XP SP3 fresh install work with SP2 key?

[teleios]

I got contracted to fly halfway across the country to fix a network for an old boss of mine.  I left all my software disks at home because I thought it was going to be just redoing the wiring in the office, but when I got here I found that a few computers were having trouble, and my boss asked me to fix them.  I'm trying to reinstall a Windows XP OS onto them, but like I said I left my disks across the country, and my boss left his in an old storage unit in another state.  I'm currently downloading the XP SP3 ISO from the Microsoft website, but I'm wondering:

When I'm installing with the SP3 iso, will I be able to use the SP2 Product Key Code on the stickers on these machines?  Or am I SOL and need to find an old SP2 disk?

[f0dder]

If you get the correct version (you won't be able to use a generic version with OEM-branded license keys (dell, etc), there's home vs. pro, and normal versus VLK license) you should be just fine.

Since you're mentioning stickers on machines, you could very well be bitten by the OEM trap... and often it's not easy getting ugpraded and non-crapware-loaded ISOs out of the OEMs.

[teleios]

Thanks for the info.  A couple of the machines are Dells, a couple others are ones we built from scratch in a previous company.  I'll give it a try. Thanks again.

[f0dder]

I tried using a generic version of Vista with an OEM branded serial, and it didn't work out - tried calling the automated "punch in an insane amount of digits and get an insane amount of digits back" service, which didn't work. Then it wanted to direct me to some barely-english-speaking Swedish MS guy in Ireland, and I decided to fsck it and just get new XP licenses instead.

MS really needs to make life easier on the legit users.

[xtabber]

What XP SP3 iso from Microsoft are you talking about?  The only one that I know of is the Service Pack and that only updates an existing installation to SP3. It should update any earlier version of XP, but unless you have an actual XP installation CD or a system recovery CD to reinstall the OS from, you won't have anything to update.

I don't believe that Microsoft makes iso images of XP installation discs available online except through an MSDN subscription for development purposes, and that doesn't sound like what you are talking about.

[teleios]

Yeah, it seems that this ISO is just the upgrade, and unfortunately it's still quite impossible to find a full install disk anywhere for cheap.

[Carol Haynes]

You can download a full ISO version of Windows XP SP3 Pro and Home.

See http://www.tipandtrick.net/2008/download-unmodified-original-windows-xp-with-sp3-integrated-full-retail-and-vl-install-cd-iso-image-from-msdntechnet-plus-via-http-or-torrent/

which has all the full ISO versions (and the links are to the Microsoft download site so they are safe - sorry I take that back all the links have now changed and they are at various other sites including torrents. The original checksums are given though so you can check the download is the original unaltered MS ISO file).

There is another thread with other references to SP3 downloads at http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=12466.0