laptop & SH3 question

[PapaG39]

I'm getting a used laptop within the next few days, and was wondering...

I am only going to use it to play SH3 and watch a dvd now & then.

I do not need to go online with it cause I can download everything on my faster home computer & onto my external hardrive & then just transfer it to the laptopl.

Can I just reformat and reinstall XP home & not load the MS SP 1 or 2? It has been my experience in the past that the MS SP stuff just slows things down anyway.
Could I get by with just dx9c and MS Net Framework 3.0 installed?

I don't know if I can load either 9c or net framework with out the ms service patch though..

This will just be a game & dvd movie player..nothing else..

Any thoughts ?

[TarJak]

I reckon you should be OK as long as there is nothing in the SP that you need to play the game. IIRC there should be nothing vital that prevents you from running it. Only way to know is to give it a go. What video card/driver set is on the laptop? That is more likely to give you probs than anything else. As long as the card is high power enough you should have no problems.

[johnno74]

Greetings PapaG39 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=232686),

I'd strongly reccommend installing XP sp2. It won't cause any significant performance hit, and your laptop will be a LOT more stable with it. SP2 fixed a TON of bugs. My desktop pc runs for months at a time between reboots.

Also, .Net 3.0 has a prerequisite of SP2 when running on XP, most likely it will refuse to install without it. Neither SP1 or SP2 are listed as a requirement for DirectX 9c

If you decide not to install any service pack, be VERY careful. Never *ever* connect the machine to a public network (e.g. wifi at a cafe) or the internet unless you have locked down the machine very well and know what you are doing.
According to this (http://www.crn.com/security/165700440 (http://www.crn.com/security/165700440)) story an unpatched XP machine is infected by a worm within an average of 12 minutes of being conncted to the internet - and please note this is just connecting to the internet and sitting idle, without browsing any websites!
The article is 2 years old now. The time is probably much less now. The internet can be a scary place.

Frankly I can't think of any valid reason not to install SP2.

Hope this helps...
Cheers

[PapaG39]

Thanks J74...That is basically the info that I was hoping for. I suspected as much, but couldn't find the exact info on my own.
I do a google search and come up with the exact opposite of what I'm looking for...I think this computer hates me...lol..

A major company here takes all of their laptops every so often & just destroyes & replaces them with new ones.

A guy is going to save me one from the crusher, but all I know is that it was a top of the line HP of 2-3 years ago.

I wish he haden't even told me, because now I am really chompin at the bit to get it & loadup SH3...

He said it should be 2.8 or 3.0 & have xp pro loaded, but I think he really ment 1.8 or 2.0 for the CPU...

Oh well, I just have to be patient....ahhhhh....right...