5 cable, and discovered that it couldn't find my onboard wireful NIC, either! And this reminded me of this question, that I asked back in August.
Following the sage advice that had served me so well the last time, I reinstalled my onboard NIC drivers, and was able to connect. Huzzah! After that, it finally detected the wireless card and said, "Should I search online for the drivers?". This time I was able to say "Yes, please!", and it found them and installed them.
Long story short (too late!) I'm now back in action. Thanks again, y'all!!
posted by Squid Voltaire at 6:59 PM on April 16, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Tomorrowful at 3:51 PM on April 14, 2010