Convert Windows XP SP2 into SP3

How to Convert Windows XP SP2 into SP3 : Registry Trick

We all know that technology is changing very rapidly and with in a short period of time we have to update with the latest patches and updates for several software. Though these are mostly in favor of the users , but there are some cases when the user doesn’t want to patch up their software. Take an example of me ,recently I bought a new computer game CD which need windows xp service pack 3 (SP3) to run , but as my copy of XP was SP2 I couldn’t install the game in my computer.

So in that situation, some of the questions that came up in my mind were ,Do I have to Install a fresh copy of Windows XP SP3 on my computer? Do I need to install SP3 patch?Is there any other alternative ? Is there a way to install the game without Installing SP3? and many other similar questions.

So thanks to my searching skills , I have found a way to install the game without installing a new copy of XP SP3 or updating SP2 to SP3 and I would like to share it with you . This is an easy trick which fools the program that requires Windows XP SP3 patch to run. As most of the programs usually look into the info about the system status into the registry file to locate the software and patches , so we can fool the program by altering the required registry values.

To do so go to windows run command (Using windows key +R) and then, type regedit to open Registry Editor. So now when your registry editor is opened , browse to the following key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\ Windows

and modify “CSDVersion” from “0×00000200” (SP2) to the Windows XP SP3 value of “0×00000300” and reboot your computer.

If you are finding any trouble in editing the registry manually , you can download the registry file from the below link and double click on the registry file just download. Doing so will ask a confirmation to modify the registry say yes and it will do the needful task automaticlly.

Download Automatic Registry settings (Note: extract this ZIP archive first)