Hello. Thanks For The Add And Help!

Hi! Thanks for adding me onto this site. I consider myself to be computer illiterate but apparently I know just enough to get into trouble Hoping someone feels sorry for me and helps me out!
My sister and brother in law have a Dell Dimension 3000 with Windows XP home edition. I told them they didn't need to go buy a new computer. They could just buy a WiFi adapter stick with their AT&T hotspot gadget. Long story short, he has a Windows XP sp2 and needs an sp3 for the netgear stick. I went on the Microsoft catalog page and it looks like there are things I will need to load both before and after I download the actual sp3 software. I have so many questions!

 

Here is the guide to steps to take prior to installing Service Pack 3 in XP
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-before-you-install-windows-xp-service-pack-3
You can download SP 3 here:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/microsoft_windows_xp_service_pack_3.html

 

Thank you Max! I'll let you know how it turns out!

 

More questions Max. Is it ok to ask them here at the welcome site or should I go to another forum on major geeks? I'll ask them here and if you need me to go elsewhere I will next time . Since family doesn't have internet yet will a flash drive work? I have an iPad but I have never transferred anything through it.

 

Thanks Tim for moving the conversation to the thread you want me on. Don't know what the abbreviation means but I always get a kick out of them like RAOTFL. So, beside the new flash drive question, I noticed somewhere yesterday that someone suggested loading XP sp4. I also saw from Microsoft that there are some security issues with 3. I am hoping with the intro video I saw today that I can figure out lots of things to delete on the computer like the dial up modem. Just feeling a little overwhelmed with all the stuff I have run across in the last 72 hrs since trying to implement a wifi adapter. BTW, Dell, Microsoft and Netgear were no help so thanks for stepping in!

 

The security issues are not with SP3 but with Windows XP.

SP4 is an unofficial service pack.
More info here.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/windows_xp_service_pack_4_unofficial.html

 

I do have an old exact system - Dell Dimension 3000 - which is now ancient in PC terms. I personally wouldn't recommend anyone using a system with XP - whether with SP3 or the unofficial SP4 - for anything that needs an internet connection. The risk of it being so insecure is not worth it. Use it for installed games, stored files, drafting and saving documents yes, to connect to the internet, not really.
Unless money is a serious problem, the cost of a simple Windows 10 based system - whether laptop, netbook or desktop is historically cheaper then ever. Look at the 'Clearance' pages of Dell, Novatech etc and pick something up that's cheap and powerful - and secure.