A service pack is basically a large package that you install on your computer that consists of various updates and security patches. Windows XP Service Pack 3 has all of the previous fixes and patches ever released for the XP operating system -- 1,174 to be exact.

Chances are you already have SP3 installed on your PC, but if you don’t, there are two easy ways to get the patch:

You can download SP3 from Microsoft by going to www.microsoft.com/windows, click on products, then Windows XP. From there, click on “Windows XP SP3” on the left side of the page.

If you choose to go this route, remember you will be downloading the entire service pack, which is over 300 MB. This would take at least 30 minutes to download and install.

The faster route would be to simply use Windows Update. To do this, go to start, programs, and Windows Update.

This option will check your PC, first, to see what patches you’ve already installed, then download the remaining patches, so this option shouldn’t take as long – unless you have never installed an update on your computer.