Is installing SP2 on a fresh install the best way to go?

[TechnoPro]

Is there any reasoning behind the statement that installing SP2 on a fresh XP installation yields better results (i.e. stability and performance) than installing the service pack on a PC that's already being used and full of other programs/files/drivers?

 

[John]

IMHO, no...especially if said machine is already stable.

 

[Splork]

I did a clean install of XP w/ SP2 this weekend. Seems to be a little peppier. But, I agree w/ John, if your system is stable just go ahead and install over the top.

-sp

 

[VirtualLarry]

There apparently are some minor conflicts between the timestamps of the in-the-box NVidia drivers in XP SP2 vs. what the newest downloadable public drivers are. There are also some minor issues, if you have already installed a few of the up-to-the-second hotfixes, that were released just before SP2, and therefore not included in SP2.

Installing fresh isn't required by MS, SP's are designed to be installed overtop, but in 99% of the cases of problems that do arise in SP upgrades, those same issues generally dont happen, if you slipstream and install fresh, which is why I prefer that method.

Either way, it's not a bad idea to make a Ghost backup of your current existing OS installation, in case something should go wrong.