Windows Service Pack Registry Tweak

This article will guide you and explain how to modify a key in the registry and convince Windows XP that it's using a different Service Pack. In this case, I will be going from Windows XP Professional SP2 to Windows XP Professional SP3 without actually installing the service pack. Please note that this isn't an ideal fix and you will at some point have to install SP3.

1) Click Start > Run and type “regedit”. Click OK and you should see a screen like this:

2) Browse to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows”

3) Double Click CSDVersion and change it from 200 to 300.

4) Close the Registry Editor and reboot.

You should be going from something like this:

To something like this

Enjoy :)