So, I am taking my computing life into my hands, and - gasp! - installing XP SP3.  Yes, I have a current backup, thanks for asking.  If past experience is any guide, having it will be the main reason I don't need it.

And so it begins...

Okay, here we go...

Ah yes, I had forgotten how much fun Windows Service Packs could be...

[Update (eleven hours later): Cannot get past this point.  I've tried a bunch of stuff, but this error always appears.  A few times it was preceded by some other errors which gave me an "ignore" choice, and which I ignored, but this one can't be bypassed.  I'm giving up; there wasn't anything in SP3 I was that interested to get, I just felt I needed to "stay current".  I'm afraid this starts the clock on when I'm going to have to reinstall XP from scratch, that's something to look forward to...]