There is a story in ComputerWorld that according to posts to a Microsoft support forum Windows XP Service Pack 3 has been sending some PCs into an endless series of reboots. According to the story, the problem has been tentatively identified as being a problem involving only machines using processors from Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
As the story notes, "This isn't the first endless reboot problem Microsoft's faced in relation to a service pack recently. In February, the company pulled a Windows Vista SP1 prerequisite update from automatic delivery because it was crippling some machines."
I haven't had the reboot problem. Instead, I have had to try multiple times on my Intel-based machines to get SP3 loaded properly. One machine took three attempts, another five, and the third is at seven and still counting. I won't bore you with the details, but needless to say, it has been a barrel of fun trying to determine where the conflicts reside.
My admiration for Microsoft just continues to grows whenever I have to update its software - it really does.
